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June 17, 2021O'Fallon, Mo. |  By: AP

COVID-19 cases rise in Missouri areas popular among tourists


O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) - A swath of southern Missouri is seeing a big rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations at just the wrong time, as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations such as Branson and Lake of the Ozarks.

Data from the state health department's COVID-19 dashboard shows 206 people hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri, nearly double the 111 hospitalizations on May 1.

Health experts cite two factors driving the surge: The presence of the faster-spreading Delta variant, and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated.