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Editor's note: This guide is regularly updated with the latest information.
The latest: Mercy currently has open appointments available to eligible Missourians.
Thursday, March 18: Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced in a tweet that "the federal government has informed us that COVID-19 vaccine allotments to Missouri are projected to increase SIGNIFICANTLY by the first week of April." The news means the state can enter Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout plan on Monday, March 29, and Phase 3—open to all adult residents—on Friday, April 9.
Update, March 4: CVS is now administering COVID-19 vaccinations in the state of Missouri, according to CVS’s website. The website notes the city for Missouri's vaccinations as St. Louis and says the status will update when appointments are available.
Here’s who is eligible, according to CVS. When SLM called about teacher eligibility in the state of Missouri on March 4, CVS’ COVID-19 question hotline said they are vaccinating teachers K–12, daycare and preschool workers and staff at Missouri locations. But keep in mind that Missouri's vaccination roll-out plan doesn't include this group of employees until March 15.
Update, March 2: President Joe Biden said the United States will have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for every adult American by the end of May and added that pharmacies participating in the Federal Pharmacy Distribution Program will be directed to prioritize vaccinating K–12 teachers by the end of March.
The Missouri National Guard is hosting a mass vaccination site happening in Bethany, Missouri, this Saturday, March 6, at South Harrison High School (3400 Bulldog Avenue) using Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine. If you are eligible (up to Phase 1B Tier 2) can sign up here. St. Louis County is hosting a mass vaccination this Saturday, March 6, at the North County Recreational Center (2577 Redman Avenue); you can sign up here. (You can always check this website for mass vaccination events.)
St. Louisans have also recently launched a Facebook group called St. Louis and Eastern Missouri COVID-19 Vaccine Info to help connect St. Louisans to mass vaccine clinics and available appointments. The group already has more than 25,000 members.
The state is now sharing mass vaccination site locations and dates on its website. The state website is now also offering a vaccinator map. As Missouri works through its rollout plan for the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines (which Missouri is said to receive 50,000 doses of the first week of March), we will continue to update this guide to receiving a vaccination.
Who is currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced Phase 1B, Tier 3 of the state's vaccination roll-out will begin March 15. This section includes those who work in sectors or areas defined by the government as education, childcare, communications infrastructure, dams sector, energy sector, food and agriculture sector 1, government, information technology, nuclear reactor sector, transportation systems, and water and wastewater systems.
Phase 1B-Tier 1 plan, which provides the vaccines to law enforcement, fire service, and public health officials. Starting Monday, Missourians who are pregnant, 65 or older, or have pre-existing conditions are eligible to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, under the Phase 1B-Tier 2 vaccination schedule of the Missouri Department of Public Health.
After that, the state will transition into “Phase 2: Equity & Economic Recovery,” which includes Missourians working in areas defined as the chemical sector, commercial facilities sector, critical manufacturing sector, defense industrial base sector, financial services sector, food and agriculture sector 2, government, higher education, and individuals who are homeless or disproportionately affected. All Missouri residents will be eligible in the last and final phase, which likely won’t be until summer 2021.
The state also further explains and breaks down the definition of these sectors and what type of employees fall in them here.
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
How can I register to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can use these links to register for vaccination:
- City of St. Louis
- St. Louis County (Here's a direct link to registering.)
- St. Charles County
- Lincoln County
- Warren County
When people register online, their names are added to a contact list, and they will be contacted by public health staff to schedule a vaccination appointment once they meet eligibility criteria and vaccines are available. If one’s employer is an approved vaccination site, the St. Louis Department of Public Health recommends being vaccinated through the employer.
If you want to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine through a St. Louis–area health care provider, here's where to go:
- Affina Health has received its first supply of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine. You can call them at (314) 833-2777 or sign up for appointments here or the waitlist here. Make sure to check the website to make sure you have all of the required materials before booking an appointment.
- CareSTL Health is offering vaccine pre-registration on its site. You will be contacted by them after registration, depending on eligibility.
- Compass Health Network is hosting Moderna vaccine clinics. You can book a time slot using their website or Facebook page.
- BJC HealthCare and Washington University Physicians are now allowing both Missouri and Illinois patients to preregister to receive a COVID-19 vaccine online.
- Mercy has set up online registration for its patients to receive a notification when appointments, depending on a patient's eligibility, are available.
- SSMHealth patients can sign up through their MyChart account and will receive an email when they can register for a vaccination appointment.
- St. Luke's Hospital patients submit an application online to receive a vaccine. If they are eligible, they will receive an email inviting them to make an appointment. The website notes that with a limited supply, an appointment is not guaranteed with an application.
As part of federal vaccine distribution, 81 Walmart and Sam's Club stores across Missouri will offer the vaccine, in addition to 21 Health Mart pharmacies. The pharmacies will receive 18,000 doses a week and begin administering vaccinations on Friday, February 12. Missouri residents can schedule vaccination appointments on Walmart’s, Sam's Club’s, and Health Mart’s websites. Here are which Missouri Sam's Clubs and Walmarts are participating:
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Walgreens is also now offering vaccination appointments to those who are eligible. You can sign up for available appointments here.
Where can I receive a vaccine?
Missouri has launched a new website and vaccinator map to help residents understand when and where they could get vaccinated. The state’s website also explains that you can receive the vaccine, once you're eligible, in three different ways:
One way is that your employer begins the process:
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
If eligible, residents can also seek out vaccinations in two ways. Residents can already begin to have conversations with their medical providers about when vaccinations might become available through a doctor's office or pharmacy.
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services