Flu cases drop significantly in Cape Girardeau County

Influenza cases in Cape Girardeau County fell by more than 89% from December's 711 cases falling to 75 in January.

Seventy of the January cases were influenza A strain while five were influenza B.

"My hope is that this is a true drop in the number of cases and not just a reporting issue following the Christmas holidays," said epidemiologist Autumn Grim, assistant director of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, who prepares monthly communicable disease reports. "This is an incredibly good thing because we were afraid there would be a second peak in cases after the high number recorded in December."

COVID-19 cases fell nearly 15% to 409 in January, from December's 479.

"We see (coronavirus) occurrences steadily declining both in the county and statewide," Grim said.

Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott counties all rank "low" in terms of community COVID-19 levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID tracker website.

Thirteen of the state's 114 counties rank as "medium," including Ste. Genevieve and Iron.

Remodeling

The county's Public Health Center Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Feb. 28, approved a $337,274 contract for Perryville, Missouri-headquartered Zoellner Construction to reconfigure the entire reception area of the center's offices at 1121 Linden St. in Cape Girardeau.

"Currently, there is not a lot of privacy from a confidentiality standpoint, so (the remodel) will help ensure more comfort for those seeking our services," Grim said.

Grim said work may begin as early as Monday, March 13, with a 90-day completion estimate -- meaning the work should be finished by the end of June.