Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Archives

Since late January, no coronavirus cases among Missouri veterans home residents

April 10, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

For the first time since March 2020, Missouri’s seven veterans homes are once again accepting applications for new residents. Due to the pandemic, new admissions had not been allowed since then.

The state-operated nursing homes caring for veterans are located in Cameron, Cape Girardeau, Mexico, Mount Vernon, St. James, St. Louis, and Warrensburg.

A coronavirus outbreak last year within the homes claimed the lives of at least 158 veterans. A press release from the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) says there have been no COVID-19 cases among patients in any of the homes since the end of January.

“In addition to complying with infection control guidance set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), MVC has implemented daily COVID-19 testing protocols for all staff and veterans along with continual infection control training. MVC has created a phased reopening approach based on real-time monitoring of the coronavirus in each Home and each community’s positivity rate,” the press release says.

Commission Spokeswoman Aimee Packard tells Missourinet real-time active staff testing/monitoring has identified three staff members are currently infected with the virus. Following a positive staff case, she says the individual must isolate at home for a minimum of 10 days, and MVC enacts the CDC Return to Work protocol for health care personnel. Any close contacts are isolated, and all staff complete an infection control refresher.

Following MVC protocols, Packard says the homes with active cases have canceled indoor visitation, deep cleaned any location the positive staff member has been and completed contact tracing.

To be eligible for admission to a Missouri veterans home, an individual must meet the criteria for veteran status established by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and require 24-hour skilled nursing health care services. Eligibility and admission decisions are made by a team comprising the home administrator, physician, director of nursing, social worker, Veterans Service Officer, and other professionals as needed. The following are also requirements for eligibility.

• The veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable;
• The veteran must be a resident of Missouri who has maintained a physical residency in Missouri for 180 consecutive days (6 months) immediately prior to application for placement in a veterans home;
• The veteran must have documentation from a physician that he/she needs skilled nursing home care;
• The veteran’s health condition must be such that the home has the resources to care for him/her.

Veterans must have a negative coronavirus PCR test prior to admission. The commission strongly encourages all veterans to be fully vaccinated before admission to avoid a mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival for non-vaccinated veterans.

Packard says the homes are allowing outdoor visits with family and friends and outings for the veterans.

Missouri pulls plug on this week’s mass vaccination events due to winter weather

February 16, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson says this week’s state-organized COVID-19 mass vaccination events have been canceled. A press release from Parson’s office says extreme winter weather has led to the change.

February 2021 mass vaccination clinic in southeast Missouri. Photo courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington

“Missouri is experiencing severe winter weather that makes driving dangerous and threatens the health and safety of anyone exposed to the cold. These conditions will also likely delay some vaccine shipments,” says Parson. “We want to protect the safety of everyone involved in the mass vaccination events, from the patients being vaccinated to the volunteers who generously support these events.”

The release says the state is making every effort to reschedule these events, but individuals who were registered are encouraged to reach out to other vaccinators in their region in the meantime. Missourians scheduled to receive a vaccine this week through other providers should check with their vaccinator for any potential schedule changes.

To ensure that no vaccine doses are endangered, Parson says arriving vaccine shipments for this week’s events will remain in each of the nine Missouri State Highway Patrol regions across the state and redistributed to community hospitals with emergency generators. Community hospitals can give vaccinations in compliance with Missouri’s current activated tiers to eligible local health care workers, first responders, and high-risk residents.

This week, the mass vaccination program was also scheduled to administer second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. These events are being postponed, but the state says doses will be retained in the region. Plans are being made to give these doses as soon as possible.

The slight delay will not affect the efficacy of the booster dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second dose may be administered as late as six weeks after the first dose.

The Missouri National Guard’s targeted vaccination teams working to vaccinate vulnerable at-risk citizens in St. Louis and Kansas City will focus this week on locations that do not require citizens to travel to be vaccinated, including senior apartments, retirement centers, and similar locations.

“We are extremely appreciative of all the hard work, sacrifices, and rapid adjustments that are being made by our state and local partners to quickly get the vaccine into arms across our state,” says Parson.

For additional information, updates on mass vaccination events, and other vaccinators in your region, visit MOStopsCOVID.com.

Northeast Missouri resident has state’s first confirmed case of UK coronavirus variation

February 7, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says an adult in northeast Missouri’s Marion County has the state’s first confirmed case of a COVID-19 variation initially detected in the United Kingdom. A press release from DHSS says the version, known as B.1.1.7, was identified in a sample from the individual.

