Local News: COVID cases dip again (10/28/21) - Cassville Democrat

Only 30 new cases reported in last week

Barry County's active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases dipped again in the last week, with only 30 new cases of the virus reported.

According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,594 (+30 from Oct. 20) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.

As of Oct. 26, a total of 37 (-22) people were considered active cases in isolation, and at least 2 are hospitalized (-1).

There are more than 50 close contacts (even) quarantined in their homes.

No new deaths were reported in the last week. The total number of deaths in the county is 75, and all those who have died were at least 41 years old.

Of the deaths, 26 (even) have been residents of congregate care facilities, and 49 (even) lived independently in their homes. A total of 68 (even) suffered from underlying health conditions. Gender-wise, 48 (even) males and 27 (even) females have died.

The death rate, deaths as a percentage of positive cases, in Barry County is 1.6 percent, and the survival rate is 98.4 percent. The mortality rate, deaths as a percentage of the population, for the county is 0.2 percent, or about 2 of every 1,000 residents.

A total of 4,482 people had recovered from the virus, a gain of 52 since Oct. 20.

A total of 40,657 tests have been done in Barry County, surpassing county's total population, though some people may have been tested multiple times. The 4,594 positives account for 12.8 percent of the county's population, and there is an overall positive test rate of 11.23 percent (-.15). The weekly positive test rate is 5.92 percent (-3.9).

Vaccinations initiated in the county, which include people who have received at least the first dose, number 14,539, a gain of 124 in the last week and accounting for 40.6 percent of the county's total population. About 20 percent of the county is comprised of children 16 and under who were originally not eligible to receive a vaccine, about 7,177 individuals. If those people are not counted, about 50.6 percent of eligible adults have been vaccinated.

Pfizer has also been approved to vaccinate children 12-and-up, which may add to the overall percentage, as ages of those vaccinated are not broken down. The figure of those eligible for vaccinations is based on an estimation from U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The Lawrence County Health Department said as of Oct. 15 it had 5,251 total confirmed cases (+56 from Oct. 7). A total of 130 (+1) people have died in Lawrence County.

A new reporting system from the health department no longer includes the number of active cases or number of recovered cases.

Lawrence County has 43.6 percent of is population ages 12-and-up vaccinated.

According to Johns Hopkins University tracking, statewide as of Oct. 26, Missouri has had 699,034 confirmed cases and 12,016 deaths, a death rate of 1.7 percent (98.3 percent survival rate) and accounting for 0.19 percent of the state population, or 1.9 of every 1,000 people. Nationally, there have been 45,594,729 positives and 738,531 deaths, a rate of 1.6 percent (98.4 percent survival rate) and accounting for 0.21 percent of the nation's population, or 2.1 of every 1,000 people. State and national recovery figures are not provided.

Statewide, 3,376,785 people have initiated vaccinations, accounting for 55 percent of the total population and 66.7 percent of the population 18-and-over.

The CDC Wonder Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System shows 133 (+4) events reported where death was a result, possibly in relation to a vaccine. A report is not conclusive evidence the vaccine was the cause of death.

They are listed as 124 deaths, 4 sudden deaths, 1 brain death, 1 cardiac death and 3 foetal deaths.

The number of death reports in the state accounts for 0.0036 percent of the total number of people vaccinated, or 1 in every 27,233 people.

As of Oct. 21, the Cassville school district reported 1 (even from Oct. 8) active cases, accounting for .04 percent of the district population. One (-1) person was quarantined due to school-related cases, accounting for .04 percent of the district population.

Monett has 1 positive cases (-1), none at the elementary, none at Central Park, none at the intermediate school, none at the middle school, 1 at the high school and none at Scott Tech. A total of 15 are quarantined (even), 3 at the elementary, 2 at Central Park, 3 at the intermediate school, 2 at the middle school, 4 at the high school and 1 at Scott Tech.

The age ranges of Barry County cases are: People under 25 account for 1,034 cases (+8), those 25-40 account for 1,034 cases (+8), those 41-60 account for 1,342 cases (+10) and those 61-and-over account for 1,184 cases (+4).

Gender-wise, cases among females went from 2,504 to 2,523, while male cases rose from 2,060 to 2,071.

Community spread continues to be the leading cause with 4,576 attributable cases, and the other 18 (even) are attributed to travel.

As of Oct. 26, counties bordering Barry County report the following cases: Lawrence, 5,251; Stone, 3,338; McDonald, 2,765; Newton, 6,112; Benton (Ark.), 42,029; and Carroll (Ark.), 4,295.

Unemployment in Barry County, the most recent data available for which is from August, shows the county climbed fell to its lowest rate yet at 3.5 percent, down from 4.7 percent in June and 3.8 percent in July. The previous low was 3.9 percent low in October 2020. In February 2020, it was 4.3 percent, and it peaked in May 2020 at 10 percent.

COVID-19 can appear 2-14 days after exposure, and symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, fever, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or a new loss of taste or smell.

Anyone who believes they have symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home, call a medical provider and wear a mask when near anyone who does not live in the same home.

Barry County Phase 2 Mitigation rules expired March 31, meaning there is no longer a requirement for source control masking of service providers. Physical distancing, cloth face coverings and enhanced hygiene practices are still recommended per CDC guidelines.

For more information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus, call the Barry County Health Department at 417-847-2114 or call the Missouri DHSS 24 hour hotline number at 877-435-8411.