COVID-19 Vaccine

St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force officials say the coronavirus is spreading at a rate about five times higher than six weeks ago, but less than during the coronavirus peak in January. They're again urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and wear masks.

The military is taking a hard line on troops seeking religious exemptions to the COVID vaccine mandate. Lawyers say that could have consequences for others who seek different kinds of religious accommodations.

As COVID-19 cases drop in the St. Louis region and across the U.S., researchers waste no time in the development of future vaccines — for the coronavirus and for other emerging diseases.

Medical experts are currently conducting a clinical trial as part of ongoing research to test whether a more tailored vaccine could better reduce the spread of the omicron variant.

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.

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.

Health care facilities have until March 15 to get their staffs fully vaccinated. This is a challenge in Missouri which has the lowest vaccination rates among health care workers.

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.

The authorization comes in the midst of an explosion of COVID-19 cases nationwide driven by the omicron variant — a surge that has brought a spike in pediatric hospitalizations.

The number of people testing positive for the virus in St. Louis has more than tripled since last month, St. Louis health officials said Wednesday. More than 14% of coronavirus tests are coming back positive.