admin
In the past week, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Perry County increased by 29.4 percent, rising from 85 last Thursday to 110 on Monday, including a double-digit increase on Friday, the largest one-day increase since the first local case was reported on March 21.
County health department officials say the outbreak can’t be traced to a single event — like the recent Black Lives Matter protest in Perryville — adding that if such a situation were to arise, a public statement would be issued.
“If the Perry County Health Department is unable to identify everyone who may have been exposed, and determined to be a close-contact, as a result of being at a large event, gathering, or business then the health department will have to make a public announcement for anyone who was there, potentially at certain times, to call our office,” said Perry County Health Deparmtnet assistant deirector and epidemiologist Liz House. “Thankfully, we have not had to do this yet, like other surrounding counties have, but it is only a matter of time.”
Since the statewide stay-at-home order expired on May 4, Perry County has seen an increase of 150 percent in confirmed cases, rising from 44 on May 6 to the current total.
Perry County presiding commissioner Mike Sauer, who is regularly updated by the health department, said Tuesday that many of the cases are contained to a single facility.
“The major outbreak we have now is as one of the nursing homes, Estates of Perryville,” Sauer said. “It’s a lot of the residents there, which is scary. We knew once it was in there, it was going to be hard to stop it. Our biggest fear is the death of anybody. The employees there have to really take caution and make sure that they follow the rules so they don’t bring it out in public and spread it.”
In spite of his concern over those infected at the nursing home, Sauer said the new outbreak looks worse than it is.
“If we take away all the Gilster-Mary Lee positives that we had a couple weeks ago, and you take away all the ones from the nursing home, we don’t really have that many,” Sauer said.
Gov. Mike Parson put much of the onus of pandemic response on local governments and health departments when he declared the state “open for business” on June 16.
Health department director Sylvia Forester said the decision to fully reopen the state has made things harder for her staff.
“We continue to work seven days a week and are on call 24 hours a day,” Forester said. “This has not let up for us. If anything, it’s gotten more difficult to juggle response to the growing number of cases, as well as all of our other programs at the health department.”
Forester said that, despite the difficulties, her staff is still dedicated to helping the community respond to the virus.
“We know the importance of our role, and continue to hold ourselves to high standards of response,” Forester said. “However, we can only do so much, and we rely on citizens and businesses to take responsible measures and remain vigilant to help us in this fight.”
Those measures are key to helping dtermine risk, House said.
“Keeping 6 feet from others, and when you cannot maintain that distance, then wearing a mask, are factors that help us determine risk and if there is a chance someone may have been exposed,” House said. “Citizens must understand that going to events with large groups of people where distance cannot be maintained and choosing not to wear a mask in those circumstances puts them at risk.”
