DPH COVID-19 Update 3/15/2020

St. Louis County Department of Public Health COVID-19 Update March 15, 2020

Today, as of 3:30 PM, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH) has:

• 11 tests with pending results.
• Two tests sent 3/14/2020 and four thus far on 3/15/2020.
• 19 tests have returned negative results.
• Two positive cases, one reported on 3/7/2020 and one reported on 3/13/2020.

As of March 14th, all presumed positive tests will be considered confirmed positive. The Missouri State Laboratory will no longer require presumed positive tests be sent to the Centers for Disease Control for that additional level of confirmation.

Think Family First

As this event continues to rapidly evolve, please think family first and consider day to day activities, routines and schedules that may be impacted by significant closures, cancellations or limited activity. The following suggestions are simply to provide additional planning measures that may be needed in the future.

• Create a household plan of action in case of illness in the household or disruption of daily activities due to COVID-19 in the community.
• Consider getting a two-week supply of prescription and over the counter medications, food and other essentials to keep at home. Know how to get food delivered if possible.
• Establish ways to communicate with others in a virtual capacity (e.g., family, friends, co-workers).
• Establish plans to telework, what to do about child care needs, and how to adapt to cancellation of events.
• Know about emergency operations plans for schools/workplaces of household members.

“It is likely that everyday life will continue to be affected by the challenges presented by COVID-19,” Co-Director Spring Schmidt said. “We believe these difficult, but proactive, decisions will reduce the impact this virus will have on our community and all those in it.”

Continue to Practice Social Distancing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines social distancing as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.” The main goal of social distancing is to “flatten the curve,” which refers to reducing the peak number of cases at any one time during the outbreak. By flattening the curve through effective public health measures, the number of people simultaneously infected will be much lower than if no measures were taken.

Contact Information

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services hotline can be reached at (877) 435-8411.

St. Louis County has created a website dedicated to the dissemination of information relating to COVID-19, stlcorona.com. Please visit that website or those belonging to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO) for the most current and reputable information.