As COVID cases skyrocket, Missouri health workers battle misinformation among the unvaccinated
CBSN
America's COVID recovery is slipping away because of the Delta variant and those who still refuse to get vaccinated. On Friday, the U.S. recorded more than 194,000 new cases in a single day — the most since late January.
Missouri is among the hardest-hit states, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. Hospitalizations in the state have jumped 168% in the last two months, and behind those numbers are many people regretting their vaccine decisions. Lake of the Ozarks, in the central part of the state, is a popular tourist destination welcoming more than five million people a year. It's also become a COVID hotspot as vaccines have become politicized.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.