Coronavirus Coverage by Sarah Fentem

Children between 5 and 11 have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine for nearly three months, but only about 13% of children in that age group in Missouri are fully vaccinated.

New COVID-19 vaccinations in Missouri have slowed as many residents refuse the shot, asserting their personal freedom. Republican lawmakers claiming vaccine mandates amount to government overreach have fought back against local officials and public health departments. In more than two dozen counties, fewer than one-third of people are fully vaccinated.

More than 50,000 people in Jefferson County have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, the county’s health department announced this week. The county has the highest rate of new cases in the St. Louis metropolitan region.

Using a database of patients, researchers compared the records of more than 150,000 people who tested positive for the virus to records of millions of patients who did not. They found that during the pandemic, those who had COVID-19 were 60% more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, substance use disorder or other mental health issues.

The percentage of St. Louis County residents testing positive for the coronavirus and hospital admissions are decreasing, County Executive Sam Page said. That indicates that for now at least, a widespread public mandate is no longer needed, he said.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem asked Lynelle Phillips, University of Missouri public health professor and Missouri Immunization Coalition Board president, if it's time for Missourians to learn to live with the coronavirus and whether the state is jumping the gun on its new plan.

Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis' health director, on Monday told the Board of Aldermen’s Health and Human Services Committee that city officials could drop mask requirements, given new CDC guidance. But Hlatshwayo Davis said she would continue to recommend that people wear a mask indoors.

Local public health programs at the forefront of the nation’s pandemic relief efforts, particularly for poor people without health insurance who are most at risk of getting sick, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky told Washington University medical students on Thursday.

The St. Louis mandate that requires people to wear masks in public indoor spaces is scheduled to expire late Sunday, but local officials still recommend masking in crowded areas.

Missouri officials this week announced an end to the coronavirus pandemic emergency, saying the state was moving on from the crisis. But public health officials say it may be too early to declare victory over the pandemic.