This week, the number of new COVID-19 cases is holding steady according to officials at Freeman Health System in Joplin. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

Speaking on Wednesday at their weekly COVID update Freeman President and CEO Paula Baker said that the virus is still quote, “raging across the region”, while at the same time saying that the number of patients that the hospitals are seeing due to COVID is improving. Baker continues to urge residents to get vaccinated. , “We are continuing to test a lot of patients and have about a 20% positivity rate. So, it is more important than ever to get the vaccine if you have not”.

A 20% positivity rate is more than double the positive rate of COVID-19 that is being reported by the State Department of Health. As of Wednesday, the department reported a combined positive test rate of PCR and Antigen tests of 8.85%. As of yesterday, Freeman reported 40 total COVID-19 patients with fewer than 5 individuals on ventilators. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro