ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County held a COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic Saturday at the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus in north St. Louis County, where about 2,200 pre-registered people received the Pfizer vaccine.
About 35 members of the Missouri National Guard were on hand for logistics, along with as many as 150 volunteers, according to St. Louis County Department of Public Health officials.
An elderly woman could be heard greeting one of the Guard members.
“Do you need to see my identification or anything?” she asked.
The guardsman did not, but he did make sure she made an online appointment.
“Yes, I did,” she said.
Another lady, wearing a white mask, was asked about the operation.
She snapped her fingers three times.
“Quick and easy," she said.
“We’re from Illinois and everybody up there has gotten their vaccine, and I thought, 'When is Missouri going to get their act together? And boy did they ever!' said another woman getting vaccinated.
Missouri National Guard Captain Jeremy Idleman said Guard members were present to direct traffic and help with registration validation.
“We’re here strictly in a support role,” said Idleman. “We are a small piece of the puzzle. The Missouri National Guard is here to assist the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the county health department. We’ve heard lots of great reviews. People are happy to get the vaccine.”
Idleman said guard members have assisted with 53,000 vaccinations over the past few weeks.
One lady walking back to her vehicle was accompanied by three other older adults.
“It was smooth, very nicely organized,” she said. “It was quick, and we just got it done — my whole family.”
She said the shots took a couple of minutes each to administer followed by a 15-minute wait to ensure no one had an adverse reaction.