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2021/07/19 - Mayor's Column: COVID Numbers

“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
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It is very concerning to me that I must write this article, but we need to keep people informed of items that can have a major impact on all of us.

The COVID-19 rates are increasing in our area and the group that is contracting the virus in about 98% of the cases are those that have not been vaccinated.

As a city, we have worked with St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on both of their vaccination sites, and we have worked with the County and the State to offer vaccinations at the O’Fallon Station during June and July.

On the other hand, I have been asked by several people what are we doing in O’Fallon with all of the high number of cases being reported in our ZIP Code by St. Clair County’s reports.  So let me share with you five things that you should know as you read the County’s reports:

  1. The report is done by Zip Code and not by City boundaries.
  2. The 62269 Zip Code covers O’Fallon and a big portion of Shiloh.
  3. The 62269 Zip Code by far covers the largest percentage of the County population than any other Zip Code.  It makes up between 16% to 20% of the total County Population.
  4. Some of the Zip Codes have populations that are only about 3% of the size of the 62269 Zip Code and are less than ½% of the County Population.
  5. The Percentage of persons testing positive in the 62269 Zip Code is a smaller percentage of the population covered than in many of the other Zip Codes but unfortunately, we are still seeing new cases.

The bottom line is that we still have to take precautions because we don’t want to go back to the restrictions that we had in place.  I have lost to many friends to this disease, and I don’t want to lose any more.

I would urge you to strongly consider getting a vaccination if you have not or at least talk to your doctor about it. It is working.  My wife and I, and our children and grandchildren (that are old enough), have received their vaccinations and no one has had any serious side effects or have they caught the virus.  

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!