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In Missouri, Covid variants are being tracked through sewage
Each weekday at 8 a.m., the process for tracking COVID-19 variants in Missouri begins with vials of sewage samples. The boxes from across the state are unpacked at the Sewershed Surveillance Project lab at the University of Missouri. The vials get spun around in a centrifuge, separating the solids to the bottom. Next, anything bigger […]
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We asked legal experts what parents should know about COVID vaccines for their kids
Now that children 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, what does it mean for parents who disagree on whether their child should get it? Can schools require students to get the vaccine?
How WyCo built vaccine trust with Hispanic communities
Audio-Reader · TheBeacon 5-26-21: How Wyandotte County Built Vaccine Trust With Hispanic Community Lamon Lewis, 40, of Kansas City, Kansas, wasn’t sure at first that he wanted to get vaccinated because he was afraid of potential side effects. But when Lewis, who identifies as African American, saw the percentage of Americans with at least one […]
All the free stuff you can get with your COVID vaccine card
Health benefits alone may not motivate people in the short term. But cash does.
Why COVID will be a lasting concern inside Missouri prisons
People incarcerated in Missouri and advocates for incarcerated people say more can be done to ensure safety, like the enforcement of masking and the early release of those eligible for parole. Officials say it isn’t so easy.
Medicaid expansion in Missouri: Why people should still apply and what’s next
Bridget Hughes can’t afford to treat her cervical cancer and diabetes. Richard Eiker cuts his prescription pills in half. Kenya Banks can’t afford an operation for her fibroid tumors. Bill Thompson can’t afford to go to a doctor following a heart attack — he already had $10,000 in medical debt. These are all uninsured Missourians […]
Why do people take drinking to the extreme? Mizzou researchers are finding out.
Fights, meltdowns, breakups, arrests and people puking across the bar. In his seven years of bartending in Kansas City at Union Station, the Power & Light District, Westport and Ameristar Casino, bartender Eli Zajac has seen it all. For some people, it might happen a few times a year. For others, it’s every weekend. “I […]
Sorry allergy sufferers: Research shows KC’s pollen season is longer
As climate change warms temperatures and lengthens the pollen season, allergy symptoms may last longer or be more intense.
We’re learning more about COVID’s long-term effects on our brains
A study published this month shows one-third of people recovering from COVID-19 have lasting psychiatric or neurological effects. Extrapolating from that rate, in Missouri, up to 167,000 people could be affected and up to 102,900 people in Kansas.
Tick season is here. Here’s why you should save all of the critters you find
Scientists are asking Missouri residents to send them live ticks in the mail in an effort to better understand the diseases spread by the tiny arachnid.
For older Kansas Citians who can’t leave home, the J&J vaccine was their only option
A new program dedicated to helping older adults who cannot leave their homes get access to the COVID-19 vaccine was halted this week after the sudden pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
What does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause mean for me?
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration requested a pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of “an abundance of caution.”
Why some Kansas City area residents are traveling to rural southeast Kansas for their vaccine
For many in Kansas City, vaccination scheduling success meant driving more than an hour to another county to get the shots.
There’s no centralized system for finding vaccination appointments, and there’s a stark difference in vaccine supply between federally qualified health centers in some rural counties and partners with local health departments.
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