Health officials in Greene County say a man in his 50s is the latest person to die from COVID-19.
Here’s the latest from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department:
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is saddened to announce the death of a Greene County resident from COVID-19.
Our community lost a man in his 50s.
The Health Department extends our condolences to everyone impacted by this loss.
The Health Department is also announcing a correction to a news release issued on Tuesday, September 29. It was stated that a man in his 80s who died from COVID-19 was associated with long-term care; he was not associated with long-term care. We sincerely apologize for the error.
Forty-seven COVID-19 deaths have been reported by the Health Department in September. A total of 77 Greene County residents have died from the virus.
Who is at risk
Like so many of us, this individual had an underlying health condition that put him at increase risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19.
Having an underlying health condition should not be interpreted as an individual being sick, feeble or infirm.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified two groups at higher risk for severe health outcomes from COVID-19: older adults and people with underlying health conditions.
Underlying health conditions can impact anyone at any age and include common diagnoses that many Greene County residents live with. For instance:
- 16% of Greene County residents are 65 or older,
- 33% are considered obese and
- 11% have asthma
Other health conditions identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as include, but are not limited to:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Obesity
- Serious heart conditions
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy
A full list of conditions can be viewed on the CDC’s website.
Long-term care in Greene County
This individual who died from COVID-19 was associated with a long-term care facility.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department has worked closely alongside the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and with local long-term care facilities to assist with testing, secure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to provide guidance on best practices for disease prevention and containment in an institutional setting.
While it is ultimately DHSS that has the regulatory authority, responsibility and oversight of communicable disease containment in long-term care setting, local public health departments are a partner in serving as a liaison to support the state’s disease prevention strategy. This strategy includes facility-wide testing of staff and residents after a positive test of either a resident or staff, and repeated testing until there are no additional cases.
Long-term care facilities are required to report a positive case among staff or residents to DHSS within 24 hours so guidance can be provided on comprehensive testing, isolation and quarantine instructions, personal protective equipment and staffing. Guidance for long-term care facilities can be found here.
