JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are advancing a sweeping firearms bill that would allow concealed guns on public transportation and in churches. The Republican-led House on Monday gave initial approval to the bill in a voice vote. Currently, people need permission to bring firearms into places of religious worship. The bill would allow…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s health department has confirmed the first case of a new virus variant in the state. Health officials on Tuesday announced a Jackson County resident tested positive for a variant first identified in South Africa. The health department says there are also 35 active Missouri cases of a variant first identified…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Drops in coronavirus transmission rates in the St. Louis area are beginning to stall, raising concerns that residents are dropping their guard too soon and that caseloads could soon rise again. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the number of daily new coronavirus infections fell precipitously after a peak in January.…
(AP) — Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12. The announcement Wednesday marks a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before the next school year. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus.…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois public health officials have approved universal COVID-19 vaccination in parts of the state where demand for the shots has waned even while the number of cases and hospitalizations continues to climb. Newly reported cases topped 3,000 Friday for the first time in seven weeks. Hospitalizations due to the virus have…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A large coronavirus vaccination event will be held in St. Louis next week. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday announced the mass vaccination site. The event will be held March 25 and 26 at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. As many as 6,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s rate of new coronavirus cases is ticking upward after months of decline. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the state’s coronavirus infection rate has tumbled since the fall, when Missouri hit a peak seven-day average of 4,723 new confirmed cases on Nov. 20. That average fell as low as 343…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The House approved the bill Wednesday over solid Republican opposition in a vote that gives the new president and Democrats a victory just seven weeks after he took office. Biden tweeted that “help is here” and said he would…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are considering a bill that would relax the rules for immunizations. A House committee debated a proposal Tuesday that would require only students in public schools to have immunizations. and allow students to attend school without vaccinations if they have evidence of acquired immunity from a disease. The…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — More than 7,700 doses of vaccine were left over after mass vaccination events across Missouri last week. That is fueling frustrations that rural counties haven’t been able to find enough people to use them while urban residents are desperate for a dose. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that records from the…