Delta variant confirmed in Barton County

The Barton County Health Department has been informed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services that a resident of the county who tested positive earlier in June for COVID-19, is confirmed to have had the Delta variant of the virus.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is encouraging all eligible residents to get vaccinated. The recommendation comes as rates of the Delta variant, first identified in India, rise throughout the state. The variant is highly transmissible and is causing an increase in serious illness and hospitalizations worldwide. The variant was confirmed during random sampling of positive tests.

To date there have been 1065 total cases of COVID-19 within the county, with 18 active cases and 16 deaths. A total of 1,031 cases have recovered and the total number of new cases in the past seven days is 17.