The director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department said COVID-19 case numbers continue on a downward trend. The seven-day rolling average is 85 compared to just over 100 two weeks ago.
But Clay Goddard told Springfield City Council Monday that the confirmation of the U.K. variant of the coronavirus in northeast Missouri is concerning because the variant is more infectious.
"There does seem to be good evidence that vaccine will still be effective, maybe marginally less effective but still effective, against this variant," said Goddard, "but it definitely creates a little bit of a race against time if you will."
He said people need to stay vigilant and practice social distancing, wear face coverings and wash hands.
"Those will be very crucial tools as we navigate a strain that's 25 to 40 percent more infectious than what we've been fighting here in Greene County," he said.
Vaccines continue to slowly come into the community. At a mass vaccination event Friday in Springfield, 2018 people got their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Another 600 people got their second dose at Jordan Valley Community Health Center Friday.
As of Monday morning, 3.03 percent of the county’s population had received both doses, according to Goddard.
