Clinton County Health Department Update 7-15-2020
Good morning,
It is time for our weekly COVID-19 update. Our current case count sits at 37 as of this morning. This is an increase of 8 from this time last week. We currently have 12 active cases within Clinton County. As of yesterday, there had been 2745 COVID-19 PCR tests performed in Clinton County (A good number of these tests were performed in the County for out-of-county residents). To date, there have been 91 antibody tests performed, 2 of which returned positive. In both of these instances, the patients had not experienced COVID associated symptoms, and are not included in the case count.
Our concerning upward trend in cases continues, both locally, as well as within the Kansas City metro and statewide. This upward trend in cases has also caused an increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations, as well as an increase in ventilated patients. Hospitals within the Kansas City metro have begun expressing concern with the trend seen in new patients admitted for COVID-19 associated illness.
This week I wanted to touch on plans for school re-openings. We have been working with all of the school districts to plan for in-person classes this fall when school begins. In order for this to be accomplished safely, we must first have a low incidence of community spread within the County. A continued upward trend in cases and community contagion places in jeopardy the ability for school districts to safely hold classes in-person and with a minimum of distracting and education-disrupting interventions.
So how do we reduce our new case numbers? I’m going to sound like a broken record…
1. Mask in public
2. Social distance
3. Avoid large group gatherings
4. Wash your hands
5. Stay home if you are sick
In other news, we have recently seen an increase in turnaround times for COVID-19 testing from some lab providers; some have extended to upwards of a week. Local testing providers have mitigated this as much as possible by utilizing local labs located within the metro area which are still turning tests around in less than 24 hours. Rapid testing is slowly becoming more available within the area, with urgent care providers in both Saint Joseph and the Northland providing this service.
Testing is available locally at Cameron Regional Medical Center weekdays from 1pm to 4pm. Testing does require a doctor’s order. Please call (816)649-3333. If you don’t have a primary care provider, CRMC will make arrangements for a tele-health visit from your vehicle prior to testing.
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy
