Family urging COVID-19 vigilance after breakthrough infection hospitalizes father

ROLLA, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- A south-central Missouri family is warning other people who are vaccinated to continue taking precautions, after four members of their family who were fully vaccinated still developed the virus.

Linda Hagler-Reid said she and her husband Rocky were still cautious even after getting vaccinated. As a healthcare worker, she received her shots in February. Her husband, who is immunocompromised, was fully vaccinated the first week in May.

“We didn’t go out to eat, we didn’t go to any friends houses, we stayed pretty isolated,” Hagler-Reid said.

On May 31, she said Rocky developed a 106 degree fever and was diagnosed with COVID. He was rushed to an emergency room near their home in Rolla, Missouri and had infusion treatments. He was then taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield. He was released, then readmitted on Monday and remains in the hospital. Making matters worse, Hagler-Reid said she, along with her daughter and son-in-law, also developed breakthrough cases, with mild symptoms in early June.

“It concerns me that people have a false sense of security, even when they have the vaccine,” Hagler-Reid said.

Numbers show in early June, St. Louis County reported 212 breakthrough cases. As of Thursday, that number stands at 290 but still only accounts for .032 percent of vaccinated residents. St. Charles County reports 79 breakthrough cases as of Thursday, accounting for .047 percent of those vaccinated in the county.

Delta variant present in St. Louis region, vaccinations urged to protect against more dangerous strain

 Missouri now leads the nation with the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections as vaccinations lag. One person in every 1,349 people in the state was diagnosed with COVID-19 from June 13 to Sunday.

Dr. Farrin Manian leads the department of medicine at Mercy Hospital and said he’s seen no evidence, in a hospital setting, that breakthrough cases are rising. Mainly because most breakthrough cases are extremely mild. Manian said the Delta variant is not likely a driving factor of increased breakthrough cases in the community.

“If you start seeing a lot more cases throughout the community, obviously you’re going to see more breakthrough cases of Delta, but to blame it on the Delta, we just don’t have any evidence for that right now,” Manian said.