Full Notification

PETTIS COUNTY COVID-19 TASK FORCE
BRIEFING
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
 
To communicate openly with county residents, this compilation of information from essential government service providers within Pettis County will be disseminated on Mondays.  This briefing will continue to be provided throughout the COVID-19 event.
Please note:  Only the agencies with updated information will be included in the briefing.
 
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of either the Pettis County Sheriff's Office or the County of Pettis.
 
HEALTH CARE
Bothwell Regional Health Center

• Bothwell has 11 hospitalized COVID patients at this time. Due to the increase of positive COVID cases, effective 9/29/2020 no visitors will be allowed in the Bothwell Emergency Department. Bothwell will continue to allow 1 visitor per admitted patient during visiting hours. Visiting hours are from 10 am – 4 pm and all visitors must check in upon entry of the facility.
• As COVID continues to be present in our community, we encourage individuals to continue practicing social distancing, proper hand washing and wearing a mask while in public. As the flu season approaches, these same practices will be even more crucial. If you are in need of a mask, cloth masks are available at the Pettis County Health Center.
• Bothwell Walk In Clinic (located at 3700 W. 10th St. in Sedalia) continues to provide COVID-19 PCR curbside testing for all individuals. Please be patient as testing is on a first come bases and wait times may be longer due to increased volumes.

• Katy Trail Community Health will be focusing on virtual visits for the next several weeks primarily for adult patients.   Those with appointments will be contacted regarding how appointments will be conducted.  To schedule an appointment, please call 877-733-5824.
• Katy Trail Community Health continues to support the need for community testing at each of our sites.  Individuals can access our website to request an appointment for testing or call to schedule an appointment.  Testing hours have been expanded into the afternoon at the Sedalia location.

• As of 12 noon on September 28, 2020 there have been a total of 1130 cases reported so far in Pettis County.  This is an increase of 130 from the report of September 21 at 2 pm which indicated there were 1000.     There were 4 new deaths this week which brings the total to 20.  We have more deaths in Pettis County residents than Boone County and other counties around us according to the DHSS dashboard.   The state dashboard has fewer deaths because there is a delay in processing the records.  These are cases reported by the coroner.   We are not doing a good job protecting our vulnerable members of the community.    Being elderly and having pre-existing conditions definitely increase the risk of having a poor outcome when exposed to the virus.   As a community we must reduce the transmission within the county.  As of this afternoon we have over 200 active cases and over 500 contacts so there is a much greater opportunity to be in contact with a positive case than during any other time since the pandemic began.    Wearing a face covering is not a political statement, it does not show fear, it shows concern for the people you come in contact with.  
• A disturbing trend has developed.   People are ignoring when they are placed in quarantine and even in isolation.   This is often children who have parents who state that this is all made up and they will not comply.  This is verified by pictures on Facebook and other sources showing children and adults who are quarantined or positive posting pictures of their activities outside the home.   Another comment that has been heard this week is that all the people who have died were old and were going to die anyway.   A significant number of the individuals who have died were living in their own homes or with family.  
• The positivity rate for the week of September 15-21 has increased to 8.36% from 5.39% for the week of September 8-14.   The goal is to be at 5% or lower.  There were 145 new cases in the week of September 15-21 as compared to 80 cases for the week of September 8 -14.  This is the highest weekly total since the pandemic began.
• The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in conjunction with the Missouri National Guard will again be offering free community testing on October 7, 2020 at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in the Swine Barn.  This will be similar to the testing in June.  The exact times will be publicized on the Health Center Facebook page, website and local media.

• Please be advised that all monies Pettis County received from CARES Act have been allocated. Any applications for COVID-19 related expenditures that have been submitted will be kept on file should Pettis County receive additional funds. It is recommended that you look for other opportunities.

The following COVID-19 phone numbers and websites are provided for your information:
MO Department of Health and Senior Services Hotline:  877-435-8411
City of Sedalia/Pettis County Helpline:  660-851-7686
Pettis County Health Center:  www.pettiscountyhealthcenter.com
Center for Disease Control (CDC):
https://cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nov/index.html     
Missouri Department of Health COVID-19:
https://health.mo.gov/lkiving/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/results.php
Missouri State Emergency Management (SEMA) Daily Briefing:
https://sema.dps.mo.gov/newspubs/docs/dailybriefs.pdf

Instructions:

Look for the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing each Monday, beginning Monday, June 1st. The next briefing will be Monday, October 5, 2020