Local Updates: COVID-19 In The St. Louis Region

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7

Airmen at Scott Air Force Base have begun receiving COVID-19 vaccine, the military installation said. The active-duty airmen at the Metro East airfield are among the first military personnel in the country to be inoculated. Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood has not yet received a shipment of the vaccine.

Illinois has passed the 1 million infections mark. The state’s Department of Public Health said Thursday that 1,008,045 people in the state have been diagnosed with COVID-19, after adding 8,757 cases to the rolls. Of the more than 1 million cases, 17,272 have been fatal.

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke to Washington University medical students and BJC Hospital employees Thursday morning. The top public health voice on infectious diseases in the country addressed the students and medical staff over Zoom. He told them things will continue to get worse before getting better but that the vaccines are the path to a return to normal.

— Ryan Delaney

9:00 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7

Good morning. Coronavirus isn’t the top of today’s headlines. Instead United States citizens are recovering from the fallout of the deadly attempted insurrection of the Capitol building by pro-Trump extremists. Early this morning, President Trump affirmed there will be “an orderly transition” of power to 2020 election winner Joe Biden on Inauguration Day. Follow NPR live updates for developments.

Yesterday was the deadliest day in the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The country recorded 3,865 deaths from COVID-19, breaking the record set the day before of 3,775 deaths. The U.S. has the highest daily death count in the world by far.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1500 new cases per day over the last week. That's up 20% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 204,994 total cases and 3,333 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 7,975 tests per day over the last week, and 20% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 60,141 tests per day over the last week, and 8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6

The St. Louis Department of Health expects to get some doses of coronavirus vaccine in the next week to two weeks, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said Wednesday. She said the specific number of doses was not immediately available.

The doses would be for employees at federally qualified health centers and first responders like paramedics. St. Louis County received 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday.

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has released guidelines for the next phase of the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

Phase 1B will include all Illinois residents 65 and older and “front-line essential workers,” who include teachers, grocery store workers, public transit employees and people in prison or jail. While national guidance suggests Phase 1B includes those 75 or older, Pritzker said he went with a younger eligibility to reduce the fatality of the disease in Black and brown communities.

— Rachel Lippmann

9:00 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6

Good morning. Scientists are learning more about the coronavirus' effect on the brain. A new study shows COVID-19 appears to produce brain-related problems including seizures and psychosis — and even an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The finding could help explain why some people who are hospitalized for COVID-19 are discharged with symptoms associated with brain injuries, such as forgetfulness or difficulty organizing tasks. Read more from NPR: How COVID-19 Attacks The Brain And May Cause Lasting Damage.

Colleges and universities in the St. Louis area tried to adapt the college experience to make it resemble a normal school year during the pandemic. We talked to students as they wrapped up their fall semester and looked ahead to a spring that promises to be similar. Here’s what they told education reporter Ryan Delaney: ‘All The Worst Parts Of College’: Students Reflect On A Year Of Online Classes And No Parties.

Madison County health officials got more than they bargained for after putting out a survey asking people if they want to receive the coronavirus vaccine. In a county of about 260,000 residents, more than 11,000 people responded within the first day saying they would take the vaccine. The survey doesn’t guarantee residents a spot in line, but officials are using the data to inform vaccine rollout when the time comes. Read more from KSDK: 'I Signed Up Right Away' | 11,000 Madison County Residents Fill Out Vaccine Distribution Survey In First 24 Hours.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,567 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week. That's up 34% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 203,580 total cases and 3,313 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 8,757 tests per day over the last week, and 19% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 62,777 tests per day over the past week, and 8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health received 975 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine this morning. The department says it will start vaccinating “patient-facing” health care workers this week, including about 275 of the department’s clinical employees. No vaccines have been made available to the general public yet in the St. Louis area.

Missouri has administered 39% of the vaccine doses shipped to the state, according to analysis by USA Today; Illinois has administered 41% of its doses. To see how Missouri’s vaccine distribution compares to other states, check out this tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus pandemic has quashed two of the region’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. For a second consecutive year, the Ancient Order of Hibernians has canceled the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Dogtown Irish Festival. Organizers say they plan to be back in 2022.

Illinois reopened DMV offices today. During the fall, the Belleville Driver Services facility closed after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. Read the full story from our news partner, the Belleville News-Democrat: Face Masks, Social Distancing Required As Illinois Drivers Services Facilities Reopen

— Kayla Drake

9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5

Good morning. Health care workers in St. Louis are starting to receive their second doses of coronavirus vaccine. And as Missouri prepares to open vaccinations to more people, the state health department says it’s considering an appointment-based system to avoid the long lines and wait times seen in other states. Read more from our news partners at 5 on your Side: Missouri Vaccine Participation Likely Around 60% For Groups Eligible, Officials Hope Numbers Improve.

Arts organizations and local businesses say they need financial help from the federal government to stay open in 2021. Theaters, live music venues and museums are seeking relief grants through the Save Our Stages Act, part of the $900 billion stimulus package passed late last month. And small-business owners are starting to apply for another round of funding from the reauthorized Paycheck Protection Program. Recipients say the money helps for now, but it’s not enough to overcome the pandemic’s devastating impact. “It won’t stop the evictions or the hardships or the struggles that they’ve going on,” said Shekela Bester, owner of Florissant-based nonprofit Hoppee.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,616 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week. That's up 37% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 202,264 total cases and 3,264 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,081 tests per day over the past week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 60,990 tests per day over the past week, and 8% percent of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:20 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4

St. Louis health officials haven’t found evidence of a new COVID-19 strain in the city or elsewhere in Missouri. Health experts said the strain was first identified in the United Kingdom late last year and is more contagious than other COVID-19 strains, but scientists say there is no evidence yet that the virus is more lethal. Cases of the new strain have been found in California, Colorado, New York and Florida.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 107 new COVID-19 admissions to area hospitals, while the seven-day moving average for hospital admissions remains at 95 admissions.

The task force also reported 836 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, with 180 patients in intensive care and 109 patients on ventilators.

Dr. Alex Garza, who leads the task force, said that the U.K. variant of COVID-19 is a concern and that doctors and scientists are keeping a close eye on the strain.

“It’s only been discovered in a couple of places, but that’s mostly because there hasn’t been a lot of genomic discovery of the virus,” Garza said. “It will make it here sooner or later, there’s no doubt about that, the question is when and then what happens when it does arrive.”

Indoor dining in St. Louis County bars and restaurants resumed today after county officials suspended indoor dining in November. The county’s new guidelines include:

• A 25% occupancy limit based on a restaurant’s fire code capacity or the number of diners who can sit at tables spaced six feet apart, whichever number is lower.
• Requiring all restaurant and bar staff to wear masks. Customers will also be required to wear masks unless eating or drinking.
• A 10 p.m. closing time.
• Collecting the names and contact information of guests to aid in contact tracing.
• Physical barriers, like Plexiglas, at some bars.

The county health department will continue to monitor coronavirus cases to see if future changes will be needed, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said during a press conference.

Moratoriums on shutting off utilities end tomorrow for most St. Louis-area residents. Three of the region’s utility providers—Spire, Missouri American Water and Ameren—extended temporary moratoriums through the holidays. The companies will resume disconnections after Jan. 5, but plan to offer payment plans and one-time grants to qualifying homeowners and businesses. In the Metro East, people who need assistance have more time. Ameren Illinois extended its moratorium until March 31.

Missouri residents who cannot afford their utility bills can get assistance through the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Illinois has a similar program. The nonprofit Heat Up St. Louis also provides utility assistance to Missouri and Illinois residents.

— Chad Davis and Kayla Drake

8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4

Good morning, and Happy New Year!

The United States is not vaccinating people as quickly as planned, spurring a new conversation among health experts about whether to change the process. One idea is to cut current Moderna vaccine doses in half so that double the number of people can receive a shot. Another suggestion is to delay second shots scheduled for priority groups such as hospital workers and instead provide first shots for a broader group of people. Read more about the delay via NPR: COVID-19 Cases Surge In U.S. As Vaccinations Fall Below Government Predictions.

Hospitals in St. Louis are desperate for temporary workers as the coronavirus leaves them understaffed. Federal money is helping to soften the significant financial burden: Temporary health care workers are making twice their normal rate, and some traveling agency nurses can make more than $100 per hour. Read more from reporter Sarah Fentem: Hospitals Rely More On Expensive Temporary Workers During Pandemic.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,522 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week. That's up almost 23% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 200,521 total cases and 3,250 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,081 tests per day over the past week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 63,637 tests per day over the past week, and 8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31

Good evening. This will be the final entry about COVID-19 before 2020 is ushered out the door.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 93 new COVID-19 admissions to selected hospitals. That’s down from 98 announced on Wednesday. The seven-day moving average is at 100 hospital admissions. Sixteen people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 died.

Currently, 796 people are admitted at task force hospitals for COVID-19. There are 183 people in ICUs and 101 people using ventilators.

On Wednesday, 141 people were discharged from task force hospitals. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 14,603 people have left hospitals.

People in outstate Missouri are now receiving COVID-19 vaccine.

The Phelps County Health Center in Rolla received about 1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. Once those doses arrived, vaccinations of health care workers began immediately.

The arrival of the vaccine wasn’t without complications. The hospital was expecting the Moderna vaccine. But miscommunication between the state and federal governments reduced the number of doses that came to Missouri. Phelps County Health Center CEO Ed Clayton said that meant all Moderna doses were redirected to long-term care facilities, and hospitals like his received the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra cold storage, instead.

Phelps Health has been able to handle the storage requirements of the Pfizer vaccine with dry ice and have more robust refrigeration units on order. Clayton said his hospital ordered more of the vaccine, though it’s unknown when it will arrive.

— Jason Rosenbaum and Jonathan Ahl

9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31

Good morning, and good riddance to a deadly and difficult year.

The U.S. is not vaccinating people as quickly as planned. Fewer than 3 million Americans will have received a first dose of the vaccine by the end of the year — far from the government’s goal of 20 million people. Experts expect to see significantly more access to vaccines after Jan. 8. Read more from NPR: U.S. Likely Will Miss Goal Of Vaccinating 20 Million By The New Year.

Fort Leonard Wood has plenty of ultra-cold storage for COVID-19 vaccine, but it’s too soon to know when doses will arrive in amounts sufficient to distribute to all soldiers. The military base expects to have enough doses in early spring to vaccinate trainees. Read more from reporter Jonathan Ahl: Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers Are On The Same Timeline As Civilians To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine.

Colorado and California have confirmed cases of the more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom. There are also suspected cases in Massachusetts and Delaware. Is the mutated strain in Missouri or Illinois? No one knows for sure. The U.S. does far less genetic sequencing than other developed countries, which could delay the country’s response. Read more from the Associated Press: California Has Nation’s 2nd Confirmed Case Of Virus Variant.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,245 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 20% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 194,494 total cases and 3,201 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 7,021 tests per day over the past week, and 19% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 56,434 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30

Missouri has received shipments of both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, Gov. Mike Parson said Wednesday.

So far, more than 66,000 health care workers and long-term care facility staff and residents have received the first dose of the vaccine, Parson said.

The governor said Missouri should receive an additional 84,000 doses by the end of the week. That shipment includes vaccine for health care workers in St. Louis, who will start getting their second doses next week.

During a briefing Wednesday, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson urged people to keep their New Year’s Eve celebrations small, preferably at home with members of their households. She said health department officials will monitor parties and bars to ensure they abide by the city’s 11 p.m. curfew and other COVID-19 safety measures.

“I know New Year’s Eve isn’t until 12, so pretend you’re in another time zone,” Krewson said during a briefing.

Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, made a similar plea. He said COVID-19 hospitalizations are still high, with a moving average of 832 patients across task force hospitals.

St. Joseph Hospital ICU nurse Natalie Crawford said people are becoming numb to those statistics.

“There are horrible decisions being made in the background that people do not understand. When they hear of a death, they think, ‘OK someone passed of COVID.’ But people aren’t just passing of COVID, they are fighting, struggling.” she said. “They are sometimes going out kicking and screaming.”

St. Louis will open two new homeless shelters in mid-January. The city’s top fiscal body approved Tandy recreation center in the Ville neighborhood and Cherokee recreation center in south St. Louis to house up to 30 people each. The city also approved a contract for mobile bathroom and shower units that will travel among homeless encampments.

— Corinne Ruff

9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30

Good morning. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced this morning a plan to reopen indoor dining, which has been banned for six weeks. The updated restrictions for restaurants and bars include:

• A 25% occupancy limit.
• New mask protocols for staff.
• A 10 p.m. closing time.
• Contact tracing protocols.
• Physical barriers, like Plexiglas, at some bars.

The news comes too late for the holiday rush, when tips are high and gatherings are large. "The damage has been done," says Michael Saracino of Bartolino’s, one of the restaurant owners who tried to sue to overturn the indoor dining ban. "The busiest months of the year have been ruined for tens of thousands of restaurant workers." Read more from our news partners at 5 on your Side: St. Louis County restaurants looking forward to lifting of indoor dining ban.

A judge in St. Louis has extended St. Louis’ eviction moratorium by one month. Renters who are unable to make rent payments can’t be evicted until after Jan. 31.

The coronavirus pandemic changed how teens learned to drive in 2020. Some future drivers had to wait a few months because the license offices shut down. Others did driver’s ed through virtual schooling. Read more in today’s story from reporter Rachel Lippmann: Like Most Milestones, Learning To Drive In A Pandemic Looks Different.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,169 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 26.8% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 192,609 total cases and 3,162 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 7,802 tests per day over the past week, and 16% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 59,339 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29

The first of nearly 210,000 staff and residents at long- term care facilities in Missouri and Illinois started receiving vaccinations against COVID-19 on Monday. Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens are distributing the vaccine under a program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nursing homes have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines will help, but only if residents and staff take them. The Belleville News-Democrat reports staff and residents at some long-term care facilities are skeptical of the new vaccines and refuse to be vaccinated.

Phelps Health in Rolla received its first shipment of coronavirus vaccines and started to administer them to medical staff today. St. Clair County officials in Illinois say they’re ready to give vaccines to the second round of eligible recipients as soon as they have more doses. The next group of people in line to be vaccinated include first responders, more health care workers and people older than 75.

The pandemic is exacerbating already worrying trends for public colleges and universities in the bistate area. Public institutions were already making do with fewer students and less state funding before the coronavirus, and the pandemic accelerated those reductions this year.

— Eric Schmid

9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29

Good morning. December has been the deadliest month of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. so far. About 65,000 people have died this month, and the daily death count has been over 3,000 for the past several weeks, according to the Associated Press. Nearly 1.3 million people traveled through U.S. airports on Sunday — the highest one-day total in nine months — despite health officials' pleas to stay home during the holiday season.

The number of people asking for food assistance in southeast Missouri has tripled, but it’s harder than ever to get approved for food stamps. First-time applicants must complete an interview, but high call volume makes it difficult to get through by the deadline. One attorney said she phoned the call center for seven days straight on behalf of a homeless client in October and never got through, so her client’s application was rejected. Read more from our news partners at the Missouri Independent: Food Stamp Applicants Struggle To Get Through Missouri Call Center Line.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,180 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 27% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 190,954 total cases and 3,126 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 9,963 tests per day over the past week, and 14% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 61,559 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

4:40 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28

COVID-19 numbers in the St. Louis metro area are going down, but the leader of the region’s pandemic task force warned today that they are still dangerously high. New COVID admissions, hospitalizations and deaths are at their lowest levels since early November. Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said it won’t take much to make the numbers spike again.

“We still have to see if we’re going to see any increase of cases from the Christmas holiday. Now we know holiday gatherings in cold weather and people coming indoors is really a recipe of the spread of the virus,” Garza said during the task force briefing.

Garza is recommending people celebrate New Year’s Eve at home with the people they live with, and wear masks and practice social distancing when around other people.

Missouri’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is waiting for guidance from the federal government before reinstating certain unemployment benefits that expired on Dec. 26.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs are part of the new round of stimulus legislation that Congress passed last week and President Trump signed over the weekend.

Missouri’s Department of Labor advises people in these programs to continue filing for benefits, but also warns the payments won’t be made until the federal guidelines are in place.

Fort Leonard Wood’s commanding general has renewed its COVID-19 public health emergency status for another 90 days. Changes to the order from Brig. Gen. James Bonner include lifting the mileage restriction on travel, but also prohibiting service members from patronizing any business that does not have a face covering mandate for staff and customers.

Many soldiers stationed at Fort Leonard Wood will be returning to the post this week after holiday leave. The Department of Defense does not release COVID-19 numbers for military installations, citing national security.

—Jonathan Ahl

9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 28

Good morning, and welcome to the last week of 2020. We hope you had a peaceful holiday.

President Trump signed the $900 billion pandemic relief package into law last night. Americans will receive $600 checks — not $2,000, as the president said he wanted — along with a boost in unemployment benefits and funds for small-business aid and vaccine distribution. The U.S. House plans to vote today to increase the amount in the relief checks sent directly to qualifying Americans, but any increase is unlikely to pass the Senate. Here’s more from NPR: Trump Signs COVID-19 Relief Deal After His Criticism Threatened To Derail It.

COVID-19 is a far deadlier illness than the flu, according to a new analysis from the VA St. Louis Health Care System and Washington University. Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were four times as likely to need a ventilator and five times as likely to die as patients with the flu. About 1 in 4 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 without a history of diabetes had to be treated with emergency insulin — about twice the rate seen in flu patients. Read more in our story from reporter Shahla Farzan: 5 Times Deadlier Than Flu, COVID-19 Has Risk Of Long-Term Effects, St. Louis VA Study Finds.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,239 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 27% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 189,865 total cases and 3,111 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 9,983 tests per day over the past week, and 14% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 66,376 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23

St. Louis County restaurants will find out next Wednesday what steps they’ll need to take to re-open for indoor dining.

County Executive Sam Page met with a group of restaurant owners on Tuesday to discuss those guidelines, which could include a curfew, occupancy limits, and distancing rules. He told reporters that while the number of cases is still too high for indoor dining to be completely safe, restaurants have sacrificed a lot during a complete shutdown of indoor dining that began Nov. 17.

A St. Charles County judge has kept in place an 11 p.m. closing time for restaurants, bars and other places that serve alcohol.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports two restaurants sued over the emergency order, calling it “bizarre and nonsensical.” But the judge rejected a temporary restraining order, which would have lifted the curfew immediately. A hearing on a preliminary injunction is set for Jan. 8.

Meanwhile, the head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force urged Page to “keep an eye on the case data” in making the decision to open up restaurant dining rooms.

Dr. Alex Garza said Wednesday that despite some small improvements in the number of coronavirus cases, the region’s hospital capacity remains stretched. He said any big surge of cases following Christmas could push health care facilities back to the point of needing to implement crisis standards of care.

The last 24 hours have been the deadliest for COVID-19 patients in the hospital since the task force started keeping track of the data in October. Thirty-one patients who were in task force hospitals died.

This will be the final post until Dec. 28. We wish our readers Happy Holidays, and urge you to wear a mask, wash your hands, stay six feet apart and keep your gatherings small.

— Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23

Good morning. More than 3,000 people have died from coronavirus in the St. Louis metropolitan area. As of Friday morning, our metro area's death toll reached 3,032, according to data gathered by the New York Times from state and local health agencies. The grim milestone comes almost six weeks after the region passed 2,000 deaths.

President Trump is threatening to derail the COVID-19 relief package Congress passed on Monday. He says he wants Congress to boost payments to $2,000 per individual and $4,000 for couples before he signs the bill into law. Read more from NPR: Trump Slams COVID-19 Relief Bill, Asks For Changes After Bitter Negotiations.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,596 new cases per day over the last week, down 13.4% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 184,429 total cases and 3,032 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,015 tests per day over the last week. 16.3 percent of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 78,636 tests per day over the last week. 7.4 percent of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:50 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22

More than 100,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine will arrive in Missouri this week, said a spokesperson for Gov. Mike Parson. The state has vaccinated 23,000 front-line health care workers since last Monday. That’s around 5% of all people eligible to receive the first wave of vaccinations, which includes health care workers and nursing home residents and workers. More than 430,000 people in the group are still waiting to be vaccinated, according to the governor’s office.

