Gasconade County’s PCR-Only Positive Rate finished this past week over 20 percent for the first time, according to Hermann Area District Hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Michael Rothermich.

“This suggests MANY of the people in our community who have covid are not getting tested,” Rothermich emailed in his weekly report to the media. “The goal is to test enough people that the positivity rate is 5 percent or less. Please consider being tested if you have COVID-like symptoms or recent COVID exposure, even if you are fully vaccinated.”

Rothermich also noted the state-reported new diagnoses of COVID-19 in Gasconade County continue to be high with 58 new lab confirmed cases since he reported last week. That figure includes 39 by PCR and 19 by rapid antigen testing.

The state’s calculation for this figure is based on a population factor of cases per 100,000 people in the previous seven days. For the county’s population, 14,706, there would be nearly 500 people infected. This rate has been climbing since mid-August. The high-point on infections in the county came back in late December 2020 and January 2021 when the rate was nearly 1,000 people using the 100,000 population factor the state uses to determine this statistic.

Rothermich also notes that the figures of patients hospitalized with COVID and those in the ICU with COVID decreased some, but there continues to be a severe shortage of available ICU beds — with only 17 percent of beds unoccupied.

A week ago, he noted 2,309 of the state’s 2,689 available intensive care unit beds were occupied by patients with COVID-19 — a record high since the start of the pandemic 79 weeks ago.

Statewide deaths last week, he noted, were up slightly — 36 confirmed COVID-related deaths reported by the state in the last seven days. 

Rothermich also reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted 117 more residents of Gasconade County became fully vaccinated last week bringing the overall vaccination rate to 45 percent. “PLEASE sign up for a vaccine as soon as possible,” he encouraged all county residents.

Antibodies after infection

Rothermich also noted a week ago that initial reports showed nearly all individuals developed protective antibodies after infection with COVID. However, he noted, several more recent studies have shown that some people after infection do not develop antibodies. Of note was a study in Germany where 85 percent of those with asymptomatic infections did not develop protective antibodies.

In a new study published in early September of people with PCR-confirmed COVID — and mostly mild to moderate symptoms in the U.S. — researchers found that 36 percent of those being studied did not develop protective antibodies. 

“Absence of antibodies was most often found in younger patients and those with milder disease,” he noted. “This research suggests that a significant number of people do not develop protective antibodies after COVID infection, especially those who are younger and who have milder cases.”

He provided this link to the study (https://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/9/21-1042_article).

Booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals with severely weakened immune systems continue to be given, he also noted.

“However, there appears to be some disagreement regarding FDA emergency use authorization of the booster (third) dose of vaccine for everyone else,” he wrote. “Many individuals are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to get a booster, especially those of who were vaccinated early, and in light of research suggesting waning immunity as the Delta variant has spread. Earliest approval — most likely of the Pfizer vaccine — may come Sept. 20, but this date and details of who would be eligible are speculative at this time.”