Good news on the COVID-19 front for Miller, Morgan and Camden counties.
The Camden County Health Department, the Miller County Health Center and the Morgan County Health Center are reporting that there have not been any recent spikes in new positive COVID-19 cases with currently about 50 active cases despite fears the lake area would see an increase after the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lake Ozark and a busier-than-normal spring retail scene.
But the agencies say we shouldn’t relax our guard remind everyone to continue COVID-19 spread mitigation efforts such as masking and social distancing for unvaccinated populations to keep our communities safe and healthy.
The three counties combined have reported 8,142 confirmed cases with 174 COVID-19 related deaths since officials began keeping records in March 2020.
While many in our community are being vaccinated, not everyone has had the opportunity to be vaccinated yet, so we need to continue to be cautious.
The health departments encourage everyone to be vaccinated, especially the high-risk populations. Since much of our economy is driven by tourism, they also see the importance of prioritizing those working in the service industry. Even if younger people are not as likely to get severely ill, they can still transmit it to the vulnerable. These residents are exposed to hundreds of people every day from all over the country here to enjoy our beautiful lake, so it makes sense for them to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection which will reduce their family and friend’s risk too.
The Lake Area’s three public health departments continue to work with local and state health officials to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. The State of Missouri released recently that those in Phase 2 became eligible for vaccine on March 29 and Phase 3 will become eligible on April 9. Visit covidvaccine.mo.gov to view the State’s phase and tier priority list and to register for potential vaccination clinics. The vaccine is free and can be obtained at many locations in central Missouri.
The agencies recommend businesses to adopt policies requiring the use of masks by their unvaccinated staff. Especially those employees that cannot distance themselves from co-workers and customers such as employees at restaurants, bars, gas docks, and salons.
For more information for fully vaccinated people, visit CDC’s site: https://www.cdc.gov/…/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html.