County’s active Covid-19 cases at nine

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For the second week in a row, the number of reported positive cases of COVID-19 in Perry County is in the single digits.
The total number of cases was at nine, as of March 23 while the county’s alert level is at the green, or “low” level, according to the Perry County Health Department.
Social distancing and the use of face masks or face coverings is strongly advised, especially in public settings, social gatherings and when indoors, according to health department guidance.
The state of Missouri is getting closer to opening up eligibility for additional residents who qualify for COVID-19 vaccine.
The state of Missouri recently changed timelines for vaccine availability for the remainder of the Phases listed in their vaccination order, Forester said. Phase 2, which will include the remaining essential businesses and their employees that were not captured in Phase 1B Tier 3, will open on Monday March 29.
Tier 3, which includes the general population, will open Friday, April 9.
“With the progress we are currently seeing and vaccine supply expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks, we are well ahead of schedule with our vaccine plan,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson in a prepared statement March 19. “Supply projections are subject to change, but it is critical that we start preparing for this potential influx and ensure there is a consistent number of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine.”
The federal government has informed the state that COVID-19 vaccine allotments to Missouri are projected to significantly increase by the first week of April. The timeline for activating Phases 2 and 3 ensures that there is a consistent number of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine, allowing vaccinators across the state to continue vaccinating Missourians without delays due to those who are eligible but not seeking a vaccine.
Activation of Phase 2 is estimated to extend vaccine eligibility to approximately 880,000 Missourians that are essential to equitable economic recovery, including those employed in construction, critical manufacturing, higher education, and remaining food and agriculture sectors. This also includes homeless and disproportionately affected populations with an emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities, among others.
Phase 3 will be open to all Missouri adults, extending vaccine eligibility to an estimated 1.1 million Missourians who were not activated under any other tier or phase. A complete list of populations included in each phase as well as activation status is available at mostopscovid.com/priority.
With all phases of Missouri’s vaccination plan activated, approximately 4.5 million Missourians will be eligible. The state estimates that approximately 60 percent of these Missourians are interested in getting a vaccine.
The Perry County Health Department has administered 5,048 doses of COVID vaccine, according to Forester. This total includes first and second doses, as well as the PPC event that Perry County Memorial Hospital helped to staff. So far, the county has administered 1,403 doses in March. This total also includes first and second doses), Forester said.

The total number of residents getting the vaccine is inching closer toward 20 percent.
As of Monday March 22, the state’s dashboard reported an estimated 19.2 percent of Perry County’s 19,136 persons had initiated vaccination.
“This means that 3,671 first doses have been administered,” Forester said. “In total, 6,169 doses have been administered.”
Atchison County ranks first in the state in terms of percent of population to receive a first dose (29.7 percent), followed by Joplin (28.7 percent) and Boone (27.8 percent counties, as of March 23. All but two Missouri counties are above 10 percent, with McDonald (7.8 percent) and Pulaski (7.2 percent) the only counties below that threshhold.
Over the past week, a total of 489 COVID-19 doses have been administered in Perry County, which ranks 54th among the state’s 114 counties.
In terms of total doses administered in the past seven days, St. Louis County ranks first (44,049), followed by Kansas City (19,855), Jackson (16,615) and St. Charles (15,473) counties.
The Perry County Health Department posted a Facebook update Sunday, March 21 with 12 masked women holding up the number 5,000 in four decorative gold balloons, commemorating the surpassing of 5,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
“Thank you to everyone who has shared our posts, volunteered or allowed us to use their facilities for our clinics,” according to March 21 post. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
It also marked one year since the first reported positive test of Covid-19 in Perry County. Another vaccine clinic took place Wednesday, March 24, at the health department.
Forester said the health department checks for any reactions to the vaccines at its clinics.
“We monitor for allergic reactions at our events,” Forester said. “Individuals are asked to wait 15 or 30 minutes, depending on their medical history, before they leave. If an individual has a reaction it is reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Additional information can be found at vaers.hhs.gov/about.html.
This is the same reporting mechanism used for side effects of other vaccines as well. We also provide handouts at our events with information about V-Safe, which is a voluntary tool that allows individuals to quickly report any side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine to the CDC. More on V-Safe can be found at cdc.gov/coronavirus-2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html.