Local health officials say not only is the COVID-19 vaccination rate falling in Greene County, but there’s been a 37% increase in new cases of the virus in the last week.
This includes two consecutive days of 63 new positive cases prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says according to data collected in patient interviews, 97% of positive cases in the county are among people who are not fully vaccinated.
Last week, the health department says it received confirmation of three cases of the Indian variant B.1.617 of SARS-CoV-2 among Greene County residents.
Health leaders also say early research indicates the natural immunity resulting from having COVID-19 may be ineffective against this variant, while a study by researchers from Emory University shows promise that people fully vaccinated with the Pfizer and Moderna immunizations could still neutralize the B.1.617 variant.
In Greene County, just 38% of adults 18 and older are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is behind the statewide rate of 44.1% and the national rate of 51.5%.
The health department continues to recommend people who are unvaccinated continue wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.