RICHMOND – Ray County appeared to have overcome COVID-19, with the death toll frozen at 26 from April 11 to June 10, but that is over. The Ray County Health Department reported July 1 the death toll had hit 28, then 29 on July 8 and, as of July 15, 31. The five deaths equal a 19% increase over the span of the pandemic. Johns Hopkins University reported Sunday there have been 9,894 Missouri deaths and 651,966 positive cases. The positivity rate is 11.01%. Four states – Missouri among them – are responsible for 46% of new COVID cases, Fox News Sunday reported. “You’re seeing increases in cases, particularly in the parts of the country where the vaccination rates are low,” U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who lost 10 family members to COVID-19, told Fox. Murthy said 99.5% of new deaths are among unvaccinated people. “The good news is, ... we’re still seeing a high degree of protection” for vaccinated people, he said. Murthy said social media misinformation has helped spread the…