Springfield-Greene County Health Department Pushes Booster Vaccinations; reports 10 deaths from COVID-19 in December

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is urging those who have yet to receive a booster to do so as soon as possible, after a month of increasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Of all the positive cases reported in the county in December, 78% were unvaccinated, 20% were fully vaccinated, and only 2% were fully vaccinated and boosted. Health officials say this highlights the importance of being stepped up, as the health ministry expects cases of the Omicron variant to increase.

A recent review of data from CoxHealth shows that getting a booster helps keep people with serious illness out of hospital. On January 3, among those admitted with COVID-19, only 5% were vaccinated and 0% were fully vaccinated and boosted. In addition, no one fully vaccinated was in intensive care.

Receiving a booster shot when they are eligible helps people protect themselves, their loved ones and their community. This is particularly important now after confirmation of the presence of the Omicron variant in Greene County and the already significant rate of spread in the community since the end of November.

Here’s a look at the COVID-19 data for December:

Case :

As of 12/31, the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases has more than doubled – reaching 174 cases per day, from 75 on 12/01.

• From the second half of December to January 2, more than 400 people between the ages of 23 and 30 tested positive for COVID-19.
• The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases is 250.6 as of January 6.

Children aged 5 to 17 have passed 400 cases of COVID-19 this month for the first time since July 2021.

Deaths / Hospitalizations:

Springfield-Greene County lost 10 lives in December due to complications from COVID-19. Hospitalizations increased 58% from December 1 to December 31.

• 1 woman in her twenties
• 1 man in his fifties
• 1 woman in her fifties
• 1 woman in her sixties
• 5 70-year-old men
• 1 woman in her 80s

* This number represents confirmed deaths from COVID-19 that occurred in December. This number could change based on delayed reports.

Vaccination:

• There was a 57% increase in the number of people fully vaccinated in December compared to November.
  6,860 residents were fully vaccinated in December, up from 4,364 in November.
  
• Total doses administered, including boosters, reached 28,934 in December.
• As of January 2021, 90.5% of people who test positive for COVID-19 have not been vaccinated.

For more information on eligibility and to make an appointment for vaccination, visit vaccine417.com, or call the call center at 417-874-1211.

To report a correction or typo, please send an email [email protected]

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