ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County's health department is offering the new COVID-19 vaccine boosters that target the still-dominant omicron variant without an appointment.
In a briefing last week, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said the county received a shipment of the boosters from the state and appointments are available now.
On Wedensday, the county said appointments are no longer needed, but they can still be made by clicking here. The boosters are available from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at two locations:
- John C. Murphy Health Center
6121 N Hanley Rd. #2003, Berkeley, MO 63134 - South County Health Center
4580 South Lindbergh Blvd., Sunset Hills, MO 63127
On Aug. 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 boosters shots with an omicron component from Pfizer and Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also signed off on the updated boosters one day after the FDA authorization.
The bivalent vaccines, also referred to by the FDA as “updated boosters,” add omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike proteins to the original COVID-19 vaccine composition. This is aimed at “helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination” by targeting the more contagious and immune-evasive omicron subvariants, the CDC says.
Pfizer’s omicron vaccine is authorized for use as a single booster dose in people 12 and older, while Moderna’s shot is authorized for those 18 and older, according to the FDA.
Major pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, are now scheduling appointments for the updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters following their FDA authorization.
Patients must be two months from their most recent vaccine dose and must have received their initial vaccination(two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson).
Appointments are not necessary to get the initial dose, so come to one of the health department's health centers to get initial shots and schedule a booster dose.
The health department said an average of more than 200 new cases per day are diagnosed in St. Louis County.