Elliott Davis and Kevin S. Held
4 hours ago
ST. LOUIS – Healthcare nonprofit representatives say coronavirus cases are surging in our region and warn that SARS-CoV-2 will likely never go away .
Kendra Holmes, president and CEO of Affinia Healthcare, said experts predicted a big jump in the summer, and they were right.
“Right now, the positivity rate is about 30% in some parts of the city of St. Louis, whereas it used to be about 1 to 3%,” she said. “This is actually not an accurate record of where we are. The 30% figure is probably much higher because many people are using home testing.”
Holmes said there are a number of factors contributing to the large increase in cases.
“Well, we’re at a time when kids are going back to school and individuals are staying home more, so just like any other respiratory illness, the infection is spreading,” she said. “People are going out…but really, as kids go back to school, you’re going to see that unfold.”
Holmes says there are signs of hope that not as many people are being hospitalized as before.
“People now understand what this disease is. People are getting vaccinated. Once again, vaccination is absolutely effective in preventing severe illness and death.” she said. “We know what to do. We’ve been here before. The great thing is that even though the numbers are up, they’re half what they were last year. knows what to do. So if you test positive, stay home for 5 days and wear a mask for another 5 days. If you have symptoms, don’t expose yourself to this disease .”
At this time, the federal government has suspended vaccine reimbursement to agencies. But the St. Louis City and County Health Department is still offering the vaccine for free, as is Affinia Healthcare. Holmes said the coronavirus is not going away and, like the common cold and flu, we must make smart decisions and live with it.
“Businesses have to be open. Children have to go to school. We have to do what we have to do to keep this from being the situation it was three years ago,” she said. Told.
