County COVID cases rise; but district cases are fewer

     While COVID cases throughout Jones County have made a noticeable rise over the past two weeks, cases within the Monticello Community School District are seeing steady to dropping numbers.

     Jess Wiedenhoff, interim Jones County Public Health Coordinator, offered the county statistics during the meeting of the Jones County Board of Supervisors Sept. 21.

     MCSD Superintendent Brian Jaeger’s numbers came from his weekly COVID report, released Friday.

     As of late in the afternoon of Sept. 20, the county-wide three-day, seven-day and 14-day totals all rose by more than double from Wiedenhoff’s previous report on Sept. 7. The three-day total of cases went up from seven to 20 from two weeks earlier, the seven-day total was 75, up from 35; and the 14-day total rose from 82 to 174.

     As for percentages of the Jones County population, the seven-day average is 10.9 percent, and the 14-day average is 9.2 percent.

     “For the last two or three weeks we’ve been bouncing between 7 percent and 11 percent,” Wiedenhoff said.

     However, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported that Jones County has a seven-day positivity rate of 15 percent, up 4 percent from the previous week.

     Jaeger reported that the school district is down one case from the previous week. The district is monitoring 34 cases (those in quarantine, waiting for test results or out with COVID-like symptoms), down 14 from the previous week.

     The superintendent also reported that the number of positive cases from Aug. 23 (the first day of school) through Sept. 24 is 36, compared with 10 from the same period a year ago.

     Wiedenhoff said there is plenty of vaccine available, “so if people want it, they can get it.”

     She cautioned, though, about reports pertaining to COVID, particularly when it comes to vaccine booster shots.

     “Remember that some of it may not actually be approved yet,” she said. “As of right now, boosters have not been approved for the general public.”

     The CDC is recommending that only moderately to severaly immunocompromised people receive an extra dose. Those include people who have:

     • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.

     • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.

     • Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.

     • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).

     • Advanced or untreated HIV infection.

     • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response.

     Wiedenhoff said people should talk with their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.