Northeast Missouri resident has state’s first confirmed case of UK coronavirus variation

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 611 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC as of Feb. 4. So far, 33 states have reported B.1.1.7 cases.

“We were notified today (Saturday) of this first B.1.1.7 variant case in Missouri, and we are working closely with the local public health agency to ensure appropriate measures are being taken regarding contact tracing and isolation and quarantine protocols,” says Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS.

The CDC says B.1.1.7 is highly contagious.

“Early reports found no evidence to suggest that this variant has any impact on the severity of disease or vaccine efficacy,” the press release says. “DHSS continues to advise individuals to wear a mask, practice good handwashing and physical distancing, and to stay home if not feeling well. If any symptoms are experienced or COVID-19 exposure is suspected, DHSS encourages individuals to seek testing.

Missouri reports 465,448 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since last March. There are 1,666 individuals in a Missouri hospital being treated for the virus and 7,142 have died from COVID-19.

Missouri K-12 community waits its turn to get COVID-19 vaccination

January 15, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The state is not quite there yet in offering the COVID-19 vaccination to Missouri’s K-12 school workers. It is working on a plan to get them vaccinated when it is their turn. During a state Board of Education meeting this week, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Spokeswoman Mallory McGowin said supply continues to be an obstacle.

“The number of vaccines we have gotten into the state has not been what we were hoping at this point,” she said. “And so, that is affecting the timeline obviously for our K-12 audience.”

Missouri K-12 community waits its turn to get COVID-19 vaccination

Member Mary Schrag of southern Missouri’s West Plains said the medical community in rural Missouri is also lacking vaccine.

So far, the immunizations have been offered to Missouri’s health care workers as well as long-term care staff and patients. On Thursday, the state began offering them to first responders and remaining health care workers. Beginning Monday, individuals 65 and older and those with an increased risk of severe illness can get vaccinated.

K-12 school employees are next in line. Some board members, including President Charlie Shields, said the education community should be higher on the priority list.

“The faster we get the education community immunized, the faster we get back to in-person learning, which we have said as a board is a huge priority,” said Shields. “The more kids we have in school, the more parents we have able to re-enter the workforce, the faster the economy recovers.”

School nurses could help to vaccinate fellow employees. Some workers might end up going to a nearby Walgreens or CVS Pharmacy. Shields said hospitals “stand ready to help.”

“What we would do is set up in a large space be it a gymnasium or a cafeteria, have several people doing the immunizations, doing the registration, things like that. Then we need to be able to watch people for 15 minutes to make sure they don’t have a reaction,” he said. “So, it takes a lot of manpower to do these. But when you set them up right, you can do hundreds if not thousands a day. So, you can imagine it wouldn’t take very long to do an entire school district.”

Shields, of northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph, is the CEO of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City and serves on the Missouri Hospital Association Board.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine tracker shows more than 528,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been delivered to Missouri’s hospitals, health care providers, local health departments, or pharmacies. Gov. Mike Parson says Missouri has administered at least 190,000 doses of the immunization.

Missouri unveils new COVID-19 vaccine website

November 25, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has announced the launch of a new vaccine website, which answers common questions and clarifies what it calls misinformation.

The new website is mostopscovid.com, and provides Missourians with information about the safety of the vaccines, research and production processes and when they could be eligible for vaccination.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (left) tours Milbank Manufacturing in Kansas City on November 20, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson emphasizes that safety involving the vaccines is not being sacrificed. The governor says research and development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines continue to show promising safety and effectiveness findings.

One tab on the website is titled “get the facts”, and says you cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine. Another tab is called “rumor control”.

Missouri submitted its 111-page plan for administering the impending COVID vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in October.

State health officials say there are currently 2,680 COVID patients in Missouri hospitals, including 664 in the ICU. The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there have been 24,922 new COVID cases in the past week, which is down about 1,000 from Friday. There have been 78 new COVID deaths in the past week.

CDC in Missouri Monday to begin landmark COVID-19 study within schools

November 25, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have boots on the ground in Missouri Monday to begin a first-of-its-kind COVID-19 study within some K-12 schools. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams says the state pitched the study idea to the CDC.

CDC in Missouri Monday to begin landmark COVID-19 study within schools

He tells Missourinet two groups of students will be tested for COVID-19 over a 30-day period.

