St. Louis COVID-19 rates surpass last summer’s delta surge

ST. LOUIS — COVID-19 case rates in St. Louis and St. Louis County are on the rise, and have surpassed the levels seen during last summer’s delta surge, health department data shows.

Though hospitalizations are increasing, they are still well below last summer’s peak. And by both case and hospital metrics, the city and county are still faring far better than during the winter surge driven by the omicron variant.

The seven-day average of new cases in St. Louis County was 366 on Wednesday, up 10% from one week before. That exceeds last summer’s surge, which peaked at 325 on Aug. 3. The county health department wrote in a report last week that because fewer people are getting tested, “there are likely many more people with COVID in St. Louis County today than there were at the height of that surge.”

The county health department recommends wearing masks in public indoor spaces. People who test positive with at-home tests should report results on the health department website.

St. Louis city officials also urged residents to take precautions, including getting vaccinated, as cases rise.

“Vaccinations and masking right now are two of the strongest tools in our toolbox,” said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, the city’s health director, who hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday on the status of COVID cases in St. Louis.

Hlatshwayo Davis was joined at the town hall by Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, who pleaded for residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that her own 14-year-old son has been vaccinated.

St. Louis’ seven-day average of new confirmed cases was 79 as of Tuesday, the most recent data available. The seven-day average was 64 just two weeks ago and 27 one month earlier.

The data placed the city in a high transmission status, after having moved into a moderate status just last week, Hlatshwayo Davis said. She added that there were 576 new cases in the city from May 22-28, but noted it is hard to get accurate numbers because people aren’t testing as frequently. 

“We are definitely in a surge right now, and as much as you hear conflicting information from politicians and other people, my message has been clear and consistent since I’ve had the honor of taking this role, and right now we are currently in a surge,” she said.

Data from area hospitals on Tuesday shows the seven-day average of new admissions is approaching 40, a level hospital leaders have identified as a cause for concern. The average was 38 on Tuesday, up from 32 one week earlier. By comparison, the peak seven-day average last summer was 85. The data includes BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health, St. Luke’s Hospital, and U.S. Veterans Affairs facilities.

To report at-home test results to the county health department, visit the link below and select the “Report At-Home Test” option.

https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-departments/public-health/covid-19/