Health Care
Crime vs. COVID: Parson, Galloway make closing arguments in Missouri governor’s race
In their final push to election day, Republican Gov. Mike Parson and his Democratic challenger, State Auditor Nicole Galloway, aim to turn out base voters and win over undecided Missourians by linking their opponent to unpopular policies of others. For Parson, that means an emphasis on supporting law enforcement over protesters demanding police reforms and […]
Missouri DOC, Corizon agree to spend $50 million to treat inmates with hepatitis C
Michael Postawko’s attorneys say he contracted hepatitis C at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in 2012. At first, he didn’t have any symptoms. But then two years later, he began experiencing chronic fatigue, fever and abdominal pain. While the prison medical staff provided him medication for his symptoms, they didn’t treat him for the virus, […]
‘Emotional rollercoaster’: County health agencies struggle to get federal COVID-19 funds
In Ripley County, if you want to get tested for the novel coronavirus, your options are limited. It’s been two years since the county’s hospital closed its doors. An urgent care clinic that offers COVID tests has opened in its place, but it’s only open weekdays. Sometimes mobile drive-through testing sites come through. But many […]
Southeast Missouri county continues mask mandate amid high COVID case, death counts
Cape Girardeau County, which has endured 32 COVID-19 deaths and more than 900 new COVID-19 cases since Oct. 1, will continue to mandate face mask use, the Southeast Missourian reported. The county health center board voted unanimously Tuesday to continue the order in effect since July 13 until the 14-day tally of new cases falls […]
Initial shipment of thousands of antigen COVID tests sent to Missouri schools
Thousands of antigen tests to detect the novel coronavirus have been shipped to school districts across the state in an effort to help bolster testing capacity, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced this week. Nearly 330 public and private school districts requested nearly 583,000 tests through the state’s BinaxNOW Antigen Testing Program. […]
St. Louis health leaders warn COVID threatening hospital capacity
Leaders of the St. Louis area’s fight against COVID-19 warned Monday that hospitals are reaching capacity, doctors and support staff are worn down by overwork and harsh steps may be necessary to get control of the pandemic. In a briefing broadcast on Facebook, Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, […]
Missouri AG’s office denies allegations it broke law in medical marijuana lawsuit
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office dismissed accusations that his office and the state department of health illegally concealed records and violated the Sunshine Law during the course of a medical marijuana lawsuit, calling the charges “frivolous” and “baseless.” The accusation arose last week in a motion seeking sanctions against Schmitt’s office and the Missouri […]
Missouri county stops COVID social media posts over ‘negative, insulting’ comments
A Missouri county enduring the state’s fourth-highest rate for new COVID-19 infections will stop posting local data on Facebook because of responses that attack its work and raise conspiracy theories about the disease. Ste. Genevieve County, a southeast Missouri county with 17,894 people, has added 195 new cases since Sept. 30 and 93 in the […]
High COVID case counts sending some Missouri students into virtual classrooms
Missouri continued its string of days reporting 1,000 or more new coronavirus infections on Friday, adding 1,811 new infections amid growing difficulties for school districts trying to maintain in-class instruction. While one of the state’s largest districts, Columbia Public Schools, opened doors for elementary students for the first time on Monday, the small Maries County […]
Medical marijuana lawsuit: Missouri health department illegally concealed documents
A Missouri family that sued after being denied a medical marijuana license is alleging the state department of health and Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office illegally concealed documents and violated open records laws in order to undercut their lawsuit. The allegations — which are included in a 28-page motion seeking sanctions against the state that […]
Nearly half of Missouri’s COVID deaths occurred in nursing homes
Nearly half of all coronavirus deaths in Missouri have occurred in nursing homes, with the highest total coming in St. Louis County, according to a new analysis of federal data from Saint Louis University researchers. At least 24 facilities around the state have reported 100 or more cases among residents and staff, and at least […]
Barrett nomination advances to U.S. Senate floor with a GOP-only vote
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as Democrats boycotted the markup in a show of protest. The 12 Republicans on the panel speedily voted on Barrett’s nomination and sent it to the Senate floor. The full Senate will […]