St. Louis Public Radio
Pharmacist Jennifer Kolkmeyer prepares doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at Christian Hospital in St. Louis in March. As of mid-April, nearly one-third of Missouri residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The number of new coronavirus cases in the St. Louis region is rising after weeks of stable numbers.
Public health officials say the region is now in a race to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine before the virus becomes more widespread.
“Right now we are in the most difficult phases of the pandemic,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. “Public patience is wearing thin, people are increasingly skeptical, and exhaustion at an emotional level is perhaps building up.”