After more than three years and thousands of COVID-19 deaths in Missouri, the end of the public health emergency heralds a new phase in which the virus is present but less dangerous to the general public.

Anthony Fauci, who became a nationally recognized face of the public health response during the coronavirus pandemic, told graduating medical students to fight scientific disinformation during a commencement speech in St. Louis on Monday.

In Missouri, the average person born in 2021 could expect to live to be 74.6 years old, a whole three years younger than the average age ten years ago. The state’s drop is part of a nationwide decline, though the life expectancy in Missouri is lower than the United States average.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government prevented states from kicking people off MO HealthNet, Missouri's Medicaid health insurance program. That provision ends April 1, and state residents will once more need to prove their eligibility for the low-cost coverage.

Researchers from the University of Missouri and Washington University, studying St. Louis Children’s Hospital emergency room data, found more children are coming to the ER with gun shot injuries than before the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020.

Flu and other respiratory illnesses are on the rise in St. Louis. The increase in patients is coming as more health care employees leave their jobs, putting more strain on the remaining workforce.

The Regional Arts Commission will distribute $10.6 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to St. Louis artists and organizations.

An updated COVID-19 vaccine booster shot is hitting shelves in the St. Louis region this week after the federal government approved the shots for emergency use. Area health officials and doctors say everyone who can should get the updated booster, even if they’ve received the vaccine or previous boosters in the past.