“Students who are identified as close contacts at school that are wearing masks. So, if the patient who was identified and the student was identified at school, then in one arm of the study, they can still come to school. Now, they will quarantine when they are at home when they leave school,” says Williams.

The other group being tested are students considered a close contact who are required to quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they were wearing a mask.

Teachers will be included in the case and contact investigation.

“The prevailing evidence to date after about eight months is, is that there is a very low risk of catching COVID-19 at school just from proximity if you are wearing a mask,” says Dr. Williams.

Missouri does not have a statewide mask requirement. Earlier this month, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education loosened the guidelines for making students and staff quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19, if they were properly wearing masks at school.

Williams did not have information about the number of schools and which schools are involved.

“You need to check a certain number to reach what is called the power to make a conclusion. So, that all is being done by our epidemiologists at the CDC, Washington University, and St. Louis University. They will determine how many people you need to study to make that observation,” Dr. Williams says.

He says the results of the study will be published for the nation’s school systems to see.

Missouri’s health director to outline vaccine plan and testify about increasing COVID numbers (AUDIO)

November 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri health officials say there have been about 21,000 new COVID cases in the past week, an average of 3,105 per day.

State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on August 25, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams will testify Tuesday morning before the Missouri House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention. Committee chairman Dr. Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, wants to hear an update.

“You know we seem to be experiencing in the country and the state some of the highest case volumes it seems since the pandemic started,” Patterson says. “I want to kind of discuss how we’re responding to that.”

DHSS says about 120,000 new COVID tests have been conducted in the past week. Chairman Patterson praises DHSS, but notes he wants to make sure the state is doing all it can to get control of the coronavirus.

We’ll also learn new details at Tuesday’s hearing about how Missouri’s vaccine plan will be implemented statewide. Dr. Williams will be testifying about it, and answering questions from lawmakers in both parties.

Missouri has submitted its 111-page plan for administering the impending COVID vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Williams says the plan’s hallmark is collaboration and coordination.

Missouri’s plan is based upon CDC’s anticipation of a phased availability of vaccines within the state. It also notes the highest risk population for mortality from COVID is nursing home residents.

As for Chairman Patterson, he emphasizes that COVID is and must be a bipartisan issue.

“You know this virus doesn’t care whether you are a Democrat or a Republican. It doesn’t care whether you live in a city or you’re rural. So, our response has to be bipartisan,” says Patterson.

DHSS says the state has now had 209,197 COVID cases this year, along with 3,153 deaths.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Missouri House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention Chairman Dr. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit. It was recorded on November 6, 2020:

Missouri submits 111-page COVID-19 vaccine plan to CDC

October 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri has submitted its plan for administering the impending COVID vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The state will receive feedback from the CDC on the 111-page plan by October 26.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) logo (image courtesy of DHSS)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams tells Capitol reporters that the plan’s hallmark is collaboration and coordination.

“It represents more than 100 state employees, a whole government approach, working with FQHC’s, working with hospitals, working with nursing homes, working with partners in the state and our federal partners,” Dr. Williams says.

FQHC’s are federally qualified health centers.

Missouri’s plan is based upon CDC’s anticipation of a phased availability of vaccines within the state.

Dr. Williams says Missouri will collaborate with health care systems and pharmacy partners to vaccinate long-term care facility staff and other health care workers.

“Our north star is to get this vaccine to those families, for their loved ones to get it, and at the same time to prevent community transmission so we can reduce the stress on our health care system,” he says.

Dr. Williams spoke to Capitol reporters at a Jefferson City press conference on Wednesday afternoon, where he was joined by Governor Mike Parson.

The plan says the highest risk population for mortality from COVID is nursing home residents, with 75 percent of Missouri’s COVID deaths happening in these facilities.

Missouri has about 425,000 health care workers. Dr. Williams says that as vaccine availability expands, efforts will be aimed at residents most at risk, the elderly and those with certain medical conditions.

The Missouri Hospital Association is praising the plan. They have been a partner in the vaccine planning effort.

“Missouri’s hospitals will be actively engaged in advocating for vaccination and administering the vaccine in the communities they serve,” Missouri Hospital Association President Herb Kuhn says, in a written statement.

Click here to read the 111-page plan.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says the state has had 150,554 COVID cases this year, along with 2,442 deaths.

