Deaths climb to 33, active cases drop

FORUM FILE PHOTO
A local health care professional prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Nodaway County tallied its 33rd death caused by COVID-19, the latest available data from the Nodaway County Health Department shows, and the active case count continues to drop.

For the first time since mid-July, the active case count in the county dropped below 50 over the past week, and as of Sept. 20 stood at 37. In that most recent report, two were hospitalized.

New doses of COVID-19 vaccines have also continued at a low but steady pace, averaging the same 29 doses over the past seven days as the previous seven. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ online vaccination dashboard, as of Sept. 21, a total of 9,172 Nodaway County residents have been fully vaccinated, or about 43.2 percent of county residents. About 46.7 percent of county residents — 9,916 — have initiated a vaccine regimen.

Importantly, vaccination numbers are based on residency information provided at the vaccination site, meaning that a significant chunk of Nodaway County’s population — college students who do not live in Maryville year-round — may have been vaccinated elsewhere and will not be counted toward the vaccination percentage in the county.

Missouri overall is at about 47 percent fully vaccinated and about 53.1 percent having initiated a vaccine. Across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 54.9 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and 64 percent have received at least one dose, as of Sept. 21.

Results of a recent study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that unvaccinated people were 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, and were nearly five times more likely to be infected in the first place.

Appointments for vaccination can be made at the Nodaway County Health Department at 660-562-2755.

Vaccination data

The Forum has begun using new, more accurate 2020 U.S. Census data in vaccination population calculations for all levels. Because the new figures showed a significant decrease in the population of Nodaway County, the vaccination percentages reported by The Forum may be higher than other sources that continue to use the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, including the state data posted to the DHSS online vaccination dashboard.