07/21/2021
A big fight for us all:
MEDIA ADVISORY
July 21, 2021
St. Louis County COVID-19 Update
County Addresses Troubling Disparities as COVID Cases Rise
St. Louis County is rapidly approaching the CDC’s “red zone” designation for widespread community transmission as a new wave of COVID-19 cases emerge. The County is now averaging 191 new COVID cases per day, with about 9 percent of tests coming back positive for the virus.
On Wednesday, County Executive Dr. Sam Page expressed grave concern about the inequalities present in this stage of the pandemic.
“Black children ages 12 to 15 are not getting vaccinated at the same rate as white children,” Page said, highlighting data from a St. Louis University analysis which shows that while 47 percent of white teens have started the vaccination process, only 16 percent of Black children have done the same. Likewise, the ZIP codes with the highest case counts are concentrated in North County.
The County and City are urging everyone who has not done so to get vaccinated, and they are asking everyone to wear masks in crowded public places regardless of vaccination status. On Tuesday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task
Force also urged all residents, even those who have been vaccinated, to wear a mask in any public place where the vaccination status of others is not known.
As another part of its vaccination strategy, Saint Louis County will launch a new public information campaign, Revive STL, in the coming days. This campaign will spread awareness about vaccination and safety through real people’s stories, with a focus on areas where vaccination rates are low.
In the meantime, Dr. Page urges all residents ages 12 and over to get vaccinated through a County clinic or one of dozens of other local vaccination sites. The vaccine is free and no appointment is necessary
County Executive Press Conference
Wednesday's press conference by County Executive Dr. Sam Page can be found here :
St. Louis County Executive media briefing from Clayton, Mo.