Editor's note: This is a daily briefing updating the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic at 4 p.m. each day.
The Carter County Health Department announced a second case of COVID-19 on Friday night.
A 44-year-old man who lives near Ellsinore is quarantined at home, officials said, and the case does not appear to be a contact of the county's first case.
From earlier:
As area counties see their first positive case of COVID-19, Emily Goodin of the Butler County Health Department said no residents have yet to test positive Friday afternoon during a meeting of county officials.
Goodin explained the testing process and what would happen when a positive case is reported to them.
“If there is a positive case within the county, they will notify the local health department,” Goodin said.
Tests are sent to either the state lab or a private lab with results sent to the health care provider. Once a positive case is determined the county health department will be notified within an hour. Once the provider notifies the patient, the county health department will make it public.
Currently, Goodin said, there have been 83 total tests for COVID-19 in Butler County with no positives and 37 still pending results. It is taking roughly 48 to 72 hours to get test results back.
The state lab will no longer be sending out notifications of negative results to the health department, Goodin said.
Health care providers and patients will still receive results of the test.
“They’re just being overrun with testing, so I don’t know if the private labs are still going to send out negative results,” she added. “I think that’s just to eliminate emails, so they’re just sending out if something’s positive.”
No names or personal information of a patient is released, according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
Carter County provided an update on its first positive case of the coronavirus Thursday, saying a 59-year-old man is currently hospitalized.
“The case is not travel-related and after disease investigation, appears to be a community acquired case,” the Carter County officials said. “The resident appears to have ties to the Van Buren and Ellsinore areas of Carter County. The CCHC has notified close contacts of the patient that are at high-risk of exposure.”
Other positive cases have been reported in Stoddard and Dunklin counties.
“Health leaders remind us to assume anyone you are dealing with in the public can be potentially infectious,” Carter County officials said.
The Butler County Health Department is still keeping WIC appointments and inspecting restaurants, Goodin said. It has a limited number of tests for COVID-19 and are given if someone meets the state criteria.
CENSUS
Robbie Myers, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, said the best thing residents can do this weekend is stay home and fill out their 2020 Census.
“It will help us down the road for recovery,” Myers said.
The information collected by the Census helps government officials at all levels make decisions during times of need and recovery.
Getting as many responses online, by mail or phone will help keep Census workers from going door to door.
Sue Crites-Szostak, director of the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, said that while the library is closed, residents can use the free Wifi from the parking lot to fill out the Census online.
Residents can go online to www.2020census.gov for more information.
So far 30.2% of the nation has responded online, mail or by phone. In Missouri, the response rate is 32.1% while locally, 32.6% of Butler County households have responded. Stoddard (36.5%) and Dunklin (31.3%) are also close to the national average while only 5.3% of Ripley County households, 5.5% in Wayne County and 1.8% of those in Carter County have responded, according to the Census Bureau website.
ALSO
• Chris Rushin with the Boys and Girls Club of Butler County said 883 students were served meals Friday. For the week, the number of Poplar Bluff students were served nearly 6,500 meals.
• Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley said the FBI is warning that children may be at an increased risk for exploitation with school being out. He wants to remind parents and guardians to monitor children when they are online, saying, “watch the kids and monitor what they’re doing and be very carful because (offenders are) there.”
More COVID coverage:
A look at stories you might have missed from the DAR:
• Butler County prosecutor, sheriff oppose releasing of inmates
• Governor mobilizes National Guard to assist in COVID-19 response efforts
• Helping hands reach out to doctors, nurses in need with homemade masks
A look at three stories from the Associated Press:
• Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes
• US eyes new outbreaks as infections worldwide top 575,000
• Arkansas lawmakers approve COVID-19 fund as virus cases rise
As of 2 p.m. Friday, March 26:
US DEATHS: 1,478
Mo. Deaths: 9
Mo. Cases: 670
Cases by area county:
Butler County: 0
Stoddard: 1
Carter: 1
Ripley: 1
Wayne: 0
Dunklin: 3
Perry: 6
Cape: 5
St. Francois: 4
Pemiscot: 1
Scott: 1
Bollinger: 1
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