(VIDEO) Gov. Parson’s COVID-19 and legislative briefing

September 16, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson held a briefing today to update the state on Missouri’s COVID-19 response. He also gave his thoughts on the state Legislature’s work during today’s veto session and the completion of its special session work.

Key points from today’s briefing:

•The governor says he expects the federal government to send Missouri about three million rapid COVID-19 tests by the end of year.

•Parson responds to Missouri’s approach to COVID-19 not always matching up with what the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommends. He says he trusts Missouri’s data to drive decisions at the state level.

•Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director, Dr. Randall Williams, says the state has received its playbook from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the approach to take when a vaccine becomes available.

•The governor responds to the Missouri Legislature allowing his vetoes of bills to stand but only managing to pass two of seven crime bills he wanted. He says he’s content with the two bills that passed.

Dr. Birx praises Missouri’s box-in strategy on COVID-19 (AUDIO)

August 18, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The White House coronavirus response coordinator says Missouri is one of the 20 states she’s visited in the past six weeks, to provide guidance on COVID-19.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson and White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speak to Missouri’s Cabinet and community leaders about COVID-19 on August 18, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Dr. Deborah Birx participated in a roundtable discussion with Governor Mike Parson and Cabinet members in Jefferson City on Tuesday. They were joined by State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) officials and by community and school leaders.

Dr. Birx also held a press conference on Tuesday with reporters at the Missouri Capitol, after the roundtable.

“This box-in strategy that is being used here in Missouri I think really is an important example of how to really protect vulnerable individuals,” Dr. Birx says.

Governor Parson says Dr. Birx originally introduced the “box-in” testing strategy to Missouri officials, during a conference call. The “box-in” testing strategy involves testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

Missouri officials have used the strategy in long-term care facilities and other locations. State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams says 115,000 tests have been conducted in Missouri long-term care facilities, using the box-in strategy.

As of today, 468 long-term care facilities in Missouri have experienced at least one positive case of COVID-19, either among residents, staff or both.

DHSS says that since implementing box-in testing, Missouri has seen a significant decrease in its COVID-19 observed case fatality ratio. Governor Parson says that during April and May, more than seven percent of all observed cases each month in Missouri were fatal. In June, that number dropped to less than two percent. Parson says it’s now less than half a percent in August.

Dr. Birx says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff are heading to Missouri, to help the Show-Me State in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Missourinet asked Dr. Birx about the the CDC personnel, during the press conference.

“We have been sending out what we call these craft teams that work on COVID directly city by city. I believe they may be going to St. Louis, but I will look that up. Or Kansas City, to really go to cities before they get into serious situation,” says Dr. Birx.

DHSS says Missouri has now had 69,417 confirmed COVID cases, which is up from Monday’s number of 68,623. St. Louis has reported 181 COVID deaths, while St. Louis County has reported 705 deaths.

Kansas City has had 87 COVID deaths.

Dr. Birx emphasized several times the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing. She is also suggesting that Missouri follow Texas’ model, which requires masks in counties with more than 20 cases. Governor Parson says he will review the Texas model.

Dr. Birx is also encouraging you to participate in upcoming COVID-19 vaccine trials that will be conducted by researchers at Washington University’s School of Medicine and St. Louis University’s School of Medicine. She says it’s very important for people “from all different walks of life” to participate in those trials.

“Because when we complete those trials, we want to know that it’s going to work in a 70-year-old, we want to know it works in a farmer, we want to know it works in someone who lives in an inner city,” Dr. Birx says.

She says vaccine trial participants will be helping all of America. Researchers at the two universities expect to enroll about 3,000 participants in several vaccine trials. The two schools will participate in different trials.

Dr. Birx finished her press conference, by urging all Missourians to do their part in fighting the pandemic.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican. You need to wear a mask and socially distance. You need to not have parties in your back yard and in your living room,” Dr. Birx says. “And we need to stop the spread of this virus because we can and we will together, while we work on developing a vaccine together.”

In addition to the Cabinet, numerous others participated in the roundtable discussion at the Governor’s Mansion. They included Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, Jefferson City School Superintendent Larry Linthacum, Lincoln University President Jerald Woolfolk, Missouri School Board Association (MSBA) Executive Director Melissa Randol, Missouri Pork Association Executive Director Don Nikodim, and representatives from the Missouri Hospital Association and University Hospital in Columbia.

Click here to listen to the full 22-minute press conference from White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, which took place at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on August 18, 2020: