Coronavirus Coverage by Sarah Fentem
David Kovaluk
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St. Louis Public Radio
Sarah Fentem is the health reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.
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The number of people without health insurance has grown by an estimated 100,000 in Missouri and 186,000 in Illinois since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the nonprofit Families USA.Coronavirus-related job losses have meant families are living without health care during a time they need it most, the researchers said. Many fearing high hospital bills are forgoing medical care and putting their lives at risk, doctors said.“Many, many people, millions of people, have lost their job, said Rachel Garfield, co-director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “And for many Americans, health insurance is tied to their employment.”
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Rapid testing is vital to keeping the coronavirus under control, experts said. But doctors in the St. Louis region are having to ration those tests as they become harder to find.
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St. Louis and St. Louis County officials have pledged millions in federal dollars to help pay utility bills. About 150,000 people in the St. Louis region have had trouble paying utility bills during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the nonprofit Cool Down St. Louis.
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Face masks are hot, itchy and awkward. But they're among the best ways to help keep the coronavirus from spreading. St. Louis doctors and public officials have been pleading for people to wear them in public for months. They say where, when and how you wear a mask makes a difference.
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The head of the Missouri Health Department stands by his decision not to recommend statewide masks or social distancing policies, even as the federal government has designated the state a “red zone” for new coronavirus cases.
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St. Louis officials have imposed new restrictions on businesses to limit the spread of the coronavirus. People across the city continue to test positive for the virus, Mayor Lyda Krewson said.
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After testing more than 3,500 residential students for the coronavirus, St. Louis University officials say fewer than 1% tested positive. But some students worry that in-person classes may not be safe.
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Starting Monday, businesses in St. Louis County won't be able to serve people who aren't wearing masks, and children over age 5 will have to wear them in schools. People will also need to wear masks at indoor and outdoor businesses.
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St. Louis-area hospitals admitted 66 new coronavirus patients on Monday. That marked the highest single-day count since mid-April. New hospital admissions have only risen above the 60-person mark three times previously, and all those days were at the beginning of the pandemic.
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The federal Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use authorization for a saliva-based coronavirus test developed by scientists at the McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University.