"MISSOURI HITS A NEW PEAK IN COVID-19 DELTA VARIANT CASES"

"The summer surge of infection tied to the easily spread delta variant of COVID-19 is accelerating in Missouri, with state health officials on Wednesday reporting the highest case total since mid-January."

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"MO GOV. PARSON ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR OF STATE HEALTH AGENCY"

"Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday tapped Donald G. Kauerauf to lead the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as it responds to a surge in COVID-19 across the state. Kauerauf will take over the agency Sept 1."

"He will be tasked with transforming the DHSS and leading it past the controversial tenure of its last leader, Randall Williams, who resigned abruptly at Parson’s request earlier this year. Kauerauf takes over for Robert Knodell, Parson’s deputy chief of staff, who has been acting director. Knodell also does not have a medical background."
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"MISSOURI STARTS VACCINE INCENTIVE PROGRAM WITH CASH Prize.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday announced drawings with $10,000 prize to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Three categories of individuals will be eligible: adults who have received at least one dose of vaccine before July 21, adults who have received at least one dose after July 21, and those under 18."

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“KANSAS CITY HOSPITALS ARE TURNING AWAY PATIENTS DUE TO COVID SURGE.”

“Like other hospitals in the Kansas City region, the University of Kansas Health System is turning down transfer patients because its beds are full, setting up a potential crisis, its chief medical officer said Wednesday."

"The hospital is ‘running full steam,’ like others in the metro, because of an increase in COVID-19 patients and others. Last fall, Stites said, the hospital had beds available. Now, KU has been turning down between one and six acute patients each day."

"If they had not been doing so, staff would be treating about 100 such patients, Stites said.
Increasing COVID-19 infections could exacerbate the problem. ‘We are turning down transfers, which is creating, I think, a real concern, maybe even a crisis here in our region because patients are having trouble landing into beds anywhere near their hometown,’ Stites said.”

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Photo and news courtesy of the "Kansas City Star".
"My" photo only via a Cell Phone shot of an original image from the Star.
I thought of tying one of my own original photos to today's news entry. However in the end, I really didn't feel comfortable doing so because the idea of another wave of COVID is too bleak.

Just when the light at the end of the tunnel of this dark nightmare of COVID seemed so near, all is now backsliding. Will Delta now prove to be even worse than the US's last major battle with COVID??? Will vaccinations continue to work? Or will the unvaccinated become host to even worse, more contagious, more deadly variants that become vaccine resistant? Only time will tell.