Coronavirus

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 29, but the veto was overridden by the Republican-dominated House and Senate. It opens health officials to lawsuits over quarantine decisions and removed their authority to ban public gatherings.

The 2022 Missouri law prevented pharmacists from contacting patients about the efficacy of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine — drugs promoted as COVID medications by right-wing media, despite warnings from health agencies. A judge ruled that gag order was unconstitutional.

Carrie Willis ran a COVID ward at St. Luke’s East Hospital in 2020 and 2021. Five years after Kansas City began restricting gatherings and ordering people to stay at home, Willis says health care — and her life — will never be the same.

Five years ago today, instead of gathering for a festive St. Patrick’s Day parade, Kansas Citians were ordered not to gather in groups, and hospitals began to gear up for the biggest public health crisis of our lives. We look back at the first days of the pandemic through the eyes of a front-line nurse.

Some fear the decision will make it hard for low-income Missourians to access affordable COVID-19 testing, even though testing provided by doctors and clinics will still be covered.

Wastewater testing helps track COVID trends. Currently, COVID levels in wastewater are surging in Kansas and Missouri as well as in much of the U.S.

Around 14% of all staff positions at Missouri hospitals were vacant in 2023. That rate is lower than it was at the height of the pandemic, but still higher than in 2019.

After the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Acts expired, many states passed their own laws to require employers to provide paid sick leave. Missouri does not have a paid sick leave policy in place.

Sophie Day didn’t realize she had long COVID until she fainted and fell down a flight of stairs, breaking her collar bone. Since then, she’s been seeing an occupational therapist at University Health’s Center for COVID Recovery, which has helped her manage her debilitating fatigue.

In the Kansas City area, hospitals are already seeing a steady stream of cases associated with respiratory viruses, including COVID. If the trend of hospitalizations continues, the CDC warns that hospitals will be forced to ration care.

The CDC reported this month that only 17% of adults and 7% of children have received the updated COVID vaccine, which targets more recent coronavirus strains. But it’s never too late to get boosted, especially if you're hopping on a plane for Christmas break.

The CDC reports that only 16% of adults and 7% of children have received the updated COVID vaccine. Although hospitalizations are currently low in Kansas City, providers warn the virus can still be deadly.