The Delta variant from India is now more than 70 percent of the COVID-19 cases in Missouri, and the percentage is increasing every week.

According to a Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (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 are less common; and the loss of smell is not in the top 10.

During the meeting of the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force on Monday, July 12, health officials warn the pandemic is not over yet.

They say Missouri has been identified as having one of the highest increases in the rate of cases in the United States.

Pettis County continues to be located between two areas of high COVID-19 cases. As of July 10, there were 1,070 people hospitalized- including 346 in the ICU and 170 on ventilators- in Missouri with COVID as compared to 859 people last week. Mercy Hospital in Springfield has opened the sixth COVID unit. Last year at the peak, it had five COVID units.

A report from DHSS indicates the presence of the Delta variant in the Sedalia North sewershed from the week of June 22.

Information on that is posted on the DHSS website at <https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf>.