COVID cases below 20 Weekly positive test rate down to

3 Percent

BY KYLE TROUTMAN editor@cassville-democrat.com

Barry County’s active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases have fallen as quickly as they rose in recent months, now down to less than 20 active cases overall.

According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 6,947 (+16 from Feb. 22) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.

As of March 2, a total of 16 (-28) people were considered active cases in isolation, and at least 1 is hospitalized (-4).

Per the Missouri Attorney General, local health departments no longer have the authority to enforce any quarantining of close contacts.

Four new deaths have been reported. The total number of deaths in the county is 107, and all but two who have died were at least 41 years old.

Of the deaths, 33 (even) have been residents of congregate care facilities, and 74 (+4) lived independently in their homes. A total of 97 (+4) suffered from underlying health conditions. Gender-wise, 66 (+3) males and 41 (+1) females have died. The two deaths of people ages 25-40 were individuals with underlying conditions.

The death rate, deaths as a percentage of positive cases, in Barry County is 1.5 percent, and the survival rate is 98.5 percent. The mortality rate, deaths as a percentage of the population, for the county is 0.3 percent, or about 3 of every

BARRY COUNTY

What: Had 6,947 cases of COVID-19 as of March 2 Count: 16 active cases, at least 1 of whom is hospitalized, and 6,824 recovered

1,000 residents.

The 6,947 positives account for 19.3 percent of the county’s population, and there is an overall positive test rate of 12.73 percent (+0.01). The weekly positive test rate is 3.08 percent (-5.13).

Vaccinations initiated in the county, which include people who have received at least the first dose, number 16,578, a gain of 21 since Feb. 22 and accounting for 46.3 percent of the county’s total population.

The Lawrence County Health Department said as of Feb. 18, it had 7,783 total confirmed cases (+507 from Jan. 28). A total of 156 (+9) people have died in Lawrence County.

The 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 5-and-up fully vaccinated.

According to Johns Hopkins University tracking, statewide as of March 2, Missouri has had 1,123,586 confirmed cases and 15,402 deaths, a death rate of 1.4 percent (98.6 percent survival rate) and accounting for 0.24 percent of the state population, or 2.4 of every 1,000 people. Nationally, there have been 79,092,025 positives and 952,509 deaths, a rate of 1.2 percent (98.8 percent survival rate) and accounting for 0.28 percent of the nation’s population, or 2.8 of every 1,000 people. State and national recovery figures are not provided.

Statewide, 3,878,750 people have initiated vaccinations, accounting for 63.2 percent of the total population and 74.2 percent of the population 18-and-over.

The CDC Wonder Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, as of Jan. 13, showed 194 (+3) 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 183 deaths, 4 sudden deaths, 1 brain death, 1 cardiac death and 5 foetal deaths.

The number of death reports in the state account for 0.005 percent of the total number of people vaccinated, or 1 in every 19,992 people.

As of Jan. 7, per the Attorney General’s letter restricting schools from enforcing health orders, the Cassville school district no longer reports its weekly cases or quarantines online.

Monett schools this week report no positive cases (-3 from Feb. 24). A total of 1, at Central Park Elementary, is listed as a self-reported quarantine (-2).

The age ranges of Barry County cases are: People under 25 account for 1,699 cases (+3), those 25-40 account for 1,597 cases (+4), those 41-60 account for 1,992 cases (+6) and those 61-and-over account for 1,659 cases (+3).

Gender-wise, cases among females went from 3,106 to 3,116, while male cases rose from 3,825 to 3,831.

As of March 2, counties bordering Barry County report the following cases: Lawrence, 7,783; Stone, 4,661; McDonald, 4,024; Newton, 9,355; Benton (Ark.), 65,846; and Carroll (Ark.), 5,995.

Unemployment in Barry County, the most recent data available for which is from December, shows the county held at 2.9 percent after hitting a low of 2.6 percent. Unemployment was 4.7 percent in June and 3.8 percent in July. 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, 2021, 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.

Gov. Mike Parson’s statewide emergency declaration expired on Dec. 31, 2021. For more information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus, call the Barry County Health Department at 417-8472114 or call the Missouri DHSS 24 hour hotline number at 877-435-8411.