- Experts say Missouri’s low vaccination rate is the prime factor in its recent surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant.
- They note a number of counties in the state’s northern and southern regions have less than 24 percent of their population fully vaccinated.
- They say it’s important that unvaccinated people hear from a trusted friend, family member, or community leader about the benefits of being vaccinated.
It was a chilly winter day on February 18 when CoxHealth President and CEO Steven Edwards tweeted a joyful announcement on behalf of his entire Missouri hospital team.
Above a photo of two intensive care unit (ICU) staffers with hands pumped joyfully in the air, he wrote, “This is a moment of celebration as we vacated the emergency Covid ICU… We are mindful of future worries, but for now, HERE COMES THE SUN.”
“It was a very moving time for us,” he said.
Fast-forward to the end of June.
Edwards and the staffers at his Missouri hospital find themselves back in the trenches with ICUs filling up once again.
Their hospitals, centered in Springfield, sit in the middle of what may be the United States’ epicenter of the coronavirus delta variant.
About 38 percent of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated and the variant may be, as experts predicted, searching that region to find “host locations” to spread.
Missouri’s daily average of new cases is now more than 560 compared to an average of less than 290 a month ago.
It’s a soul-crushing endeavor, Edwards told Healthline, when you consider that, in his view, it all could have been avoided.
“Nearly 100 percent of those in the ICU are unvaccinated,” he said.
To him, the staff, and the vaccinated population, it’s a bitter pill, he said.
“If we look back a year and a half ago [when the pandemic began], our employees rallied and gladly put themselves in harm’s way,” he said. “It was their heroic moment. They were inspiring, selfless, and effective.”
This time, there’s a different vibe.
“That inspiration has turned into exasperation,” Edwards said. “Because this time, every single one [of the ICU hospitalizations] was avoidable.”
Source: healthline