Springfield-Greene County Health Department Reporting 17 Deaths In Two Week Span

Posted July 6, 2021

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is reporting 17 deaths from COVID-19 in a two week span.

The people who died ranged in ages from those in their 40s to those in their 90s.

The last time the health department reported that many deaths in such a time frame was January 27.

Of the 17 who died, according to Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccine database, none were fully vaccinated.

You can read more with a press release below…

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is saddened to report the deaths of 17 Greene County residents from COVID-19 for the June 21-July 4 reporting period. All 17 fatalities occurred in June. Those who died range in age from their 40s to their 90s. The last time the Health Department reported 17 deaths in a reporting period was January 27.

Two of the individuals who died did not seek medical attention, highlighting the importance of seeking emergency medical care when signs of severe illness from COVID-19 arise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if an individual is showing any of the following symptoms, they should seek emergency care immediately:

Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake or stay awake
Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds – depending on skin tone

If someone is showing any of these symptoms, they or a loved one or friend should immediately call 911 and inform the operator of their COVID-19 diagnoses.

Of the reported deaths, none were fully vaccinated according to the state of Missouri’s COVID-19 vaccine database.

“This should be extremely concerning to our community, especially as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to infect and hospitalize many people,” said Acting Director of Health Katie Towns. “It’s our responsibility to protect ourselves and our loved ones from this deadly virus by getting vaccinated. Additionally, if someone we know has COVID-19, we need to check in on them and watch for any signs of severe illness that may require hospitalization.”

On Monday, 121 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported to the Health Department, bringing our seven-day average to 139 cases per day. This represents a 20% increase in cases over the past seven days. As of Tuesday morning,181 individuals were being treated for COVID-19 at Springfield hospitals.

Over the last two weeks, the 31-40 age group had the highest increase in new cases compared to the last two weeks. Cases in children ages zero to four also significantly increased (see chart below):

Vaccination is the best tool we have to fight COVID-19 and the variants. Unfortunately, our community continues to fall behind the state and nation in the percent of individuals fully vaccinated. More than 60% of Greene County residents 12 and over are unvaccinated, putting themselves and others at risk of serious complications due to COVID-19. The Health Department continues to work hard to make the COVID-19 vaccine easily accessible for everyone who is eligible. Those still needing a vaccine can visit vaccine417.com or call the Health Department’s COVID-19 Call Center at (417) 874-1211 for a list of available opportunities.

Number of Greene County residents fully vaccinated (as of July 6)

98,862 Greene County residents 12 and older have been fully vaccinated
According to the CDC, 55.4% of Americans 12+ have been fully vaccinated. This compares to 39.19% in Greene County.

For the reporting period from June 21-July 4, 2021:

COVID-19 deaths