New Cases in Clinton County continue to slow down this month​

Cases in COVID-19 in Clinton County continued to level off in the last week

As of Tuesday, January 26, the county sat at 1,458 confirmed cases, with 383 cases listed as probable, since the beginning of the pandemic last March. There were 59 active cases in Clinton County on Tuesday. The county remained at or near the top of deaths per capita in Missouri, with 63 COVID-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Clinton County Health Department Administrator Blair Shock said that new weekly cases have been leveling off recently, falling to the same level that the county saw in September.

Shock said that probable cases are growing faster than confirmed cases now, due primarily to the availability of rapid testing. Positive cases from rapid tests are treated the same clinically, but rapid tests aren’t as accurate as PCR testing, so they are counted as probable cases only.

“This is a good thing, as it allows for the use of a diagnostic to confirm symptoms while the patient is in the office, reducing the risk that the patient will unknowingly expose others while waiting for the results of a PCR from a laboratory,” Shock said. “It does place some additional burden on clinicians, as rapid tests aren’t as sensitive as PCR tests, and have a higher rate of false-negatives versus PCRs. Our local care providers are doing a great job in providing care, and diagnosing what is ailing patients. They have certainly had plenty of experience this winter.”

Shock said that the number of probable cases also took a bump this week when he found approximately 80 probable cases that had been identified and treated from December but weren’t added to the total.

As for vaccines, Shock said officials continue to be frustrated, as the department received 100 doses, which have been used to vaccinate medical providers. They have yet to receive more, though they are requesting more supplies weekly.

“Currently, the supply of vaccine just doesn’t come close to meeting demand,” he said. “Mass vaccination clinics are coming to the Northwest Missouri region, with the assistance of the Missouri National Guard. I will have more details next week, as these are just beginning to be spun up.”
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Nearby, the City of Kansas City was up to 34,888 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic on Tuesday. The areas of Clay and Platte Counties outside of the City of Kansas City were up to 7,343 and 2,854 cases, respectively. Buchanan County was up to 6,691 cases, DeKalb County was at 884 cases and Caldwell County was at 612 cases.