Included in the daily COVID-19 report, the Franklin County Health Department announced it would no longer report “recovered cases.”

“Due to the ongoing increase in Covid-19 cases, implementation of a new DHSS Communicable Disease Surveillance System and an order to prioritize contact tracing for children our ability to investigate all cases and provide data to the community in a timely manner is no longer manageable,” the department reported.

They noted an emphasis would now be placed on contact tracing for school-aged children as directed by Dr. Randall Williams, Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The numbers keep mounting in the county which makes contact tracing more and more time-consuming.

The death of a 74-year-old woman from Pacific was reported on Aug. 19. This brings the current death toll to 20.

An additional seven people from Franklin County were hospitalized in the last week with a total of 10 people currently hospitalized. This count includes any county resident hospitalized in any area hospital, not just at the county’s only hospital, Mercy Washington.

Four cases are confined in long-term care facilities.

104 people received confirmation of positive tests this week, for a total of 886.

Currently, the health department shows a 62-year-old female from Gerald, a 48-year-old male from Gerald, a 29-year-old female from Beaufort and a 50-year-old female from either the Gerald, Leslie or Beaufort area all active cases.

DHSS updates their information earlier than does the health department. At the end of Tuesday, Aug. 25, DHSS showed 889 cases in Franklin County.

In the past week, Missouri has reported 5,961 new cases with 36 new deaths.

The health department notes they will now prioritize their time on the following items:

-Confirmed cases and contact tracing of school-age children.

-Confirmed cases and contact tracing of individuals associated with long term care facilities.

-Confirmed cases and contact tracing from any entity that has two or more confirmed cases.

-All remaining confirmed Covid-19 cases.

If you test positive for COVID-19 you should immediately isolate yourself, even if you have not been ordered to do so by the health department. Isolation means you do not go to work or leave your home with the exception of a medical or family emergency. While home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available). Start making a contact list for “close contacts” that you have been around 48 hours prior to symptom onset. Let your contacts know that they may have been exposed.

Isolation ends only when you have a negative test result or have met guidelines to be removed from isolation.

Be responsible for the safety of those around you.