CLAYTON, Mo. — New COVID-19 cases in St. Louis County rose more than 40% in a week, pushing Missouri's largest county back above the federal government's "high" threshold for transmission, county officials said Monday.
A news release from the county said it re-entered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "high" threshold as of Wednesday. St. Louis County's seven-day average for new cases jumped to 189 as of Sunday, up from 133 a week earlier.
Democratic County Executive Sam Page said the increase was likely due to large gatherings for Halloween, as well as the arrival of colder weather in early November. Page called it "a reminder to all that we are not out of the woods yet," and he cited a need to get vaccinated, wear masks in public and take other steps "to protect everyone in our community."
Data from the state health department shows that hospitalizations remain far lower than the summer peak of the virus, when an average of more than 2,400 people were hospitalized in Missouri. The most recent information showed 943 people hospitalized.
