Missouri Latest Covid Hotspot Due To Variant, Vaccine Hesitancy

 

The 'Show Me' state. JL

Elinor Aspegren and N'Dea Yancey-Bragg report in USA Today:

While over 53% of all Americans have received at least one shot, most southern and northern Missouri counties are well short of 40%. One county is at just 13%. The state is the latest hot spot in the nation because of a combination of the fast-spreading delta variant and stubborn resistance among many people to getting vaccinated. The delta variant "literally took three weeks to sweep the state." Across the state line, Arkansas reported its largest one-day jump in infections in three months. The state also has low vaccination rates.

Missouri has the nation's highest rate of new COVID-19 infections because of a surge largely in a politically conservative farming region in the northern part of the state.

Another hot spot is the southwestern corner, which includes Springfield and Branson, the country music mecca in the Ozark Mountains where big crowds are gathering again at the city’s theaters and other attractions. While over 53% of all Americans have received at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most southern and northern Missouri counties are well short of 40%. One county is at just 13%.

“Last year at this time it was 'health care heroes' and everybody was celebrating and bringing food to the hospital," said Erik Frederick, chief administrative officer at Mercy Hospital Springfield. "And now everyone is like, ‘The lake is open. Let’s go.’ We are still here doing this."

The state is the latest hot spot in the nation because of a combination of the fast-spreading delta variant and stubborn resistance among many people to getting vaccinated. 

The delta variant "literally took three weeks to sweep the state," Marc Johnson, professor of molecular biology and immunology in the University of Missouri School of Medicine, told the Columbia Daily Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network. The variant now accounts for 20% of U.S. active cases, the CDC said.Across state lines, Arkansas on Tuesday reported its largest one-day jump in infections in three months. The state also has low vaccination rates.