KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eight counties in southwest Missouri are now under a COVID-19 hotspot advisory as the area reports a higher amount of cases and lags behind in vaccinations.
In a tweet Thursday morning, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) said the advisory applies to Greene, Dade, Polk, Dallas, Greene, Webster, Taney, Christian and Lawrence counties.
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI: Counties in your region are experiencing a surge in #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations. This Hotspot Advisory covers Greene, Jasper, McDonald, Newton and Barry counties, as well as the City of Joplin and surrounding areas. pic.twitter.com/D8u9t5zPu4
— Mo Health & Sr Srvcs (@HealthyLivingMo) July 15, 2021
In all eight of these counties, less than 40% of the population are fully vaccinated according to the MDHSS vaccine tracker:
- Green County – 38.23%
- Webster County – 28.7%
- Dallas County – 24.1%
- Lawrence – 24.5%
- Polk – 27.3%
- Dade – 32.1%
- Christian – 31.6%
- Taney – 25.9%
In an interview with 41 Action News, Frank Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, urged people to get a vaccine to combat the current surge in the delta variant cases.
"The vaccines work great, they work great against this delta variant which is now running amok in Missouri and other parts of the country, so this is not the time to wait," Collins said.
Earlier Thursday, doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said new case trends in the Kansas City area are "concerning."
