Coronavirus Coverage by Sarah Fentem

As coronavirus cases rise and more contagious variants take hold in Missouri, the four largest hospital systems in St. Louis are requiring all their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by fall. Employees at St. Luke’s, SSM Health, BJC HealthCare and Mercy Health will need to be vaccinated by late September. Hospital officials say unvaccinated health workers are more at risk of catching the virus and more likely to spread it to patients.

While coronavirus outbreaks have largely been concentrated in southern Missouri, epidemiologists from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services say the number of cases is now rising in other parts of the state, including the St. Louis region. Rural counties with low vaccination rates also are at risk of large outbreaks.

Two health care workers saw the COVID-19 disease ravage St. Louis patients. But they needed time, information and a push before deciding to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The mandate goes into effect Monday and applies to everyone over the age of 5, including those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

After months of being able to go mask-free, people in St. Louis and St. Louis County will be required to wear masks indoors to keep the coronavirus from spreading — even if they've gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.

More people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are testing positive for the coronavirus than earlier this year, as the more contagious delta variant spreads in the St. Louis region. But such cases are relatively rare, and the vaccines protect people from serious illness or death.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced Wednesday that the city will soon require its 6,000 employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine or take a weekly coronavirus test. The requirement comes as more than 900 people test positive for the coronavirus each day in the St Louis region.

Doctors are urging parents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as kids head back to school. While previous strains of the coronavirus didn’t affect many young kids and teens, more are now getting sick as the more contagious delta variant circulates in the state.

After the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, at least one hospital system in Missouri announced it would mandate the shots for employees. Just over half of Missouri adults are fully vaccinated, and doctors hope the full approval will persuade more skeptical patients to seek out the shot.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones named Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, a national expert in infectious diseases, as the city’s health director. The coronavirus pandemic is the most immediate problem facing the city, Hlatshwayo Davis said, but she intends to focus on the city’s high rates of gun violence and sexually transmitted diseases.