COVID surging in Missouri as delta variant overwhelms hospitals

Missouri is among a growing list of states that have seen rising infections, with new cases increasing 46% over the last two weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assigned two federal "surge team" members to Missouri this week to help fight the state's COVID-19 surge. Missouri is among a growing list of states that have seen rising infections, with new cases increasing 46% over the last two weeks, from June 23 to July 7, with an average of 1,111 per week, up from 759 two weeks prior, according data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Over the past five weeks, infections have risen 180%. Missouri and neighboring Arkansas now lead the nation with the highest weekly case rates per capita, which translates into more than 100 per 100,000 residents. New COVID-19 hospital admissions also rose 30% over the same two-week span, and front-line workers say patients are becoming sicker more quickly. The CDC surge team assigned to Missouri is an epidemiologist, deployed to do on-the-ground genetic sequencing and data analysis, and an adviser who's working with local officials on how to address vaccine hesitancy.