COVID-19

Pastors within the Archdiocese of St. Louis can decide to offer a communal cup for congregants starting this Sunday. This comes after a two-year suspension to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Washington University’s researchers used Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s emergency room patients to run clinical trials of 24 different COVID-19 tests.

St. Louis is seeing rising numbers of coronavirus cases, and the city’s health director is again considering recommending public health measures, including mask requirements, to protect people from the virus.

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.

Little is known about COVID-19 cases in which symptoms persist for months. Affected service members may have trouble performing their duties or getting treatment.

The state already had infection control guidance in place, yet 36 died in the November 2020 outbreak at state-run facility.

Appropriations Vice Chairman Lincoln Hough says he’s upset that Attorney General Eric Schmitt "continues to sue most of the citizens of this state." Since November, Schmitt has sued at least 45 school districts over their local health orders.

Health officials say people in the St. Louis region should expect to live with the threat of the coronavirus. To help, the St. Louis and St. Louis County health departments have released “Living With COVID-19," a plan for people, businesses and government agencies.

Under the bill, facilities can still limit things like visitor movements and the number of visitors per patient, but cannot require patients be vaccinated against any disease to receive treatment or visitors. Experts warn it could cause a conflict between state and federal requirements.

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.