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Hough urges Missourians to avoid vaccine misinformation amid rising coronavirus cases

As COVID-19 cases rise across the state, Sen. Lincoln Hough took to the national news this week to encourage Missourians to avoid misinformation about the vaccines. 

Hough appeared on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” Tuesday to discuss vaccination rates in Missouri and the increase in delta variant cases across the state. Hough advised those concerned about the safety of the vaccine to speak with medical professionals and avoid internet speculation. 

“There’s a lot of misinformation being spread around about this vaccine,” Hough said. “The plea that I would make, not just in our community but across our country, and quite frankly across the world, is talk to your trusted health care providers, talk to your family physicians, talk to the members of the medical community that you do trust and get their opinion.”

“I would ask — and maybe strongly encourage — that we shy away from looking at social media and things like that and perpetuating information that maybe is baseless,” Hough said. 

Hough joins a bipartisan group of Springfield officials encouraging Missourians to take the vaccine. House Minority Floor Leader Crystal Quade, who also represents Springfield, also called on the community to get vaccinated. 

“The delta variant is ravaging our community, sending loved ones in their 20s and 30s to the hospital. It’s overwhelming nurses, doctors, our entire health care system,” Quade said last week on social media. “The most effective way to save lives is to #GetVaxxed, and talk to those hesitant.”  

Springfield has seen a rise in positive cases over the past few weeks, with 4,026 active cases reported as of Wednesday. The county also reported 40 percent of its population has been fully vaccinated. 

Missouri has reported more than 549,000 positive cases so far. So far, about 50 percent of adults in Missouri have been vaccinated.  

Gov. Mike Parson is expected to unveil the state’s vaccine incentive system Wednesday; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week denied the state’s plan to use federal grant money given to the state and earmarked for immunizations to incentivize individuals who got vaccinated with a potential $10,000 award.