Missouri becomes newest COVID-19 hot spot as variant spreads

Missouri has become the latest COVID-19 hot spot in the U.S., recording the country’s highest rate in new infections, a surge health officials have largely attributed to the highly transmissible delta variant and vaccine hesitancy.

In Missouri, which reported more than 800 new cases on Wednesday, just about 44 percent of residents have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, with 38 percent fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, USA Today noted Wednesday that most southern and northern counties in the state have not even reached close to 40 percent of citizens with at least one shot.

In one Missouri county, just 13 percent have received at least one dose.

Mercy and Cox South hospitals in the southwestern Missouri city of Springfield had a combined 153 patients hospitalized on Tuesday, an increase from just 31 a few months ago, according to USA Today.