Missouri woman still thinks COVID is 'exaggerated' -- even as it lands her daughter in the hospital

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is ravaging Springfield, Missouri, but many residents are still doubting the science of the pandemic and refusing to get vaccinated, according to a new report in The Washington Post.

"Springfield, a city of 170,000 nestled in the Ozarks, has become a cautionary tale for how the more transmissible delta variant, now estimated to account for half of all new cases nationwide, can ravage poorly vaccinated communities and return them to the darkest days of the pandemic," the newspaper reported.

The report came one week after Springfield Fire Department Chief David Pennington warned the outbreak was a "mass casualty event, happening in slow-motion."

The Post interviewed several people in the city to try to get a sense of why they were still not getting vaccinated or taking precautions despite the surging case totals in their area.

"Several shoppers, who declined to give their names, described the reports about the delta variant outbreak as 'overblown,' 'exaggerated' and a 'crock of sh*t,' reported the Post. "One woman said that her daughter was hospitalized in an intensive care unit with covid-19 but that she thinks the numbers are exaggerated."

Read the full report.