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After a brief respite on Saturday when no new cases were reported, the number of people confirmed to be infected with COVD-19 in Perry County reached double digits a day later.
At 3:45 p.m., Sunday, March 29, the Perry County Health Department reported five new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected to 12.
Of those 12, six are confirmed to be contact-related, while the origins of the other six remain unknown.
Health Department director Sylvia Forester had no other specific information available Sunday, and said more cases are likely to surface.
"We've just been focusing on doing those contact investigations at this point," Forester said. "The numbers will continue to increase."
Addressing complaints from the community regarding a perceived lack of information about those infected and who might be at risk, Forester said the health department was bound by privacy laws, adding that her team would be contacting those who need to know.
"If you are deemed at risk by our investigation, you will get a call from the health department," Forester said. "A nurse will speak with you and let you know that your were deemed a 'close contact' with a positive case and we will ask you if you've been experiencing any of the symptoms."
Those symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The first positive case in Perry County was reported on March 21, the second on March 23. Four days later, the count stood at seven.
Statewide, the number of infected reported by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reached 908 Sunday afternoon, numbers which include a more-than 600-percent increase over the past week. So far, 12 deaths have been reported.
Nationwide, the total topped 137,000 Sunday afternoon with more than 2,400 deaths reported.
On Friday, the Randolph County, Ill., Health Department reported that an individual who lived in Perry County but worked at Gilster-Mary Lee in Chester had tested positive for the virus. It is unclear at this time whether that case is included in Perry County's totals or in Randolph County's, but reports indicate that the subject will be monitored by Perry County.
According to a news release issued Friday, any Gilster-Mary Lee employees who may have been in close contact have been asked to remain at borne in isolation for a period of 14 days and monitor their symptoms and the Randolph County Health Department is working in conjunction with health departments in both Perry County and Perry County, Ill., to notify any close contacts.
"Glister Mary-Lee Corporation will continue to interview employees and monitor temperatures to determine if anyone else is at risk," the release said, adding that the company is "working closely with the Department of Public Health and following all the appropriate next steps to ensure employee and public health."
Last wekk, the Perry County Commission issued a “shelter in place” advisory for all county residents, a decision that came on the heels of Sunday’s declaration of a state of emergency in the county, which activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center.
That order also mandated the closing of all food establishments, bars and taverns to inside service, while encouraging each to offer service to the public using delivery, drive-through or curbside service as every such person involved implements appropriate precautions.
“We are working closely with the Perry County Health Department, City of Perryville and Emergency Management to make informed decisions to keep our community safe, “ Sauer said in Sunday’s statement. “We are listening to the health department, and implementing the recommendations of the Department of Health and Senior Services and Gov. Parson’s office.”
Also last week, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson made request for a federal major disaster declaration for the state, a request that was approved by President Donald Trump on Thursday.
On Friday, Parson signed an executive order mobilizing the Missouri National Guard.
“The Guard will play a major role in supporting state and community operations, including potential support for COVID-19 testing and transporting equipment and supplies,” Governor Parson said. “I want to be clear — this is not about putting Missouri under martial law. This is a planning stage operation to provide more assistance to the people of Missouri and increase our capacity to deploy resources quickly.”
COVID-19, which stands for “coronavirus disease 2019,” is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The viruses can cause the common cold or more severe diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and COVID-19, the latter of which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.
For more information about COVID-19, call the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ 24-hour hotline at 1-877-435-8411.
For more information regarding COVID-19 and CDC guidance for local response, visit www.coronavirus.gov.
For Missouri specific information, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services at health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus.
