It’s Morning Edition on KRPS; I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro. The story of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to play out throughout the Four States. On Thursday, a new chapter at Joplin’s Freeman Health System as the hospital announced that it would be opening a new Covid unit to handle the influx of new patients.

According to the Missouri Department of Health on Thursday, only 22% of Newton County residents have received their first dose and almost 19% of residents in McDonald county have gotten their initial shot. While nearly 19% of Newton County residents have completed their vaccines, and only 15% of McDonald County citizens have completed theirs. These are only two examples of some of the lowest Covid vaccination rates in all of Missouri.

Dr. Robert McNab, the Director of Covid service at Freeman Joplin spoke Thursday about the new ward and the state of Covid at the hospital.