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St. Louis County Executive Sam Page used the event marking National Gun Violence Awareness Month to push the county council to invest in a regional violence reduction effort.

This week, HRSA granted the county’s three clinics status as federally qualified health center lookalikes, which means the county can be reimbursed for providing care to uninsured patients.

Lab workers in Jefferson City sequenced the genome of E. coli samples from the St. Louis County-based outbreak and found they matched those in Indiana, Kansas, South Dakota and other states.

Baer Pediatrics, which has a policy of ordering tests for all patients who have persistent coughing, has reported nine out of 10 of the county’s logged whooping cough cases in the past two months.

The shelter has flourished under the purview of the Animal Protective Association, but now that the county is taking back control, advocates are concerned that the animals will suffer. The shelter had previously come under fire for improper care.

St. Louis County health officials said those affected by the bacterial infection attended four events hosted or catered by Andre’s Banquets and Catering.

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health confirmed 69 cases of E. coli since last week's outbreak at Rockwood Summit High School. A dozen people were hospitalized.

St. Louis County Health Department officials say they’re still determining the cause of the infections and couldn’t give further details about where the event took place.

The flu vaccine takes around two weeks to fully take effect. St. Louis County Executive Sam page is encouraging residents to book shots soon to protect themselves and others from getting sick over the holidays.

Federal officials have accepted an application that would grant St. Louis County’s three clinics special status that would add $6 million a year to the health department’s budget.