"While we continue to receive positive news in our fight against COVID-19, I remind Missourians that the virus is still here, and we all must take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of this virus, especially through the holiday season," Parson said.

Within a couple of weeks, 700 additional facilities in Missouri are expected to be approved as coronavirus vaccine sites, the governor's office said. That would bring the total number of vaccine sites in the state to 985.

Illinois has vaccinated nearly 82,000 front-line health care workers against the coronavirus, more people than any other state as of Tuesday, according to NPR Illinois.

The St. Louis County Council has cleared the way for Santa Claus to travel to the area, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its members adopted a resolution on Tuesday assuring “all children who go to bed on Dec. 24 with thoughts of Santa in their heads that is has been confirmed that Mr. and Mrs. Claus, all the elves, and even the eight tiny reindeer, have quarantined and followed all recommendations of public health officials, and Santa will be able to make all deliveries along his usual route this year.”

In a year that’s been marked by sharp divides on the council over the pandemic, the resolution brought a rare moment of unity, with all seven members jumping on as co-sponsors. The measure follows a similar resolution adopted Dec. 11 by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

— Kayla Drake and Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22

Good morning. Stimulus payments could be in your bank account as soon as next week after Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package last night. The bill now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law soon. The package includes, via NPR:

• $600 direct payments for every adult earning up to $75,000, with smaller payments for those earning up to $99,000, and $600 per child.
• Unemployment benefits for jobless workers, who will receive up to $300 per week through mid-March.
• $25 billion in rent assistance to help families stay in their homes.
• $13 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Read more about what’s in the 5,593-page bill, by far the longest legislation in U.S. history, from NPR: Here Is What's In Congress' COVID-19 Relief Package.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,633 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 12% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 182,697 total cases and 2,985 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 13,611 tests per day over the past week, and 15% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 79,853 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21

Jefferson County health officials voted Monday to extend the county's mask mandate until Jan. 21. Members of the Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees voted 3-2 to continue the mandate, which would have ended Monday. The health department implemented the mask mandate last month to help keep the coronavirus from spreading.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said the county may release plans to gradually lift some coronavirus restrictions. If the number of new coronavirus cases remains stable, Page said he could announce a limited reopening plan next week that might include allowing limited indoor dining to resume as early as next month.

There were 87 new COVID-19 daily admissions across the St. Louis hospital system, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported. The seven-day moving average is 109 people. The task force reported that there are 873 hospital patients confirmed to have COVID-19, 185 patients are in the ICU, and 114 are on ventilators.

“We’re starting to see some progress, but we still have way too many people in our hospitals that are sick, and we’re still admitting way too many people to the hospitals,” said Dr. Alex Garza, who leads the task force. “We’re still at that 100 person-per-day average, and that’s still very high.”

The St. Louis County Police Department reported that 16 of its members have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past six days. There have been 145 positive tests since March 28.

-Chad Davis and Shahla Farzan

9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21

Good morning. Front-line health care workers are getting a fresh round of reinforcements. Starting today, more than 100 nurses, respiratory therapists and patient care technicians from health care company Vizient will fill in at six hospital groups in the region. They’ll be paid using coronavirus funds from the federal government. Read more from reporter Jaclyn Driscoll: Additional Hospital Staff To Begin Working Monday In Missouri.

More than 1,000 people have signed an online petition asking BJC Healthcare to change its rules about who gets vaccinated first. Doctors told 5 on Your Side that some medical workers who treat COVID-19 patients won’t be vaccinated until late next month because older staff members are first in line. The petition says that “although it is important to ensure that everyone is vaccinated, the people on the front lines who are caring for sick patients should be the first to receive a dose.” Read more from 5 on Your Side: Online petition calls on BJC to change COVID-19 vaccine plan doctors said puts older workers ahead of frontline employees.

President-elect Joe Biden will get his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine today live on television. “I don’t want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take,” Biden said, according to the Associated Press.

Reports of new, fast-spreading strains of COVID-19 in Britain and South Africa are causing alarm and travel restrictions the week of the Christmas holiday. But virus experts say the vaccine is still effective against these new strains. Read more in this explainer from the AP.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,711 new cases per day over the past week, down 7% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 181,192 total cases and 2,970 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 12,053 tests per day over the past week, and 15% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 80,777 tests per day over the past week, and 7% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna for emergency use, giving health officials a second vaccine to combat the disease. The authorization clears the way for shipments of Moderna's vaccine to Missouri and Illinois as early as next week.

The Franklin County health order requiring people to wear face coverings while in public is due to expire at noon Sunday. Officials have no plans to extend the order, Presiding Commissioner Tim Brinker said. Nearly 600 Franklin County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days, according to data from the county health department.

Health officials in St. Charles County again called for people to take steps to avoid spreading the coronavirus during holiday gatherings. Their recommendations include wearing face coverings when interacting with people outside of one’s immediate household, washing hands regularly, hosting events outdoors if possible and opening windows or otherwise enhancing ventilation during indoor gatherings. For those traveling, the Department of Public Health recommends self-quarantining for several days before departure and again after returning home.

St. Louis County officials published an online summary of health risks posed by gathering indoors without a mask during the pandemic. It cites national studies showing that indoor dining appears to be high-risk behavior that drives increases in coronavirus infections.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, there were 115 new daily admissions to member hospitals in the St. Louis area. The seven-day moving average is 114. There are currently 854 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, with another 75 who are awaiting test results but who doctors believe are positive.

“Our numbers are plateauing, but they’re plateauing at a dangerously high level,” said Dr. Alex Garza, the task force leader.

— Jeremy D. Goodwin

9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18

Good morning. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, received the coronavirus vaccine this morning, live on television. “I didn’t feel a thing. Well done,” Pence said after receiving the shot from Surgeon General Jerome Adams. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are expected to be vaccinated in the next few days. Read more from NBC News: Pence receives Covid vaccine in televised appearance.

The Mizzou men’s basketball team won’t play its scheduled game tonight because of the coronavirus. Officials canceled the game due to unspecified COVID-19 concerns from the Prairie View A&M team, which had a player test positive earlier this month. The game will not be rescheduled.

And don’t miss our conversation with high school seniors applying to college during the pandemic. At a time of social distancing, the college tour road trip has been replaced by virtual campus tours. “It just doesn’t feel like a real experience,” said Parker Kopplin, a senior at Ritenour High School in St. Louis County. He wanted to tour the campus at UCLA; with online visits “it kind of just seems like you’re reading and talking to a brochure.” Read the story from reporter Ryan Delaney: The Dilemma For High School Seniors: Navigating College Admissions In A Pandemic.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,879 new cases per day over the past week. That's down 3% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 176,805 total cases and 2,852 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,140 tests per day over the past week, and 16% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 80,144 tests per day over the past week, and 8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17

The Madison County State’s Attorney announced Thursday he would not use his office to enforce Illinois Gov. Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Tom Haine said anyone who violates the governor’s executive orders in Madison County would not be committing a crime, since those orders don’t have a legal basis for prosecution.

He said his office could prosecute individuals for trespassing if they refuse to leave an establishment after being asked to by the business owner.

Sarah Fentem

Eight locations in the BJC HealthCare system began vaccinating workers this week.

The federal government initially sent enough of the Pfizer vaccine to cover about one-third of BJC’s patient-facing workforce. BJC officials expect to use the first shipment of 10,000 doses within two weeks.

Missouri officials are sending the first vaccine doses to health care workers and nursing home staff, and said anyone who wants a vaccination will likely be able to get one by summer.

A board that provides advice to St. Louis’ health director has a new chairperson.

The City of St. Louis Boards of Health and Hospitals on Thursday announced the unanimous selection of Rhonda Belue as the new chairperson. She replaces Will Ross, who will remain on the board.

Belue is a professor and chair of the Health Management and Policy program at St. Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.

The board provides advice to the city health department. In recent months, it's made suggestions about pandemic restrictions.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, there were 121 new daily COVID admissions to member hospitals in the St. Louis area. The seven-day moving average is 117 people.

There are 907 people currently in area hospitals, with 171 people in ICUs and 107 using ventilators. The task force said there were 20 deaths in hospitals, with a seven-day moving average of 22 deaths.

On Wednesday, 106 people were discharged from hospitals. The task force says that 12,942 people have been discharged since the pandemic began.

— Jason Rosenbaum, Sarah Fentem and Eric Schmid

9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 17

Good morning. The Chesterfield Police Department says it will not enforce St. Louis County’s “Safer At Home” restrictions on businesses, including occupancy restrictions and the indoor dining ban. In a statement released yesterday, the department said it “has no statutory authority to enforce the St. Louis County Health or the St. Louis County Executive order, nor do we intend to do so.” Officers will respond to cases in which a customer refuses to comply with a business owner’s request to wear a mask: "In those instances, the police officers WILL enforce trespassing and/or peace disturbance ordinances, as appropriate," the statement says. Read more from our news partners at 5 on your Side: Chesterfield police will not enforce St. Louis County health orders.

Janitors and groundskeepers at St. Louis University ratified a new contract that includes more sick days, guaranteed PPE and a $15 minimum wage by 2022. The agreement by SEIU Local 1 includes the highest-ever raises for the workers.

And here’s the St. Louis on the Air conversation about vaccine rollout that we told you about yesterday: Vaccine Distribution In St. Louis Raises Many Questions, Challenges.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,878 new cases per day over the past week, down 2.9% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 174,807 total cases and 2,818 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 10,758 tests per day over the past week, and 16% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 81,920 tests per day over the past week, and 8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:55 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16

Illinois will get roughly half of the COVID-19 vaccinations it originally expected to receive in the next two weeks. The state will now receive about 4.3 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said other states will experience similar kinds of cuts to their expected shipments. State public health officials didn’t have immediate information as to why the shipment was cut in half.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Wednesday that the state economy continues to rebound after the pandemic left many people unemployed and forced businesses to close their doors or limit capacity.

Parson said that the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% in November and that the state has recovered 67% of the jobs lost this past spring.

“We are now in the top tier of the United States of America for economic recovery," Parson said.

Parson also emphasized the safety and efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine. He continued to stress the importance of personal responsibility as families may travel for the holidays.

MU Health Care vaccinated its first front-line health care workers against COVID-19 on Wednesday. The doses went to medical workers who have direct patient care responsibilities.

Columbia Mayor Brian Treece called the first vaccinations a literal “shot in the arm” in the community’s fight against the pandemic.

— Eric Schmid and Jaclyn Driscoll

9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16

Good morning. At noon today, we’ll talk with medical experts about the logistics of distributing the coronavirus vaccine in Missouri — and why some health care workers are being left behind in the first round. Have a question about the vaccine? Send an email to St. Louis on the Air at talk@stlpublicradio.org, and we may answer your question on air.

We talked to a woman from Arnold who credits participating in the Pfizer vaccine trial for saving her from contracting COVID-19. Carrie Rayfield Cabral said she experienced mild side effects for a few days. But later she didn’t become ill when the people in her household were exposed to the coronavirus and did get sick. Two shots are required to complete the vaccination process, and for those who can schedule their second booster shot, Cabral has this advice: “Do yourself a favor and get it done on a Friday, at least to make yourself more comfortable in your home and be able to mitigate some of those side effects.” Hear more from our conversation on St. Louis on the Air: Missouri Woman's Vaccine Trial Experience Provides Valuable Lessons.

Reign Restaurant in downtown St. Louis must close after violating COVID-19 restrictions, by order of Dr. Fred Echols, acting director of health. In a letter to the business, Echols said the restaurant had “continued violations” of the rules for social distancing and wearing face masks. Owner Dana Kelly, who is running for mayor of St. Louis, has denied violating the city's rules. Read more from 5 on Your Side: Downtown St. Louis restaurant ordered to close after continued COVID-19 violations, city says.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,842 new coronavirus cases per day over the past week, down 10.6% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 173,259 total cases and 2,770 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 12,094 tests per day over the past week, and 16.3% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 84,952 tests per day over the last week, and 8.6% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15

There’s good news for businesses in the Metro East. The Belleville News-Democrat reports the region’s positivity rate on coronavirus tests fell to 12.7% on Tuesday, nearing a threshold that could mean loosening restrictions on businesses soon.

But St. Louis County restaurants aren’t so fortunate. They’re preparing to do without indoor dining for at least another two weeks. Read more about how restaurants are holding up from reporter Corinne Ruff: St. Louis Chef Gerard Craft Says Many Restaurants Won’t Last The Winter Without Relief.

Justine Petersen is getting a $5 million grant from Wells Fargo to help hard-hit Black-owned businesses obtain loans to stay afloat. The St. Louis Business Journal reports the nonprofit expects to provide loans, on average, of $50,000 to $100,000.

— Corinne Ruff

9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15

Good morning. Yesterday was a historic day: Hospital workers in St. Louis were among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Amina Akhtar, chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital South, was the first to get the shot. She called the vaccine “a game changer.” Read our story from health reporter Sarah Fentem: 'A Mini Miracle': First Workers In St. Louis Receive Coronavirus Vaccine.

Every two weeks next year, Washington University undergraduate students living on campus will be administered saliva-based coronavirus tests developed by geneticists at the school. Wash U is the only college in the region to produce, administer and analyze its own tests. Read more about how local colleges are preparing for another coronavirus semester from reporter Kayla Drake: College Campuses Prepare For Another Semester Of COVID-19, Plan To Expand Testing.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,870 new cases per day over the past week, down 5.7% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 171,265 total cases and 2,715 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 14,042 tests per day over the past week, and 16% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 84,926 tests per day over the past week, and close to 9% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

Theo R. Welling / Special to St. Louis Public Radio

5:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14

Mercy Health gave its first coronavirus vaccinations to health care workers in St. Louis today after receiving the first doses this morning.

Mercy Hospital South has received 3,000 initial doses of the vaccine and chosen 20 workers of different races, ages and job titles to get the first doses to show that it’s important and safe for everyone to get a shot.

The government has shipped more than 50,000 doses of the vaccine to hospitals in Missouri, and millions more are expected in the next two months.

Read our full story: 'A Mini Miracle': First Workers In St. Louis Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

Theo R. Welling / Special to St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis County is ready to receive the COVID-19 vaccine that is being distributed across the country.

County Executive Sam Page said the health department has installed ultra-cold freezers that are necessary to store the Pfizer vaccine.

The post-Thanksgiving spike in coronavirus cases in the St. Louis area has leveled off, but the head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said residents still need to abide by all preventive measures, including wearing masks, social distancing and limiting contact with others.

“We are still at much too high of a level to let off of any of our mitigation strategies,” Dr. Alex Garza said Monday. “Yes, we have plateaued a little bit, but we have plateaued at a very high level.”

A soldier at Fort Leonard Wood died late last week, and while the official cause of death has not been released, the soldier tested positive for COVID-19.

Fort Leonard Wood’s Public Health team tested members of the soldier’s unit and found what military officials are calling “a large number of individuals testing positive for the virus.”

A specific number was not released, as the Department of Defense limits information about coronavirus numbers at military installations, citing national security.

— Jonathan Ahl and Sarah Fentem

9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14

It’s official: The first doses of the first authorized COVID-19 vaccine are on their way to distribution centers across the country. Missouri will initially receive 51,000 doses of the vaccine from Pfizer, and health care workers will be among the first to receive them. The state expects to vaccinate most health care workers as well as nursing home staff and residents by the end of winter. Read more from health reporter Sarah Fentem: What You Need To Know About The Coronavirus Vaccine Shipping To Missouri This Week.

Transporting the vaccine from Pfizer's facility in Michigan is a major logistical challenge. A new, specially designed package holds 50 pounds of dry ice to keep trays of vaccine vials at the extreme temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit during shipping. And UPS invented a small label containing a Bluetooth device and three radios to be attached to the packages so they can be closely tracked. Read more from NPR: UPS Executive: Vaccine Shipments Will Reach Distribution Centers Monday Morning.

Have a question about coronavirus or the COVID-19 vaccine you want our newsroom to investigate? We’d love to hear it. Ask us by sending your question through our Curious Louis coronavirus FAQ.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is extending the "Safer at Home" order. The restrictions will continue for another two weeks in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Page said the number of new cases and hospitalizations is still too high to safely reopen. The order, which was first implemented Nov. 17, calls on county residents to stay home except for essential business and necessities. The order also bans indoor dining at restaurants, a move that created significant pushback and legal wrangling from some restaurant owners.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,855 new cases per day over the last week, down 9.5% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 169,217 total cases and 2,704 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 14,042 tests per day over the past week, and 16% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 85,436 tests per day over the past week, and 8.8% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:20 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11

The Missouri Court of Appeals has sided with St. Louis County in a lawsuit challenging a ban on indoor dining put in place to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.

The county no longer allows indoor dining, but it does allow restaurants to serve customers outdoors or by carryout, curbside or delivery.

County Executive Sam Page said officials will continue to have discussions with the restaurant community so indoor dining can resume as soon as it is safe to do so.

“St. Louis County’s indoor dining protocols are based on the latest scientific research and expert advice from the Pandemic Task Force and public health professionals,” Page said. “And they are holding back the spread of COVID-19 throughout the county.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed the $1.3 billion supplemental budget bill on Friday.

Lawmakers passed the spending plan earlier this month after Parson called them in for a special legislative session to ensure the state had access to additional federal coronavirus relief funding.

“This additional funding will be critical as we continue to respond, recover, and move Missouri forward,” Parson said.

The budget includes funding for several state departments, including elementary and secondary education, social services, health and senior services.

And now, for a bit of Christmas cheer. The St. Louis Board of Aldermen acted Friday to ensure that despite the pandemic, children celebrating Christmas can still receive a visit from Santa Claus.

“Santa has spoken with this Board of Aldermen and various healthcare professionals to determine a plan for best practices for his annual deliveries, and Santa has been self-quarantining with Mrs. Claus and all of the elves; and there have been no cases of COVID-19 at Santa’s workshop and no travel to or from his workshop for the requisite health timeframes,” reads a resolution adopted by the aldermen.

The document goes on to grant Santa permission to enter the homes of children on the “nice” list, as long as they are asleep (to ensure social distancing) and the kids have been following instructions to avoid getting COVID-19 (so they don’t get Santa sick).

There's been federal guidance on the issue, as well: Fauci says Santa Claus has 'innate immunity,' won't be spreading COVID-19 to anyone this Christmas

— Jaclyn Driscoll and Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10

Good morning. The U.S. appears to be on the verge of approving a coronavirus vaccine for distribution after yesterday’s approval from a Food and Drug Administration committee. That encouraging news comes as coronavirus cases spike across the U.S. More than 3,000 people in the U.S. died from the coronavirus in a single day Thursday— more American deaths than on D-Day or 9/11.

An investigation from KCUR reveals that Missouri’s COVID-19 data exaggerated the number of hospital beds available even after doctors said the numbers were wrong. The data, which remained uncorrected for weeks, was used to determine local stay-at-home restrictions. The lack of accurate information adds to the strain for hospitals as they fill with coronavirus patients.

“No one knows there are no beds,” said a Kansas City area nurse who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, “that we’re in this crisis, and we’re coming to a point where we’re going to be completely overwhelmed.” Read the full investigation from KCUR: 'The Wolf Is At The Door:' How Missouri’s Garbled COVID Data Misled The Public Until It Was Too Late.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1937 new cases per day over the last week, up 2.6% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 163,653 total cases and 2,645 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,853 tests per day over the last week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 80,407 tests per day over the last week, and 9.5% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:40 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10

Health care workers and long-term care patients at veterans hospitals in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, will be among the first to get the coronavirus vaccine.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced its preliminary vaccination plans Thursday. The facilities in Columbia and St. Louis were chosen because they have the ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and the super-cold storage facilities required.

