COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in Greene County.
At a press briefing Tuesday, Katie Towns, acting director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said her organization reported 142 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday morning. The seven-day average was 62 cases per day.
"This represents a 73 percent increase in new cases in just seven days and is the highest average we've seen since February 10," said Towns. This new rate of cases has translated to an increase in hospitalizations, putting new burdens on our healthcare systems."
Currently, 76 people are hospitalized in Greene County with COVID-19. Ninety percent of the cases they’re seeing are among those who have not been vaccinated. She said it’s important to continue wearing face coverings and social distancing until two weeks after the Johnson and Johnson vaccine or after the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna.
Sixty-two percent of Greene County residents are not vaccinated. That worries Towns who says both the Alpha and Delta variants of COVID-19 are present in Greene County. Both are more easily passed from person to person than the original strain.
Anyone in southwest Missouri may call (417) 874-1211 to find out where to get a COVID-19 vaccine. You can also find vaccine information at Vaccine417.com.
Towns said, if you have COVID-19 symptoms and you’re vaccinated, you should still get tested. If the test is positive, you still need to isolate to keep from spreading the illness.
