NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 16, 2023
CONTACT: Dana Kazel, Communications Manager
218-725-5049 (office) • 218-591-2219 (cell)
St. Louis County Public Health retires its COVID-19 dashboard; summarizes three years of response
Three years ago this week, facing growing concerns about a new and highly contagious virus, St. Louis County activated its Emergency Operations Center. The County Board declared a local state of emergency. Numerous events were canceled and buildings closed to public access - to limit the virus' spread allow time to plan. A few days later came news of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in St. Louis County.
Fast forward to the present: the COVID Community Level in St. Louis County has remained low for three consecutive months, and the Public Health team has largely transitioned to more traditional services.
The county's COVID-19 online dashboard, which provided data on transmission rates and trends - for use by schools, medical professionals and citizens wanting to make informed decisions - has now been retired. In its place, the county has created a storymap detailing three years of COVID response involving staff and countless community partners. The storymap can be accessed online at stlouiscountymn.gov/covid19.
A sampling of the information summarized, within St. Louis County during the last three years:
- There have been 60,000+ laboratory-confirmed cases, 3,000+ hospitalizations, and 600+ deaths
- St. Louis County administered more than 48,000 vaccines at 640 clinics
- More than 70 community partners provided space to host those clinics
- 86 volunteers through MN Responds donated more than 9,300 hours of service at vaccination clinics
- Two infection control specialists contracted by the county provided consultations to 487 organizations including long-term care/skilled nursing facilities, child care centers, camps, large events, community clubs, and businesses
- County staff distributed 160,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to 83 different community partners
- The county established eight isolation/quarantine sites to serve people experiencing homelessness who needed a safe place to recover, isolate, or await test results
"The last three years have been a tremendous challenge for all of us," said County Board Chair Patrick Boyle, who oversaw the Health and Human Services Committee for much of the pandemic. "We know COVID-19 is still here, but vaccinations and treatments have made it manageable, so this is a good time to reflect on all that it took to get here, and the important contributions from so many people and organizations throughout St. Louis County. There is no doubt in my mind that County staff, with the complement help of volunteers, saved lives."
The storyboard includes links to the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention for anyone still looking for current COVID-19 data.
###
|