“As vaccine supplies increase, additional veterans will receive vaccinations based on factors such as age, existing health problems and other considerations that increase the risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19,” the department said.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says medical staff from the Illinois National Guard will arrive at the state veterans’ home in Quincy on Monday.

They will help employees of the home conduct daily health screenings and track data from frequent testing. The facility is currently seeing an outbreak at two of its buildings, with 32 of 293 residents, and 22 staff, testing positive.

Earlier this week, Pritzker dismissed a question about using the National Guard in a support role as a rumor. He apologized at his briefing on Thursday.

Pritzker and his health director, Ngozi Ezike, also again urged Illinois residents to avoid large gatherings during the holidays.

“Mask up, keep your distance, and plan for smaller, more intimate holidays this year with members of your household,” Pritzker said. “It’s the best thing that we can do to show each other that we care.”

The governor also encouraged small businesses in Illinois to apply for a state COVID-19 relief grant. Applications for the Business Interruption Grant program close Dec. 15.

— Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10

Good morning. The U.S. recorded more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths yesterday, breaking the single-day record. For the first time, the number of new cases per day has eclipsed 200,000 on average. Virtually every state in the U.S. is experiencing a surge in cases. Here’s more from the New York Times: U.S., Breaking a Record, Tops the 3,000 Daily Death Mark.

Meanwhile, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is close to receiving approval to be used in the U.S. But will Americans take it? Doctors worry that some African Americans may not get vaccinated because they do not trust the health care system, given the history of medical abuses and deception. African Americans have long experienced racism in doctor’s offices and hospitals, and researchers often made them unknowing test subjects for medical experiments that led to other diseases or death. Read more about the local effort to build trust in the Black community in this story from reporter Andrea Henderson: St. Louis Health Officials Face An Uphill Battle To Persuade Black People To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,060 new cases per day over the past week, up 8.2% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 160,368 total cases and 2,568 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 13,253 tests per day over the past week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 82,146 tests per day over the past week, and less than 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9

The first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in St. Louis this week and will be distributed to hospitals. There won't be enough vaccine for all St. Louis hospital workers in this first shipment, so the hospitals will be tasked with deciding which of their highest-priority workers will receive them, such as intensive care and emergency room staff.

Workers and residents at long-term care facilities could start receiving the vaccine by the end of this month. These facilities all have contracts through national pharmacies to deliver and administer the vaccine, but St. Louis County's high-risk task force will be overseeing the process.

St. Louis County has acquired three more ultra-cold freezers to store the vaccinations and is finalizing an agreement with a local company that will loan the county two more.

There’s a lot of talk right now about hospital capacity. NPR has created a searchable map to see how hospitals are doing in your community. According to the data, about a quarter of hospital beds, on average, in the immediate St. Louis area are occupied by patients with COVID-19. But more than half of all patients in hospitals in Washington, Crawford and Lincoln counties are being treated for the virus. (The data isn’t perfect, as NPR reporter Sean McMinn explains.)

One of those counties above 50%, Lincoln County, now has a mask mandate. Everyone over age 10 must wear a face mask in public. The order goes into effect Friday.

St. Louis University is looking for more people of color and other minorities to join its vaccine trial. Here’s the enrollment information (participants must be at least 18 years old).

Fort Leonard Wood is increasing coronavirus restrictions. The Army installation in the Ozarks has raised its health protection condition level to "Charlie." That means new precautions have been put in place including limiting meetings to 10 or fewer people and prohibiting service members from dining in at restaurants or bars, both on and off base. The Department of Defense does not disclose the number of COVID-19 cases at any military installation, citing national security issues.

Finally, a long read we thought you may enjoy: The Associated Press visited two Missouri churches separated by just 30 miles and a whole world at the same time. But the coronavirus pandemic has brought their pastors together.

— Ryan Delaney, Shahla Farzan and Jonathan Ahl

9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9

Good morning. Some St. Louisans are choosing to drive to Illinois to find faster, cheaper and more consistent coronavirus tests. The Illinois Department of Public Health runs a free, drive-thru testing site in the St. Clair Square mall in Fairview Heights, and there are also multiple private clinics that provide rapid coronavirus testing.

Jeff Jacobs, a special education teacher who lives in the Central West End, said he crosses the Mississippi River to be tested even though it’s a longer drive: “I just won't go back to that one in St. Louis, because it took about two hours to get through the line. It’s worth it to go to Alton, which is even further out of the way.” Read the full story by reporter Eric Schmid: St. Louisans Are Turning To Illinois For Their Coronavirus Testing Needs.

Have you had trouble finding a coronavirus test in Missouri? Have you gone to Illinois to find faster or cheaper testing? Inform our reporting by sending us an email about your experience to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,984 new cases per day over the past week. That's down 1.4% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 158,174 total cases and 2,521 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 15,024 tests per day over the past week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 80,672 tests per day over the last week, and 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8

St. Louis has secured the facilities needed to store Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine safely, the city’s health director said Tuesday.

“One of the challenges that has come up is the need for super-cold storage,” Dr. Fred Echols told the Board of Aldermen’s coronavirus committee. “We’ve been able to secure super-cold storage units for our facilities to make sure that when a vaccine is available, they’ll be able to property store them so they don’t go to waste.”

Pfizer’s vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius. While big hospital facilities like Barnes-Jewish already have those capabilities, smaller facilities like federally qualified health centers may not. Those centers, which serve uninsured and underinsured patients, are critical to the city’s distribution plans.

A federal committee is set to meet Thursday to consider an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine. If the request is approved, Echols said the first shipment of vaccines could arrive in St. Louis seven to 10 days later. Read more: Missouri Has A Plan To Administer Coronavirus Vaccine When Available

About half of City of St. Louis employees surveyed said they did not feel sufficiently supported during the pandemic. The most common complaints among the survey’s 378 respondents were a lack of clarity around quarantine policies and little to no enforcement of masking and social distancing requirements. The Board of Aldermen committee on Tuesday saw the results of the survey conducted by board President Lewis Reed.

The Missouri Department of Corrections is installing nearly 1,500 air purifying systems in state prisons and other facilities. The ionizers kill bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. The department has reported more than 6,600 coronavirus cases this year, most occurring in prisons.

St. Louis and St. Louis County health departments will maintain 14-day quarantine guidelines for people who have been exposed to the coronavirus. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced local jurisdictions could shorten quarantines to 10 days if symptoms don't develop. Both the city and county health departments say they are sticking to 14 days for now because of how widespread the virus is in the region currently.

— Kayla Drake and Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8

Good morning, and happy Tuesday.

Missouri and Illinois are bracing for a surge in coronavirus cases after Thanksgiving gatherings. St. Louis hospitals have not yet seen a surge in coronavirus admissions, though the average number of hospitalizations remains very high. The region’s hospitals are treating around 900 patients with the virus, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. A steep rise in the number of patients could push hospitals to their limits. Read more: Hospitals In Missouri And Illinois Could Soon See A Thanksgiving-Fueled Coronavirus Surge.

Restaurants are struggling to stay in business while complying with the ban on indoor dining. In St. Clair County, the health department suspended food or liquor licenses for seven bars and restaurants for allowing indoor dining. The restaurants must now submit new plans for takeout and outdoor dining or risk staying closed all month and paying a $1,000 fine. In St. Louis County, restaurants are closed for indoor dining even as their counterparts in the city of St. Louis and surrounding counties allow customers to eat inside. Read about how the county's rules are playing out: St. Louis County COVID Rules Cause Tensions For Restaurants Along Borders.

Photos of a packed Christmas celebration at a church in Ozark, Missouri, have sparked outrage among public health leaders. Clay Goddard, director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the images of people packed into an auditorium with few correctly wearing masks. "I can’t see those photos without also thinking of the images we’ve all seen of the impossible circumstances our hospitals are battling every day,” he said. Hear more in this episode of Too Much News, our livestreamed weeknight news show: Missouri megachurch on blast for mega gatherings.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,984 new cases per day over the past week, down 1.4% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 158,174 total cases and 2,521 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 15,024 tests per day over the past week, and 17% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 80,672 tests per day over the past week, and 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:40 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7

Public health officials in Missouri and Illinois expect a surge in coronavirus cases after Thanksgiving gatherings. Health experts had warned against traditional family dinners for the holiday, as the virus is largely spread through small gatherings indoors.

“These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday. “We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge.”

Read our full story: Hospitals in Missouri and Illinois Could Soon See A Thanksgiving-Fueled Coronavirus Surge

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 894 hospitalizations of patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 across its hospital system. Doctors said 187 patients are in intensive care and 117 are on ventilators. Another 80 patients in the hospital likely have COVID-19.

Some Missouri police departments and sheriff’s offices have temporarily closed and relocated inmates because of staffing shortages attributed to COVID-19, the Associated Press reports. The AP said the lobby of the Springfield police station was shut down. There have been several COVID-19 outbreaks in the St. Louis County Police Department, where 108 employees have tested positive for the virus.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said Monday that his office continues to monitor the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to determine when indoor dining can resume.

“We hope over the next week or so, we'll have more information on whether we can meet our target of mid-December to relax restrictions on indoor dining in St. Louis County,” Page said. “But we'll have to see how this week goes and if we're trending in the right direction."

Indoor dining continues to be high-risk activity in the St. Louis area, Page said. The county instituted an indoor dining ban last month in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said in her Facebook Live briefing Monday that the city has about $100,000 in federal CARES Act money that has not been committed. She said the city will spend all of the CARES Act funding.

St. Clair County officials are urging Metro East restaurants to comply with Illinois restrictions, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.

The call follows increased COVID-19 positivity rates and the implementation of Tier 3 restrictions in Illinois since Nov. 20. The News-Democrat reports that St. Clair County has suspended the licenses of seven restaurants and bars. The restaurants have three days to request a hearing to challenge the suspensions or state how they will comply with the guidelines.

— Chad Davis

9:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7

Good morning. Three out of four counties in Missouri and Kansas don’t have a single intensive care unit bed, forcing rural areas to send coronavirus patients to city hospitals, according to an analysis by Kaiser Health News. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of mask wearing by residents in rural communities, which have seen some of the highest rates of COVID-19. “They’re not wearing masks, and yes, that’s putting pressure on our hospitals, which is unfair to our residents that might be denied an ICU bed,” said Dr. Rex Archer, head of the Health Department in Kansas City, Missouri. Read the story: Rural areas send their sickest patients to cities, straining urban hospitals.

St. Louis Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green says she tested positive for COVID-19. On Twitter, Green said she started experiencing symptoms six days after she was exposed. “Covid is real and it is horrible,” Green said. “I’ve never had body aches like this, chest pains make it hard to sleep, and I can’t drink enough to quench my thirst from the fever. I wish this on no one.”

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are steady in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,051 new cases per day over the past week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 156,229 total cases and 2,515 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 15,024 tests per day over the past week, with 17% coming up positive. Illinois is processing an average of 86,174 tests per day over the past week, and 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4

Missouri will begin distributing nearly 350,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in late December. Workers and residents at long-term care facilities and essential health care workers will receive it first, said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

By August, the state should be able to give the vaccine to anyone who wants it, Williams said.

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health today again called for anyone who has had close contact with someone who has recently tested positive for the coronavirus to quarantine for 14 days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened its recommended quarantine period to seven to 10 days earlier this week.

A shortened quarantine time “would be especially risky” given current levels of community transmission in St. Louis County and the increased stress on health care providers, county health officials said in a statement.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported that the seven-day moving average of hospitalizations remained at the record of 925 reached Wednesday. The task force reported 115 new hospitalizations today. The local hospital system’s available ICU beds are at 87% capacity.

The task force also endorsed guidelines the CDC released today that call for universal masking in indoor spaces outside the home. “The CDC makes no bones about it, that’s what’s necessary to reduce transmission,” Dr. Alex Garza, task force head, said in his daily briefing.

Garza urged the public not to become complacent about the numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

”We’ve gotten used to saying that people in our region are dying every single day from a virus that we largely know how to slow down and stop,” Garza said. “Whether you’re a policymaker or a parent, a governor or a grandchild, you have the power to fight this battle and ease this burden on our health care workers.”

— Jeremy D. Goodwin

9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4

Good morning, and TGIF. To start your day off right, here’s an uplifting story about how local restaurants are feeding people in need during the pandemic: Restaurants — Struggling Themselves — Remain Creative Partners In Feeding St. Louis

Our feature story today takes you inside the intensive care unit of St. Luke’s hospital in Chesterfield, where coronavirus patients are so sick that they require nearly constant attention from multiple medical staff, including respiratory therapists, nurses and patient technicians. One nurse told us she’s seen more deaths in the past eight months “than I’ve seen in the past seven years as a nurse altogether.” Read the story from health reporter Sarah Fentem and see the photos from photographer David Kovaluk here: At This Coronavirus-Plagued St. Louis County Hospital, The Pandemic Takes Its Toll

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1887 new cases per day over the last week. That's down -15.8 percent over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 150,095 total cases and 2,403 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 8,294 tests per day over the last week. 19.9 percent of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 73,877 tests per day over the last week. 10.5 percent of those have been positive.
• Cases continue to spike in Jefferson County, where the seven-day average of new cases is more than 220 people.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3

Missouri is set to receive 51,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine by Dec. 15, but the state health department learned on Thursday that it will receive an additional 64,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine one week later — the same day the state will receive 105,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Missouri has also increased the number of sites able to distribute the vaccine to 21.

“To receive the distribution you have to assure the CDC you can vaccinate that amount of people in 10 days,” said Dr. Randall Williams, the state’s public health director.

With these additional doses, Williams said all long-term care residents and staff, as well as all health care workers, should be vaccinated by the end of January.

An advisory group to the St. Louis health department is informally recommending occupancy limits on businesses.

The Joint Board on Health and Hospitals met on Thursday and did not have a quorum, so it could not make formal recommendations. But it suggested informally that businesses in the city limit their occupancy to 25%of their capacity.

Frederick Echols, St. Louis’ acting health director, is responsible for issuing COVID-19 orders in consultation with Mayor Lyda Krewson. Her spokesman, Jacob Long, said the board will meet again when it has enough members to make formal recommendations.

“They acknowledged that it would be unfair and unsupported by current data to solely target a single industry, like restaurants, for additional restrictions,” Long said. “But given the current COVID-19 situation, they wanted to send a message that people need to change their behavior to help bring our numbers down.”

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported that the seven-day moving average of hospitalizations is at 925. That comes as there were 113 admissions at area hospitals for COVID-19.

The task force said there are 900 people currently hospitalized at task force hospitals and 186 people in ICUs. It also said that 164 patients were discharged Wednesday.

Illinois’ state-operated coronavirus testing facility is moving from the Jackie Joyner-Kersee center in East St. Louis to the St. Clair Square Mall in Fairview Heights.

Officials moved the site to accommodate increased demand for coronavirus tests in the region.

The Illinois Department of Health will continue to have testing sites in East St. Louis every Sunday and Monday. Coronavirus tests at state-operated sites are open to anyone and do not require an appointment.

— Jaclyn Driscoll, Jason Rosenbaum and Eric Schmid

9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3

Happy Thursday. The big news is the announcement that Missouri will use federal CARES funds to hire a Texas company to send medical workers to reinforce overstretched hospitals. Read our full story from reporter Chad Davis here: Missouri Hires Texas Company To Provide Workers For Overburdened Hospitals

To get a better idea of how the health care system is pushed to its limits, Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, shared the example of a recent patient at SSM Health’s hospital in Lake St. Louis who had to be flown to Quincy, Illinois, because no ICU beds were available in St. Louis. Listen to the full conversation with Garza on St. Louis on the Air by hitting the “Listen” button at the bottom of this story.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1,858 new cases per day over the last week, down 16.8% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 148,125 total cases and 2,356 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 8,163 tests per day over the past week, and 19% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 69,642 tests per day over the past week, and 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced help today for Missouri hospitals facing staffing challenges as coronavirus cases continue to climb. The state is entering into a 12-week partnership with health care services company Vizient to deploy up to 760 staff members — including registered nurses, respiratory therapists and certified nurse assistants — to “multiple, geographically dispersed hospitals.”

Parson said the partnership, when fully deployed, will add nearly 600 hospital beds across the state. He will use CARES Act funding to cover the cost through the end of the year, then hospitals will pick up the tab.

St. Louis-area hospitals are at about 96% capacity, Dr. Alex Garza, St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force leader, said on St. Louis on the Air today.

The region’s hospital systems hit a record seven-day moving average of hospitalizations, 925, up from 919 yesterday, which was also a record. During the regular task force briefing, Garza said hospitals are being more conservative about whom they admit and for how long. He said if patients have a reasonable chance to do well at home, they’re discharged with home monitoring and instructions to come back if their symptoms get worse.

“The reason for that is we have precious little capacity now, and we’re reserving that capacity now for people that we are absolutely sure are going to need a bed in the hospital,” Garza said.

You can now be fined in Edwardsville for not wearing a mask. The Belleville News-Democrat reported that the city council passed an ordinance Tuesday night that allows local police to fine violators $25 to $250. Business owners and managers can be fined $50 to $500 for not enforcing the mandate.

— Corinne Ruff

9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2

Good morning. There continues to be serious pushback against St. Louis County’s ban on indoor dining at restaurants. Last night, the St. Louis County Council voted 4-3 to approve a resolution that overturns the ban. The resolution is non-binding, which means it doesn’t have the force of law, but one council member said they are consulting with outside lawyers.

The St. Louis County Health Department suspended permits for four restaurants yesterday and gave a fifth restaurant notice of suspension. Each restaurant had already received three written warnings. Read more in our story from political reporter Jason Rosenbaum: After Page’s COVID-19 Restrictions, Missouri Lawmakers Take Aim At Local Mandates.

COVID-19-related deaths in Missouri topped 4,000 in updated data released by the state Tuesday. In Missouri, there have been 19,716 new cases, including 60 deaths, reported in the last seven days. As hospitals fill, one nearby hospital system said they had to spend eight hours this month finding an available bed for just one patient. Read more in this story via KCUR: Coronavirus Deaths in Missouri Top 4,000 As Hospitals Worry About Capacity.

The U.S. is averaging about 1,500 COVID-19 deaths per day — or about one death per minute. And the situation likely will get much worse this winter, based on new research from Washington University. Read more in our story from reporter Shahla Farzan: COVID-19 Cases In U.S. Could Reach 20 Million By January, Wash U Researchers Report.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 1903 new cases per day over the last week, down 13.9% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 145,947 total cases and 2,328 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 8,163 tests per day over the last week, and almost 20% percent of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 72,792 tests per day over the last week, and 10.5% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1

Missouri will start receiving COVID-19 vaccine doses around Dec. 15, state health officials said Tuesday. The Department of Health and Senior Services expects to get around 50,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine in the coming weeks as long as the FDA approves the drugmaker’s emergency use authorization.

The first people expected to be vaccinated are health care workers, long-term care facility staff and nursing home residents, according to the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan. The prospect of vaccine distribution comes as the state passed 4,000 deaths from the coronavirus and 300,000 confirmed cases.

And cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in the St. Louis region. The Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported the rolling seven-day moving average of hospitalizations grew to a record 919 on Tuesday. In the Metro East, nearly 85% of the region’s hospital beds were in use.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he won’t be lifting statewide restrictions for another couple of weeks as state health officials monitor the effects of Thanksgiving gatherings on the virus’ spread.

“We know we aren’t going to see the bulk of the impact in our data quite yet,” he said during his daily press briefing Tuesday. Pritzker said the state can avoid another stay-at-home order if it can blunt the surge in cases it’s seen in recent weeks.

The pandemic is affecting schools in the region in many different ways. Fewer substitute teachers are willing to work right now, causing a shortage for many districts in the Metro East. In some cases, principals are stepping in or teachers are using their planning time to cover classrooms.

For students, the prolonged pandemic is causing more stress, anxiety and depression. And snow days might be a thing of the past for some St. Louis area schools. They’ll switch to virtual learning instead of having the day off for winter weather.

