Additional Covid death reported
Positive cases of Covid-19 continue to increase in Greene County, impacting school and work attendance, Greene County public health director Becky Wolf reported Sept. 20. “Please, please, please stay home if you are sick or if you’ve been exposed to the virus,” she said.
As of Monday morning, there have been a total of 1,135 cases of Covid-19 among county residents, compared to 1,068 on Sept. 13. Sixty-five new cases have been identified in the past seven days, with the 7-day positivity rate at 13.4 percent (10.9 percent on Sept. 13).
Wolf reported an additional death due to Covid-19 during the past week, bringing the toll in Greene County to 12.
The level of community transmission is high.
Fifty-nine percent of Greene County residents who have tested positive in the past seven days are younger than 40; 33 percent are 17 or younger, 14 percent are 18-29, and 12 percent are 30-39. Of the persons 40 or older, 14 percent are 40-49, 14 percent are 50-59, and 16 percent are age 60 and older. (Numbers do not equal 100 due to rounding.)
As of Sept. 20, 50.2 percent of eligible Greene County residents are fully vaccinated. Among those age 65 and older, 87.7 percent are fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates decline among younger residents as follows: age 50-64, 65 percent; age 30-49, 45.1 percent; age 18-29, 39.4 percent; and age 12-17, 31.2 percent.
Some patients with Covid-19 feel like their seasonal allergies are problematic or like they’ve caught a cold. “If you have any of the following symptoms, you may have Covid-19. Please get tested, waiting at least 48 hours after the onset of your symptoms: fever/chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea,” Wolf said.
To avoid exposing others, even if they are vaccinated, persons with Covid should isolate at home for a full 10 days after symptoms began; and free of fever without fever-reducing medications; and symptoms are improving.
Free Test Iowa home test kits are available at Greene County public health. Persons with symptoms can call public health at 515-386-3228 to arrange for outdoor pick-up of test kits.
