The 14-day positivity rate for Covid-19 testing in the county remains at 11.7 percent as of Thursday morning, unchanged from Wednesday. Greene County public health director Becky Wolf reports three cases of Covid-19 were identified in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 627. There have been 19 new cases in the last three days, 36 new cases in the last seven days, and 64 new cases in the last 14 days.
Of the total cases, 166 are active and 461 persons are considered recovered. Six county residents have died of Covid-19. Those persons all had underlying health issues.
Breakdown for age groups for Greene County positive cases is as follows:
- 0-18 years: 15 percent
- 19-39 years: 28 percent
- 40-59 years: 32 percent
- 60-74 years: 18 percent
- 80 and older: 6 percent
Positive cases by zip code are:
- Jefferson: 352
- Scranton: 80
- Churdan: 40
- Grand Junction: 46
- Rippey: 28
- Paton: 34
- Dana: 1
- Coon Rapids: 5
- Bagley: 6
- Jamaica: 5
- Perry: 3
- Lake City: 1
- Gowrie: 2
Wolf continues to urge county residents to celebrate Christmas at home with the people they live with. Getting together with family and friends outside the immediate household increases the changes of getting or spreading both Covid-19 and influenza. Risk factors include:
- Community levels of COVID-19: Refer to www.coronavirus.iowa.gov for more information.
- Exposure during travel: Airports, public transport, gas stations, and rest stops are places to be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces.
- Location: Indoor gatherings, especially small enclosed spaces with no outside air, pose more risk than outdoor gatherings.
- Duration: Being within six feet of someone who has COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more greatly increases the risk of becoming sick and requires quarantine.
- Number and crowding of people: The more people attending, the more risk of infection.
- Behaviors of attendees prior to gatherings: Those who did not consistently practice social distancing, mask wearing and handwashing pose more risk to others.
- Behaviors of attendees during the gatherings: Having fewer or no preventative measures in place poses increased risk. Use of alcohol or drugs may alter judgement and make it more difficult to practice safety measures.
