Coronavirus

People will be able to go to COVIDTests.gov and get four free tests per household, starting today. The Biden administration says it is trying to prepare for the fall and winter COVID season.

Residents can book appointments to get updated COVID booster shots at local CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. However, the city's health department says it could be weeks before vaccines are delivered to its clinics.

The FDA recently approved a safe and effective new coronavirus vaccine booster to protect against the latest variants, and it should be available around the Kansas City area soon. Residents can also get the booster at the same time as the latest flu shot, which experts say you should do before Halloween.

An updated COVID-19 vaccine will be in Kansas City in the next few weeks. The shot combats newer variants more effectively and comes as case numbers creep up across the metro.

A panel of doctors and scientists advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend that people 6 months of age and older get new COVID boosters this fall.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded a lower court’s wide-ranging order barring the federal government from communicating with social media companies was “vague and broader than necessary.”

A growing number of people are testing positive for the coronavirus, but Missouri scientists say the virus still poses a smaller threat to residents than during the height of the pandemic.

COVID has been having a "summer surge." Dr. Marvia Jones, director of the Kansas City Health Department, says that the increase in new cases could be linked to a new variant and more travel.

Federal law requires states conduct an unannounced comprehensive inspection for each long-term care facility at least every 15 months to assess compliance with health and safety rules. Of the 510 nursing homes in Missouri, 126 have not been inspected in at least two years — one of the longest backlogs in the country.

Across the Kansas City metro, departments are making strategic efforts to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies. But they are fighting uphill battles against lackluster funding, a mass exodus of employees and public perception.

After a Cole County judge invalidated the health powers of local governments in 2021, then-attorney general Eric Schmitt decided not to appeal the case. Local governments, who had used their authority to issue pandemic restrictions such as mask mandates, want the right to defend them in court.

The Missouri Hospital Association's annual report shows vacancies and turnover rates at the state's hospitals have decreased since the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. But they remain high, and employers are concerned about the future workforce.