Month: January 2022

State health officials say 35% of COVID-19 tests in Missouri are coming back positive.

Officials say the Omicron variant of the virus is more infectious than other variants.

Health officials say vaccination is the safest way to achieve heard immunity, which requires 80 to 90% of the population to have immunity.

Just over 62% of Missourians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department projects the peak of the current surge of Omicron has not yet arrived and is not expected for at least two more weeks.

The health department estimates that one in 25 people locally is now infectious.

As of Friday, 225 people with COVID-19 are being treated in Springfield hospitals, and the seven day average number of daily cases is 735.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is explaining the Joker Alert that Missourians received on their phones Tuesday afternoon.

Captain John Hotz says they were testing the “Blue Alert” system which is to warn law enforcement if backup is needed, because an officer is down.

Civilians do not receive any messages from that alert.

The system will not work if you use only the word “test” or “test test test.”

The test was for Highway Patrol personnel to learn how to send and receive alerts.

They used fictional characters, places and vehicles rather than a real name and vehicle just in case the alert was to go out to the public, as it did Tuesday.

The Springfield School District has announced its plans for the week of January 24th.

R-12 leaders have sent communication to staff and parents that while district offices will be open on Monday, in class and virtual learning will not take place.

The school will transition to virtual learning from Tuesday, January 25th through Friday the 28th with the goal of returning to in person classes Monday, January 31st.

School leaders say SPS has documented 1,642 cases of COVID-19 across its system from January 4-18.

This includes 1,237 students and 405 staff.

By closing the district earlier this week to allow time for isolation and recuperation, SPS hoped it could return to in-person classes nexts week, but leaders say conditions in our community continue to worsen and SPS will not have the staffing required to provide in-person learning next week.

However, the district says some teachers are now able to provide virtual instruction from home.

SPS administration has also requested the Board of Education hold a special meeting on Friday, January 28th to consider implementation of a Public Health Order to require mask intervention for all staff and students from January 31-February 18.

The board is currently considering the request.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson says a specialized medical team of U.S. military personnel, which includes doctors and nurses, is being deployed to the St. Louis area to support hospital staff strained by COVID-19.

The team is expected to be in place at BJC Christian Hospital next week.

Here’s the latest from the governor in a news release:

“We’re pleased that in response to the State of Missouri’s request through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Navy will be deploying a 40-person team of military medical personnel,” Governor Parson said. “This team will help support our dedicated local medical professionals who work hard each day to care for Missourians. The best way Missourians can help aid our hospitals and health care workers is by considering vaccination to protect themselves and their families.”

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), through a mission assignment with FEMA, coordinated the deployment of the 40-member U.S. Navy team following a request from the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. Previously, SEMA assisted with the deployment of a 17-member Health Care Task Force with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support staff at Research Medical Center in Kansas City. That team has been supporting the hospital since January 7 by assisting with emergency department decompression and was granted an extension to continue providing care through February 4. 

FEMA is also providing Direct Federal Assistance as requested by SEMA through two AmeriCorps teams to help at community testing sites and other local COVID-19 support activities. AmeriCorps St. Louis is supporting testing in St Charles, St. Louis, and Springfield. An AmeriCorps team out of the Southwest Region is supporting testing sites in the Kansas City area.

The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services is granting variance requests for extending waivers of rules under 19 CSR 30-21 authorized during the State of Emergency that allow regulatory flexibility for expanded bed capacity to Missouri hospitals and health care partners experiencing COVID-19 strain.