Pandemic roundup: County-level map with rural vax rates; hotspots flare where rates are low, as you might expect

Rural/urban vaccination rates as of July 5, compared to national average and adjusted to account for vaccinations not assigned to specific counties. Map by The Daily Yonder; click the image to enlarge it or here for the interactive version.

Here's a roundup of recent news about the pandemic and immunization efforts:

The rural vaccination rate grew by 0.7 percentage points over the week leading up to July 5, bringing it to 34.8%. Read more here.

The U.S. surgeon general said coronavirus misinformation is an "urgent threat." Read more here.

As opposition to the coronavirus vaccine hardens, hesitancy morphs into hostility. Read more here.

Newsmax stressed that the network "strongly supports President Biden's efforts to widely distribute the covid vaccine" after host Rob Schmitt said on his show that the vaccines "kind of [go] against nature." Read more here.

Coronavirus hotspots dominate where vaccination rates are low. Read more here.

In under-vaccinated Arkansas, the pandemic upends life all over again. Read more here.

The Delta variant is driving a wedge through Missouri as infections rise, particularly among younger, unvaccinated residents. Many have no underlying health problems, and healthcare professionals say, anecdotally, that such patients seem to be much sicker this time around compared to previous waves. Read more here.