In neighboring Arkansas, cases and hospitalizations are rising sharply, too. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said this week that the state saw its largest increase in hospitalizations since January. “We are losing ground,” he said, adding that the delta variant appears to hitting younger people.
The average age of patients hospitalized for Covid-19 has fallen to 54.7 years from 62.7 in January, he said. “If you don’t want to go to the hospital, get vaccinated,” he warned.
Across Missouri’s western border, Kansas has begun public-service announcements to head off what officials there fear will be a spread of the variant stemming from July 4th celebrations. The state has been monitoring rising case loads in neighboring states for weeks, said Sam Coleman, a spokesman for the governor.
‘Lack of Proof’
But in Missouri, local health officials say there is still deep skepticism in the region about coronavirus vaccines, and many people are misinformed about the safety of the shot and the danger of the virus.
A political lens is unavoidable for the growing U.S. vaccine gap. The vaccination rate in counties that backed Biden for president is roughly 12 percentage points higher than those that backed Donald Trump, up from 2.2% in April, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation
“I’ve had people tell me: ‘I’ve had it, it was no big deal, I’m not going to get vaccinated,’” said Craig McCoy, a former paramedic who’s president of Mercy Springfield Communities, which operates a hospital in Springfield. “What they don’t realize is that people with antibodies of the alpha variant are sitting in our hospital with the delta variant.”
In Branson, some lay out broad skepticism with the vaccine—saying they worry it’s rushed and potentially unsafe.
“It’s lack of proof,” said Stephen Pello, 63, a carpenter from Texas, during a recent visit to Branson. “I don’t trust the CDC, I don’t trust the politicians; I trust what the Bible tells me and what the Spirit puts in my heart.”
Pello said his doctor mentioned vaccination to him, but didn’t press the issue after Pello said he needed more information. He suspects others like him might get the shot if Trump more fervently urged them to do so, but he said even that wouldn’t change his mind.
‘We’re Not Done’
Charliese Holder, 61, a Branson visitor from Oklahoma, also expressed skepticism about information coming from government officials, including Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
“I think there’s been too much wishy-wash from Fauci and the others,” Holder said as she ate an ice cream cone outside a packed shop on Branson’s main street. She said she hasn’t ruled out getting the vaccine, but has doubts about its efficacy.
“Even though they’re calling this a vaccine, per se, the way they’re making it sound, I don’t think it’s any different than the flu shot,” she said. “There’s a lot of questions that aren’t answered.”
Johnson, the University of Missouri researcher, said that the key unknown about the latest outbreaks is when caseloads will plateau, and how the delta wave will look in more heavily vaccinated communities.
“We’re not done, the virus is not done, there is going to be a wave through the U.S. It could be that the really highly vaccinated places do okay, but I’m not even really sure about that,” Johnson said. “Either way, I am absolutely convinced it’s not going to stay in Missouri.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.