Health Archives

Hearing scheduled Thursday in Columbia Public Schools mask mandate lawsuit

February 10, 2022 5:49 AM Ben Fein

A court hearing is set for 1:00 p.m. Thursday, to decide whether or not a mask mandate can remain in Columbia Public Schools.

WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports two more coronavirus-related deaths; 108 new cases

February 9, 2022 10:44 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back for updates related to the coronavirus pandemic in Missouri.

Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations dropping in Missouri and Boone County

February 7, 2022 12:11 PM Kennedy Miller

Just weeks ago Missouri was in the grips of the omicron wave, setting records for new cases and hospitalizations. Now the wave appears to have crested.

Pediatric expert: Masks in schools help reduce omicron’s spread

January 28, 2022 5:52 PM Hannah Falcon

Several Missouri Republicans claim masks in schools are ineffective and hindering children’s education, but medical experts and public health officials say otherwise.

Drive-thru coronavirus testing site at Mizzou North

Free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Columbia on Tuesday

January 25, 2022 5:26 AM Meghan Drakas

On Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will host a free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Columbia.

Missouri warns against overusing emergency departments as locals say they are struggling to keep up

January 24, 2022 6:39 PM Chanel Porter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Health care leaders are asking Missourians to only use emergency departments when it is an emergency in the few weeks as emergency rooms are overcrowded at most hospitals. The Missouri Hospital Association and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services encourage patients experiencing severe illness or a life-threatening condition to continue to

Hospitals seeing worst cases of COVID-19 in unvaccinated as omicron surge presses on

January 21, 2022 11:59 AM Kennedy Miller

According to Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services, unvaccinated or partially unvaccinated people account for 88% of COVID-19 deaths in Missouri. Just 0.03% percent of people who are fully vaccinated have died from the virus in Missouri.

MU Health Care requiring COVID-19 booster for staff and students

January 20, 2022 8:28 PM Leila Mitchell

MU Health Care announced Thursday, it will require a booster shot as part of its COVID-19 vaccination rules for staff.

MU Health shifts staff as omicron surge keeps going

January 20, 2022 11:59 AM Kennedy Miller

Like many other hospitals, MU Health Care is facing staffing concerns. The hospital is now reassigning nurses from non-clinical areas to bedside shifts.

Holts Summit employer celebrates Supreme Court ruling on vaccine mandates

January 13, 2022 6:01 PM Hannah Falcon

Doolittle Trailer Manufacturing Inc. tells ABC 17 the Supreme Court ruling blocking the vaccine mandate for large workplaces was a sigh of relief.

Omicron surge increasing hospitalizations; patients may have long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms

January 12, 2022 5:49 PM Leila Mitchell

Experts say the omicron variant causes a milder case of COVID-19, but many hospitals in Mid-Missouri are at max capacity as the surge continues to infect thousands.

Mid-Missouri hospitals report staffing shortages amid omicron surge

January 11, 2022 9:41 PM Leila Mitchell

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Hospitals across Mid-Missouri continue to report staffing shortages as the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the state. Many hospitals have been experiencing a shortage since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago, but workers say this may be the biggest shortage they’ve seen. Dr. Lenora Adams, vice president of medical

University of Missouri declines to change COVID-19 protocols amid spike in student cases

January 11, 2022 5:30 AM Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The University of Missouri System Board of Curators declined to change its COVID-19 protocols amid a spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases among MU students. On Monday morning, the board members released an agenda for the immediate review of the system’s COVID-19 protocols. During the 8 a.m. meeting Tuesday, MU

University of Missouri Board of Curators to review COVID-19 protocols

January 10, 2022 9:42 AM Zachary Farwell

According to an agenda released Monday morning, board members are scheduled to meet over the phone and virtually at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The agenda shows an item listed as COVID-19 protocols.

Boone County hospital limits COVID-19 testing

December 30, 2021 5:38 PM Leila Mitchell

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) MU Health Care is temporarily limiting its COVID-19 testing, the testing clinics will now only test people with COVID-19 symptoms. MU Health Care reported the change is in place until further notice, but it comes at a difficult time with the holidays and omicron variant COVID-19 cases rising fast. The hospital’s testing

Highway Patrol reminds everyone to celebrate New Year’s safely

December 31, 2021 4:56 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging everyone to make good decisions regarding their New Year’s celebrations and to end 2021 on a safe note. MSHP says no one wants to start 2022 with a traffic crash or a DUI arrest. The Missouri State Highway Patrol began their New Year’s Holiday crash

Omicron variant found in Mid-Missouri

December 24, 2021 5:54 PM Hannah Falcon

Omicron, the highly-contagious COVID-19 variant, has been found in Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton and other Missouri cities through wastewater surveillance, according to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Coronavirus test demand rises as cases trend up ahead of the holidays

December 20, 2021 11:45 AM Erika McGuire

COVID-19 case levels and hospitalizations are rising in Missouri as the holidays approach — part of a nationwide trend of increasing COVID infections.

MSHP asks drivers to use caution in strong winds

December 15, 2021 6:42 PM Leila Mitchell

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol is asking drivers to use caution Wednesday night. The patrol says strong winds can cause large vehicles to tip over. According to the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team, strong winds are possible in Mid-Missouri through about midnight. Conditions are expected to improve by Thursday morning’s commute. Strong

A medical worker (MTA) draws up syringes with the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine for children during a vaccination campaign in the shopping centre "Stadtzentrum Schenefeld" near Hamburg.

Health officials say teens age 16 and 17 should get booster dose

December 14, 2021 8:57 PM Leila Mitchell

Health experts say now is the time to get 16 and 17 year-olds vaccinated as the omicron variant continues to spread and as more school districts across the state start to take away the mask requirements.