Sixteen cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Atchison County Health Department for August 16 – 23, 2021. They included:

2 females and 1 male – ages 0-9

1 female – age 10-19

2 males and 1 female – ages 20-29

3 females and 1 male – ages 30-39

2 females – ages 60-69

1 female and 1 male – ages 70-79

1 female – age 80-89

“We are saddened to report a COVID-related death of a male in his 40s,” said Julie Livengood, Administrator. “Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.” This brings total number of deaths in Atchison County to 14 as of August 23.

As of August 23, there have been 560 total cases, with 23 active cases. There are two active COVID-19 hospitalizations in our local hospital. The current 7-day testing positivity rate is 14.1%.

COVID VACCINE UPDATES

Third Doses For Immunocompromised

If the below information applies to you, call Atchison County Health Department for an appointment. 660-736-4121. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for “moderately to severely immunocompromised” do not need a third dose at this time.

Following recent announcements from the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, certain immunocompromised individuals can begin receiving third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri. A third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines may be administered to moderately to people who are severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or combination of immunosuppressive medication or treatments including but not limited to the following:

• Immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant and taking immune suppressing medications

• Immunocompromised due to active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies

• Immune compromised due to receipt of CAR-T cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)

• Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (eg., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndromes)

• Immunocompromised due to Advanced or untreated HIV infection 3

• Immunocompromised due to “Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response: high dose corticosteroids (ie.,≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blocker or other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory”

In line with federal guidelines, Missouri will use a self-attestation model for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Individuals will not be required to provide documentation of their health status, and they can get third doses at all venues where first and second doses are available.

This guidance does not apply to those who received the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For people who received either Pfizer or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine series, a third dose of the same mRNA vaccine should be used. A person should not receive more than three mRNA vaccine doses at this time. If the mRNA vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available or is unknown, either mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered. Individuals should wait at least 28 days between their second and third doses.

Announcements from federal health officials came after the analysis of studies demonstrating that immunosuppressed people are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, are at higher risk for prolonged infection, are more likely to transmit the virus, and experience lower vaccine effectiveness.

Additional information regarding this guidance can be found on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html

STATE RANKING

Atchison County has continued to rank in the top 10 since the state started tracking. Atchison County is ranked ninth in the state with 41.7% of residents completing vaccinations and ranked ninth in the state with 46.2% of residents receiving at least one COVID vaccine dose. In total, 4,120 doses have been given in Atchison County. For details see: https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/data/.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Atchison County Health Department has Moderna and Pfizer vaccines available this week. They are out of Johnson & Johnson at this time but plan to receive more. COVID-19 vaccines are free. Walk-ins are welcome. Pfizer is the vaccine available for those ages 12 years of age and older. Anyone age 12-17 will need an adult present during the vaccination. To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you, go to www.vaccines.gov and type in your zip code. You can also narrow the search down by type of vaccine and search radius.

If any businesses have employees interested in the COVID vaccine, Atchison County Health Department will come to you. Please call 660-736-4121.

If you know of any home-bound individuals needing a COVID-19 vaccination, call 660-736-4121.

MO VIP

MO VIP is Missouri’s vaccine incentive program – rewarding those who have already chosen or will choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services will partner with the Missouri Lottery to draw 180 winners in 5 randomized drawings who will win either $10,000 cash or $10,000 towards an education savings account. In total, the state will award 900 individuals throughout the incentive program. Registration opened July 21, 2021. For more info: https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/win/

For a direct link to the registration form visit https://movaccineincentive.azurewebsites.net

Those without internet access can call the COVID hotline at 877-435-8411 to provide your information and verbal consent over the phone.