The rate of Covid 19 infections in Missouri continues to rise sharply along with an increase in the number of people getting vaccinated. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

4,145, the number of new infections in Missouri charted by data researcher Mathew Holloway last Friday and posted to his Missouri Covid-19 update. It’s nearly 1,000 more infections than the previous day, and almost 2,300 more than 1 week ago. Also on Friday, Freeman Health System in Joplin reported 57 Covid-19 patients, nearly all unvaccinated. CEO and President of Freeman Health Paula Baker remains hopeful. “If you look back over the history of our nation, we’ve had a lot of health crises and we’ve prevailed every single time and we’re going to prevail this time too. But now is not the time to let down our guard”. According to the Missouri Department of Health, the state is averaging about 13,000 Covid-19 vaccinations per day. That’s an average increase of about 4,500 shots per day from a month ago. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro