Covid continues to trend down in MissCo

A downward trend of COVID-19 cases continued in the past week for Mississippi County.

Blytheville Mayor James Sanders reported 262 active cases in his Sept. 29 briefing, the county’s lowest total in over a month.

“We called on you guys during these last holidays and let you know what we were starting to see. And from the numbers we’re looking at now, you stepped up to the plate and I want to personally thank you for that,” Sanders said.

Surrounding counties have also shown a decrease in recent weeks. Sanders reported 661 in Craighead County, 260 in Crittenden County, 353 in Greene County and 138 in Poinsett County.

With booster shots being approved for the Pfizer vaccine, Mississippi County Health Officer Dr. Valencia Andrews-Pirtle detailed those who are eligible to receive them.

The booster will become available to many people six months after their second dose. However, those who are over 65 years old, adults in long-term care facilities and those with an increased risk of exposure due to their occupations, are all currently eligible.

“This opens it up for a lot of us to get the booster who have been out here in the trenches, seeing people everyday,” Pirtle said. “The flu shot is also super important, we’re seeing a lot of cases. Babies at six months old can get a flu shot. Please get one this year because we think it’s going to be a bad flu season.”

Pirtle also said the Health Department will be at the Greyhound Bus Station giving both flu and covid vaccinations at next Saturday’s 40th annual Chili Cook-Off. While covid numbers have been dropping, Pirtle is still in favor of wearing masks to keep the county healthy.

She also addressed reports that Pfizer vaccine possibly being approved for children ages 5-11 soon.

“That’s a process, I know people keep hearing it on the news but we’re not quite there yet. We know that it works, and children will get a smaller dose. Hopefully it will follow through with Moderna and Johnson and Johnson as well.”

Currently, the county’s full vaccination rate has stayed consistent at appromixmatley 40 percent. Sanders also reported that a total of 27,830 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the county.