The Delta variant from India is now about 20 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and the percentage is increasing every week, health officials reported during the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force meeting on Monday, June 28.

According to the DHSS Health Alert, the presenting symptoms of the Delta variant are most often headache, followed by runny nose and sore throat, while fever and cough were less common; loss of smell was not in the Top 10.

Health officials urge residents the pandemic is not over yet. Missouri has been identified as having the highest increase in the rate of cases in the United States.

Health officials say, “We need to protect those who can not be vaccinated.”

Health officials also say Pettis County continues to be located between two areas of high COVID-19 cases. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that Region 7, which includes Missouri, has 34.8 percent of the cases being caused by the Delta variant.