This month, Mid-Missouri residents will be able to receive the updated COVID-19 booster.

The booster is available at Walgreens and CVS locations in Mid-Missouri. The Columbia Missourian reported the updated vaccine is available at Hy-Vee locations, as well. Other local pharmacies including Kilgore’s, D&H Drugstore and Columbia Urgent Care are set to receive the booster some time this month.

MU Health Care told KOMU 8 last week that it would have the updated vaccine this month.

The booster will target the omicron KP. 2 variant and lead to increased protection from the virus that causes COVID-19. Anyone 6 months and older is eligible to receive the booster.

The Food and Drug Administration advised in June that updated vaccines should target the omicron KP. 2 variant as COVID-19 cases began to rise.

Austin Krohn, a spokesperson for Columbia/Boone Public Health and Human Services, said over the summer Columbia seen a high number of COVID-19 cases.

“That can be due to people getting together indoors with that air condition ventilation that makes people susceptible to catching it,” Krohn said.

Krohn said it’s recommended that everyone get this booster, regardless of their vaccination status.

Missouri saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases in August, which MU Health Care attributed to travel and students returning to schools.

MU Health Care said the new dominant strains of omicron are potentially more contagious than previous variants, but they are not causing more illness, according to past KOMU 8 reporting.

OSAGE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) – A man and a 7-year-old girl have died after a boating crash on the Gasconade River Sunday evening.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol boating report, around 7 p.m., 30-year-old Reven Newbound was driving a 2002 Gatorboat upstream on the Gasconade River from Pointers Creek.

The crash happened when the boat hit a root wad in the water, causing it to crash into a rock bluff.

There were seven people in the boat at the time, four of which were children ages nine and under. Newbound and the 7-year-old girl died from the crash.

Four other people in the boat were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries. Six of the seven people were from Owensville, Missouri, and the seventh person was from Bland, Missouri.

This marks MSHP Troop F’s 3rd and 4th fatal boating incident in 2024.

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For the third time in one month, Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation has issued a product recall for marijuana products.

The DCR issued a product recall Friday, Aug. 30 for marijuana products manufactured by Blue Sky Health & Wellness LLC, a marijuana-infused product manufacturer in Jonesburg.

The state’s recall lists 242 consumer products manufactured by Blue Sky Health & Wellness LLC, including extracts, resin and infused pre-rolls. The full recall list can be accessed at health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/recalls.php.

The products were recalled because they were not compliantly tracked in Metrc, Missouri’s track-and-trace system for marijuana products, according to a DCR news release. Because the products were not tracked, the DCR could not verify health and safety requirements.

Patients and consumers who have purchased a recalled product should stop using it. All unused products should be discarded or returned to the dispensary where they were purchased. Returned products will not count toward a patient’s purchase limit. For more information on returns, contact the dispensary where you purchased the product.

More: Missouri is cracking down on cannabis edibles. What that means for consumers

No adverse side effects from products manufactured by the facility had been reported to the DCR, as of Aug. 30.

Anyone who may be experiencing adverse reactions should seek immediate medical attention. Patients and consumers should report any adverse effects by emailing CannabisComplaints@health.mo.gov or fill out a complaint form on the DCR website.

In August, the DCR also issued recalls for marijuana products manufactured by NGWMO LLC, a comprehensive cultivation facility in Marceline, and C&C Manufacturing LLC, a marijuana-infused product manufacturer in Springfield. Products manufactured by NGWMO LLC were not compliantly tested prior to being sold to patients and consumers and products manufactured by C&C Manufacturing LLC were not compliantly tracked.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com.