Local COVID-19 cases down to two as disease grows elsewhere

By Adam Strunk

Active COVID-19 cases dropped to two as of July 5.

That’s the lowest number since June 18, 2020; a year ago, the county had 16 cases. The last time the county did not have an active case was June 3.

The good news comes as other parts of the country are experiencing a surge in cases blamed on a more contagious variant of the disease called the Delta Variant.

The state of Missouri recently requested help from federal COVID-19 response teams as hospitals filled up with new COVID-19 patients. Mercy Hospital in Springfield reported its ICU full again. The increase in cases takes place in areas with low vaccination rates in the state, according to the Associated Press, which noted that the counties where Springfield and Branson are located have sub-40 percent vaccination rates.

In Harvey County, the department reported this week that 54.67 percent of all eligible residents have now received a vaccine. There are currently no hospitalizations.  Seventy-nine out of the last 90 reported cases in the county have occurred in the unvaccinated population.

Right at 42.4 percent of Harvey County’s total population are vaccinated, ranking fifth in the state of Kansas.

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