COVID-19 cases at lowest level since fall

Current county COVID-19 cases

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Since reaching unprecedented highs in January, the rate of new COVID-19 cases in Nodaway County has dropped sharply and is at the lowest level since the fall.

Twenty percent of all COVID-19 cases in the county were recorded in January, according to data from the online Nodaway County COVID-19 dashboard maintained by Northwest Institutional Research, peaking at a 7-day daily average of 55 new cases per day on Jan. 19. That figure is now down to six per day, as of the most recent data reported by the Nodaway County Health Department on Feb. 21.

As of that date, there were 22 active cases of COVID-19 in the county. Active case counts prior to 2022 are not directly comparable because of shorter isolation protocols that dispense with active cases more quickly.

More than 5,900 people in Nodaway County have tested positive for COVID-19 since spring 2020 — more than a quarter of all residents.

In the most recent report from the health department, three people were hospitalized. Thirty-eight Nodaway County residents have died since counting began in spring 2020.

Vaccinations

New vaccinations in the county are also slowing, with health officials noting a steep drop in demand for new vaccinations, though Nodaway County remains at a relatively high percentage overall for rural counties in the state.

“I think those people who don’t want to get it, they’re not going to get it, so we’re just where we are,” said Bridget Kenny, who is a health board member and Mosaic Medical Center – Maryville’s Community Health Liaison.

As of Feb. 22, about 50.3 percent of Nodaway County residents — 10,693 — have been fully vaccinated, which means they have received the initial two-shot regimen of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

So far, 11,976 county residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or about 56.4 percent of the county, according to the CDC’s online vaccination dashboard. Of those who have been vaccinated, 4,462 have received a booster dose, or about 41.7 percent of fully vaccinated individuals in the county.

In Missouri, about 65 percent of residents have received at least one dose, and about 54.8 percent are fully vaccinated. Of the fully vaccinated, about 40.5 percent have received a booster.

Across the country, the CDC estimates 76.3 percent of Americans have received at least one dose, 64.9 percent have been fully vaccinated, and 43.4 percent of fully vaccinated individuals have received a booster.

Individuals ages 5 and up are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The CDC recommends all adults ages 18 and older should receive a booster shot for COVID-19, regardless of which vaccine an individual first received.

Those who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccination series initially will become eligible six months after the final dose, and Johnson & Johnson recipients are eligible two months after receiving their shot.

Officials at MMC-M and the health department have reported that nearly all patients hospitalized locally are unvaccinated and vaccination can help avoid the worst outcomes.

Contact the Nodaway County Health Department at 660-562-2755 to make an appointment for vaccination or for more information.

For more information on booster shots, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.