MISSOURI (KY3) – The Biden administration plans to deploy “surge response” teams to some states, including Missouri, in response to rising COVID-19 cases across various parts of the country.
According to the Kansas City Star and multiple media reports, Missouri has requested aid from the White House, which announced the newly-formed federal “surge response” teams on Thursday.
Teams will be deployed to several states where the COVID-19 Delta variant presents risks to unvaccinated Americans. In a recent report, the CDC says the highest proportion of Delta variant was detected in southwest Missouri, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of all Delta variants identified in the state.
The teams are designed to “surge additional testing into communities to expand detection of the virus and allow public health authorities to do contact tracing to help contain outbreaks,” according to an announcement from the White House.
State data shows that 44.6% of residents have received at least one shot, far short of the 54.7% rate nationally. In more than 60 Missouri counties, less than 30% of the population had received their first shot, according to state data.
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