(AP) — As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, Missouri is becoming a cautionary tale for the rest of the country: It is seeing an alarming rise in cases because of a combination of the fast-spreading delta variant and stubborn resistance among many people to getting vaccinated. The state now leads the nation with the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections. Intensive care beds are filling up with surprisingly young patients, and staff members are becoming burned out waging a battle that was supposed to be in its final throes.