St. Louis kidney doctor and diversity advocate Will Ross, MD, recently received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer/BioNTech and shared his thoughts about it.
“So far in this unforgiving year, nearly twenty million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 330,000 have died. It is beyond time for us to put fear, partisanship, and dismissiveness aside, as we roll up our sleeves and undergo the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Ross, associate dean for Diversity and Alumni Endowed Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at Washington University School of Medicine. “As a front-line health care worker, I was vaccinated on December 23rd. I only experienced mild upper arm soreness at the vaccine site for a day. I ask all of us, in this season of joy, peace, and love, to show love for your family, neighbor and your community by signing up for the vaccine when it becomes available to you. Together we will get through this.”
On Monday, the New York Times reported 2.1 million people have received a COVID vaccine in the U.S. thus far, including 23,000 in Missouri, made either by Pfizer/ BioNTech or Moderna. Both have received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Exactly when you can get a COVID vaccine depends on which category best describes you.
In Missouri, front line workers treating COVID patients and other health care workers were among the first to get the vaccine, as well as residents and staff at long-term care facilities (Phase 1A).
Next in line in Missouri for Phase 1B are individuals age 65 and older; high risk individuals ages 18-64 with medical conditions making them at high risk for severe COVID-19; essential workers and first responders.
Phase 2 targets unhoused and prison populations and by Phase 3, the COVID vaccine will be available to all Missouri residents (ages 16 and older for the Pfizer formula, and ages 18 and older for the Moderna formula) – which is expected to happen sometime in the spring.
On the state’s website, covidvaccine.mo.gov, it says, “The vaccines are not recommended for individuals who have experienced a serious reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to a prior dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any of its components.”
For more information, visit https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/facts/#availability and https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19/evidence-table-phase-1b-1c.html.