The number of Covid 19 cases in Joplin is creeping up. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

One year ago today, according to the Dartmouth University Atlas Project the Joplin area had the highest Covid 19 case growth rate in the country with 10 point 7 percent weekly case growth rate. At the time, testing was scarce and the first vaccine still six months away. Consider this, on Monday of this week, the Joplin Health Department reported more new cases, 21, than it did on June 16 of 2020, with just 6. What we didn’t know at the time is that hospitals statewide would eventually become overcrowded with Covid 19 patients leading to the deaths of over 9,200 Missouri residents.

Today, Joplin is 2nd in the state at 45.2% of residents who have initiated a vaccine. And 2nd in Missouri in residents who have completed their vaccines 39.4% To contrast, Greene County only has only 36% of their residents receive their first Covid 19 dose and 31.9% complete their vaccinations. All Missouri residents over the age of 12 are eligible to receive a free Covid 19 vaccine. Visit CovidVaccine.mo.gov for more information.