— Eric Schmid

8:45 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1

Good morning. It’s the first day of December. Is it hard to believe 2020 is almost over?

St. Louis County is cracking down on restaurants that still have indoor dining, which has been banned for weeks in an effort to prevent coronavirus spread. Five restaurants received letters threatening to revoke their operating permits and liquor licenses. Read more from KMOV: 5 St. Louis County restaurants warned: Obey health orders or lose operating permits.

This year has woken up many St. Louis-area residents to the fact that easy access to beautiful outdoor places is truly essential. “People have come to realize that green spaces are a necessity and not an amenity,” said executive director of Tower Grove Park, Bill Reininger, on yesterday’s episode of St. Louis on the Air. Hear the entire conversation about greenspaces during the pandemic here: Park Use Soars In St. Louis As Pandemic Drags On.

A COVID-19 saliva test from the Washington University School of Medicine is helping the Special School District of St. Louis County. The new test uses small amounts of both spit and chemicals to prepare the samples, so it’s not as vulnerable to supply chain shortages that have plagued other types of testing. These photos from St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer Christian Gooden show employees submitting the test, which is reportedly 99% accurate: Photos: Washington U. School of Med. deploys COVID saliva testing.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,013 new cases per day over the last week, down more than 8% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 144,285 total cases and 2,289 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 12,044 tests per day over the last week, and 18% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 72,528 tests per day over the last week, and 10% percent of those have been positive.
• Numbers are spiking in Jefferson County, which has seen more than 860 cases in the last week — the most since March.

— Lindsay Toler

5:20 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported Monday that 961 coronavirus-positive patients are hospitalized, the largest number since the pandemic started.

At the current rate of admissions, area hospitals will run out of beds for COVID-19 patients by Dec. 8, unless hospitals cancel other procedures, in which case they will be full by Christmas.

Free mobile COVID-19 testing sites are headed to the Metro East as part of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s effort to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Anyone can be tested, regardless of symptoms. The Metro East mobile sites and dates are:

Quad City/Mt. Nebo Complex, 1634 7th St., Madison, Dec. 1-2
Monroe County Annex Building, 901 Illinois Ave., Waterloo, Dec. 3-4
4601 State St., East St. Louis, Dec. 6
Macedonia Baptist Church, 1400 E. Broadway, East St. Louis, Dec. 6

Each location will operate 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/testing/mobile-testing-sites.

For the month of December, Missourians will once more receive the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amount for their household’s size.

The USDA approved Missouri’s request for the additional SNAP help because of the pandemic. More than 360,000 Missouri households receive the food aid.

— Jonathan Ahl

9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30

Welcome back! We hope you had a safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Local hospitals are strained even as the nation prepares for a post-Thanksgiving surge in coronavirus cases. The St. Louis region keeps beating its own record for the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, hospitals here are using almost 90% of intensive care beds to care for current patients. Read more from our news partners at 5 On Your Side: Missouri virus hospitalizations continue to strain hospitals.

The St. Louis Area Foodbank gave out hundreds of turkeys and holiday meal boxes in downtown St. Louis to families in need last week. As businesses close and unemployment rises, the food bank says it is distributing 5 million meals per month — up from the 3.1 million meals it distributed before the pandemic. Read more from reporter Andrea Y. Henderson: St. Louis Area Food Pantries Provide Food To More Families During Coronavirus Pandemic

Drag performer and activist Michael Shreves died of COVID-19 on Saturday. Shreves, who performed as Michelle McCausland, was part of the 1984 legal challenge that led courts to overturn St. Louis’ law against “masquerading,” or being in public while wearing clothes of another gender. Read his obituary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Michael Shreves, groundbreaking St. Louis drag performer, dies at 61.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,031 new coronavirus cases per day over the last week. That's down 11.5% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 141,871 total cases and 2,275 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 10,701 tests per day over the last week; 18% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 76,862 tests per day over the last week; about 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:35 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25

The head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says the surge of coronavirus cases that’s expected to follow the Thanksgiving holiday will “overwhelm” the region’s hospitals.

“We are at capacity now,” Dr. Alex Garza said in his briefing Wednesday. “So we have begun talking about crisis standards of care, which are guides for our caregivers to ethically deliver the most amount of care for the most amount of people. We cannot just create capacity overnight. It will overwhelm our hospitals.”

Garza pleaded with people who are still planning to travel or gather in large groups to change their plans.

“I know a lot of people have taken this to heart and have limited their Thanksgiving dinners and gatherings,” he said. “But there’s way too many people who have said they are going to travel or are traveling.”

St. Louis and St. Louis County both sent out emergency alerts on Wednesday asking residents to limit holiday gatherings to members of their immediate household, and to limit travel.

Three months after adopting, then immediately rescinding, a mask mandate, the Board of Trustees of the Jefferson County Health Department has voted to require anyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask when inside most public places in the county.

The trustees adopted the latest public health order Wednesday by an 3-2 vote. It takes effect just after midnight Friday and will be in place until Dec. 27. Further restrictions, including limits on indoor dining, are possible if the mask mandate does not bring cases down.

Coronavirus cases are exploding in Jefferson County. The most recently available data show almost 1,500 new cases in the second full week of November, compared to 367 cases in the second full week of October.

This will be our last blog update until after the Thanksgiving weekend. We wish everyone a safe holiday. Wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask. We will see you Monday morning.

— Rachel Lippmann

9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25

Good morning. Only one out of 100 St. Louis County residents had an active case of COVID-19 from August to October, according to a recent survey from the Institute of Public Health at Washington University. The study also found that Black county residents were more than twice as likely to have contracted COVID-19 when compared to white residents. Hear the full conversation about the study from St. Louis on the Air: Majority Of St. Louis County Residents Still Susceptible To COVID-19.

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health sent letters to dozens of bars ordering them to comply with the indoor dining ban. Bar owner Kathy Collins told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch she’s keeping Ashby Pub in St. Ann open: “If we close this time, there won’t be another opening, ever.” Read the full story from the Post-Dispatch: St. Louis County has issued dozens of cease-and-desist letters to restaurants flouting county health order

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are decreasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,211 new cases per day in the past week. That's down about 6% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 132,624 total cases and 2,216 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 13,468 tests per day over the past week; about 18% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 90,154 tests per day over the past week; about 10% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24

All bars, nightclubs and restaurants in St. Charles County must close by 11 p.m., starting Wednesday. The announcement from the county’s health department comes a day before Thanksgiving eve, one of the busiest nights of the year at many establishments.

The order has the support of St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, who has opposed mask mandates and other public health restrictions in the county since the pandemic began.

“Other jurisdictions in the area have similar orders in place, and we need to make certain that St. Charles County is not a magnet for those who want to stay out late and party in groups,” Ehlmann said in a press release. Over the past two weeks, the county health department has reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases, nearly a quarter of all the cases reported in St. Charles County since the pandemic began.

The St. Louis County Council has added its voice to the groups calling on Gov. Mike Parson to issue a mask mandate in Missouri. The council adopted a nonbinding resolution Tuesday that cited a recent St. Louis University study showing that local mandates slowed the spread of the virus over the summer. Medical providers and St. Louis-area nursing home and health care workers have made similar demands of Parson in recent weeks.

Parson has refused to issue a statewide order, saying mask mandates should be up to local governments.

Missouri has launched a website with information on the latest coronavirus vaccine developments. The site, announced Tuesday by Parson, aims to dispel misinformation about the safety of potential vaccines.

“Safety is not being sacrificed, and it’s important for Missourians to understand this,” Parson said in a press release.

Health care workers, essential workers and people in high-risk populations will be the first in Missouri to qualify for the vaccine. The state Department of Health and Senior Services expects vaccine doses to arrive in December.

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and people are trying to figure out how to celebrate safely during this pandemic. Some are forgoing large family gatherings and buying smaller turkeys, while others are ditching the traditional meal altogether. Read more in our story from reporter Kayla Drake: Pandemic Forces St. Louisans To Find New Ways To Celebrate Thanksgiving

— Rachel Lippmann and Kayla Drake

9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24

Good morning. St. Louis and Kansas City have had mask mandates in place for months, and smaller Missouri cities are starting to follow suit. Rolla will require masks in all public places starting Friday after seeing coronavirus cases double and deaths increase significantly in the past six weeks. The ICU in Rolla’s only hospital has been full with COVID-19 patients for 10 days. Read more in our story from reporter Jonathan Ahl: Rolla Enacts Mask Mandate As Coronavirus Cases Surge And Overwhelm Hospital

Washington voted to require masks last night, and Joplin has also issued a mask mandate — its second since the start of the pandemic. But smaller towns aren’t following the cities’ lead. In an interview with the Joplin Globe, Carl Junction Mayor Mark Powers says his town’s residents “don’t want” a mask mandate: “We all kind of believe in personal responsibility.”

How is the coronavirus trending in the St. Louis area? Here are the key takeaways:

• The region saw about 2,207 new cases per day over the past week. That's down 6.4% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 130,197 total cases and 2,160 total deaths in the St. Louis metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 15,369 tests per day over the past week; about 18% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 91,046 tests per day over the past week, with more than 10% positive.
• Jefferson County is seeing a spike in new cases. The county has had 550 new cases in the past week, the second-highest increase since March.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

5:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23

St. Louis County health officials say the results of a new survey show the region remains highly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

The county used nearly $2 million in federal funding to conduct the survey with the help of the Institute of Public Health at Washington University. Between mid-August and mid-October, more than 1,300 residents received a test for either an active COVID-19 infection or antibodies. The results showed that in that time period, about 1.2% of the county’s population had an active infection, and about 5% showed antibodies.

“The fact that only about 5% of residents have antibodies to COVID implies that the vast majority of people in the region are still susceptible to COVID-19,” said Dr. Elvin Geng, an infectious disease researcher at Wash U.

The numbers match up with what the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force has been seeing, said Dr. Alex Garza, head of the task force.

“As the cases increase, that number will increase,” Garza said. “How fast and how much is still a question left to be answered.”

The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in St. Louis County is the fifth highest since March.

