ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A delayed vaccine shipment forced St. Louis County health officials to postpone their plans for kid-size vaccinations, scheduled for Monday.
But if your child has an appointment for Saturday at the John C. Murphy Health Center in Berkeley, it’s time for them to roll up their sleeves. Just make sure you have an appointment before you go.
Appointments or walk-ins are welcome at CareSTLhealth on North Whittier in St. Louis. Andwele Jolly was there Friday to get his children, Preston, 8, and Sheridan, 5, protected from the virus.
Jolly said, “I think it’s important that they get vaccinated so we can make sure they stay healthy. More importantly, I think it’s important that everyone in our community gets vaccinated because it’s the quickest way we can get through this pandemic and get to the other side.”
Health officials say 84,000 children are eligible in St. Louis County.
St. Louis County Dept. of Public Health Communications Director Christopher Ave said, “While we're going to have the Saturday event at Murphy, there are no more appointments open and there's no walk-ins. We just don't have enough supply.”
Hashem Ali, 5, and his sister, Zayna, 8, were eager to get the COVID vaccine. They were at a Mercy clinic in Chesterfield.
Hashem said, “It felt like a pinch. Not bad.”
Zayna agreed.
“It was good,” she said. “It didn’t hurt that much.”
While Mercy pediatric clinics in Chesterfield and Kirkwood are booked up on Friday and Saturday, parents, like Hashem and Zayna’s mother, Duha Al-Zubeidi, can sign up online.
Al-Zubeidi said, “I want to protect them. I want to make them protected against COVID. If they stay healthy, all the people around them can also stay healthy.”
MORE: St. Louis County delays start of COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5-11 after delay in supply
County health officials hoped to deliver more vaccinations starting Monday, but those plans were pushed back due to a delayed shipment of doses.
Those officials will make a public announcement when they receive more vaccines.