The task force reported 881 hospitalizations of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients across its hospital system. Doctors said 170 patients are in intensive care, and 88 are on ventilators. Another 153 patients in the hospital likely have COVID-19.

Garza said the region’s hospitals discharged 85 patients Sunday. He said task force members have been discussing how to increase hospital capacity with the Missouri Hospital Association and state officials.

“We’re looking at a couple different options, whether that is bringing in staff from outside of the area to help staff units that we currently have closed right now … all the way up to scaling up to some sort of larger venue where we’d be able to take care of patients,” Garza said.

St. Louis officials are discussing whether to seek assistance from the National Guard or the military if hospitals are overrun, Mayor Lyda Krewson said Monday during a Facebook Live briefing.

“We’re coming up on a weekend here where a lot of people want to be getting together with friends and family, and if we can’t persuade people not to do that, we are likely by Christmas to be even worse than it is today,” Krewson said.

Wash U will receive $2.28 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to expand coronavirus testing to underserved communities. The University of Missouri-Kansas City will receive $1.9 million from the NIH.

The St. Louis Cardinals community foundation, Cardinals Care, will host its annual Winter Warm-Up fundraising event online. Organizers moved the event online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The online fundraiser will run Jan. 16-18.

The organization also will cancel the 2021 Cardinals Caravan, which usually travels to cities throughout the Midwest.

— Rachel Lippmann and Chad Davis

9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23

Good morning. There’s more good news from medical researchers. Another potential vaccine, this one from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, is testing as highly effective at stopping people from developing coronavirus. This version is cheaper and easier to store than the vaccines currently under development by Pfizer and Moderna. Here’s more from the Associated Press: AstraZeneca: COVID-19 vaccine shown to be ‘highly effective.’

Social distancing may protect nursing home residents from exposure to coronavirus, but it also makes them more lonelier. An October survey by the nonprofit Altarum Institute found that only 5% of nursing home residents had visitors three or more times per week. Before the pandemic, more than 50% did. Three-quarters of respondents also said they’ve felt lonelier during the pandemic. Find more in our story from reporter Chad Davis: Families Fear Nursing Home Residents Will Face Two Crises: The Coronavirus And Loneliness.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,277 new cases per day over the past week. That's up 9.3% over the week before, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 123,803 total cases and 2,140 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri has processed an average of 12,011 tests per day over the last week; almost 20% of those have been positive. Illinois has processed an average of 86,098 tests per day over the past week; about 11% of those have been positive.
• St. Charles County had 15 deaths over the past week, the most since March.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20

A St. Louis County judge has denied a request by local restaurant owners to temporarily block the county’s new ban on indoor dining. Restaurants including Bartolino’s South have been openly defying the public health order that started on Tuesday and lasts for the next month.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has said the restrictions, including the ban on indoor dining and other measures, are necessary to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as hospitals near capacity.

ICUs in most hospitals in the St. Louis region’s four largest health systems are at around 90% capacity, and some units are completely full, Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said Friday.

In an effort to relieve Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital is now treating adult patients with COVID-19 in both its emergency room and ICU.

The hospital is admitting more children weekly with the coronavirus than since the pandemic began.

The only hospital in Quincy, Illinois, ran out of available critical care beds on Friday, according to the Adams County Health Department's COVID-19 Dashboard. Blessing Hospital confirmed that its ICU was full, WGEM reported.

— Brian Heffernan

9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20

Good morning. It’s Friday, so let’s start with some good news: Researchers are making major progress toward producing a vaccine against the coronavirus. Both Pfizer and Moderna announced that their COVID-19 vaccines are 95% effective.

“This is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself,” said Michael Kinch, associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, on Thursday’s episode of St. Louis on the Air. “I really do think this will be compared with the Apollo space program in the future.” Listen to his perspective on the vaccine’s development and the logistics of distributing it nationwide: Vaccine Delivery And Distribution Present New Challenges

Hospitals here are at about 90% capacity, and there’s serious concern about staffing levels. Health care workers are burning out, quitting or getting sick and unable to come to work. Hospital systems now have a hard choice to make: cancel elective surgery procedures and free up staff for coronavirus patients, or continue elective surgeries to stay financially stable. Read more from health reporter Sarah Fentem: The Coronavirus Spikes In St. Louis, But Only Some Hospitals Cancel Elective Surgeries

A Missouri public health worker's story is going viral for sharing the backlash she faces for trying to prevent coronavirus spread. Amber Elliott, the outgoing director of the St. Francois County Health Center, talked to the Washington Post about threats people have made against her and her family: “I know it’s my job to be out front talking about the importance of public health — educating people, keeping them safe. Now it kind of scares me.” Read the full story: Voices from the Pandemic: ‘This is how we treat each other? This is who we are?’

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,316 new cases per day over the last week. That's up 13% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 121,196 total cases and 2,105 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 11,829 tests per day over the last week; 20.8% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 85,862 tests per day over the last week; 11.6% of those have been positive.
• In Illinois, Madison County is averaging more than six deaths per day, the highest rate since March.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19

St. Louis County will distribute more than $3 million in federal relief money to restaurants and other small businesses hurt by the pandemic. County businesses with 25 or fewer full-time employees are eligible to apply for the $5,000 one-time grants beginning Monday.

The announcement follows an outcry and lawsuit from restaurant owners in the county, protesting restrictions put in place earlier this week.

The coronavirus continues to spread at a breakneck pace in Missouri. The combination of community transmission, colder weather and “COVID-19 fatigue” means that people are now more likely than ever to catch the virus, said the state’s public health director, Dr. Randall Williams.

Gov. Mike Parson said he would extend the state of emergency until March 2021 but will not implement any statewide restrictions or a mask mandate. Instead, he urged local leaders to enact appropriate restrictions for their areas.

“As many people out there would like to say it’s government’s responsibility, it’s not,” Parson said. “It’s our responsibility as citizens of this great state to take it upon ourselves to do the right thing.”

Hours later, officials in Franklin County announced a mask mandate for the first time since the pandemic began. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, people age 10 and older will be required to wear masks in public indoor spaces in the county.

Residents found in violation of the order could be fined up to $15, while businesses could be fined up to $100, according to a post on the county’s Facebook page.

Franklin County officials say an exponential rise in coronavirus cases has the potential to overwhelm medical resources. In the past 10 days, more than 800 county residents have tested positive for the virus.

Religious congregations in St. Louis County are adapting to reduced capacity for their services this week. Bishop Deon Johnson from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri said the diocese had already put a hold on large in-person church services.

“People are tired of virtual everything at this point,” Johnson said. “But the other part of it is that I think more people are recognizing that it allows us to be a lot more connected than we have been in the past.”

Read our full story: Faith Groups In St. Louis Region Continue Virtual and Social Distanced Services As COVID Cases Spike

— Brian Heffernan

9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19

Good morning! Thanksgiving is a week from today. Here’s some really nice advice on how to rethink how you spend the holiday: How To Cancel Your Holiday Plans With Love.

We talked to families trying to remotely monitor their loved ones in nursing homes. A new law allows cameras in residents’ rooms, but the logistics of installing cameras in nursing homes during a pandemic have proven challenging, especially with limitations on visitors and contractors entering facilities. Read more in our story by reporter Shahla Farzan: Some St. Louis Families Face Unexpected Challenges Setting Up Nursing Home Cameras.

An update from yesterday: A group of south St. Louis County restaurants officially submitted their class-action lawsuit claiming the county government doesn’t have the authority to halt indoor dining. About 20 restaurants signed on to the suit, including Syberg’s, Helen Fitzgerald’s and Sam’s Steakhouse. Find a copy of the lawsuit in our updated story: St. Louis County Restaurants Defy Public Health Order, File Suit Against Page.

In the Metro East, where indoor dining has been banned since October, four restaurants received tickets from the Illinois State Police: Fast Eddie’s Bon-Air, two The Fainting Goat locations and Washy’s Saloon. None has paid fines because the county state’s attorneys declined to prosecute, according to our news partners at the Belleville News-Democrat.

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,353 new cases per day over the past week. That's up 29.2% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 117,150 total cases and 2,068 deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 12,614 tests per day over the past week, and 22% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 84,454 tests per day over the past week, and 12.5% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

— Lindsay Toler

9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18

Welcome back! Today is the official restart of the St. Louis Public Radio coronavirus blog. Check back every weekday for regular updates about how the region is responding. Click the buttons at the top to toggle between our COVID-19 dashboard, which tracks the case counts in our region, and the Curious Louis FAQ, where we answer your questions about living through our first pandemic winter.

St. Louis County businesses are adjusting to the new restrictions that went into effect Tuesday, including a ban on indoor dining in restaurants and a 25% capacity limit for other businesses. The change is particularly noticeable in places along the county’s border with St. Louis, which allows indoor dining. One example is the Delmar Loop entertainment district, which is split nearly in half between two different sets of restrictions. Read more in this story from reporter Kayla Drake: Businesses Along St. Louis County’s Borders Fear New Limits Will Drive Customers Away

Some restaurant owners are suing St. Louis County to stop the restriction on dine-in service. Bartolino’s South, the south county Italian restaurant spearheading the lawsuit, is defying the new health order by allowing indoor dining. Last night, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak made waves when he tweeted a picture from Bartolino’s suggesting he’d dined inside. Read more about the planned lawsuit, which hasn’t been filed, from business reporter Corinne Ruff: Dozens Of Restaurants To Sue St. Louis County Executive Over Indoor Dining Ban

How is the coronavirus trending locally? Here are the key takeaways:

• Coronavirus cases are increasing in the St. Louis region. The metro area has seen about 2,353 new cases per day over the last week. That's up about 29% over last week, according to data gathered by the New York Times.
• Since March, there have been 117,150 total cases and 2,068 total deaths in the metro area.
• Missouri is processing an average of 12,614 tests per day over the past week. About 22% of those have been positive. Illinois is processing an average of 84,454 tests per day over the past week. Just over 12% of those have been positive.
• Check out our data dashboard for more.

Have a suggestion for the blog? I’d love to hear it. Send us an email at feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

— Lindsay Toler