Gov. Mike Parson

Missouri is among the worst states in the nation in percentage of population vaccinated, but Gov. Mike Parson said that could turn around soon.

State and local health officials, the National Guard and volunteers gave nearly 3,500 residents the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park on Thursday. The vaccine distribution was one of several state-run events being held in the region through the weekend.

Two large-scale events at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park will inoculate approximately 6,000 people next Thursday and Friday. Other state-run vaccination events will take place through Saturday.

More coronavirus vaccination events are coming to St. Louis and Kansas City starting next week, Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday. A higher percentage of people are interested in receiving the vaccine in urban centers than in rural areas, Parson said. Because of that difference in demand, more mass vaccination events will be moved to the state’s two largest metropolitan areas.

On March 15, teachers, government employees and other essential workers will join health care workers, first responders and people with high-risk health conditions as those able to receive the coronavirus vaccine. That means about 3.5 million people, or more than half of Missouri's population, will then be eligible to get the vaccine.

Thousands of patients in the region are still scrambling to get the coveted coronavirus vaccine. Missouri has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rollouts in the country. As of this week, 6% of the state's 6 million residents have received their first dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an internal video conference call with vaccine providers on Tuesday, a state health department spokesperson said people are frequently missing their second vaccination appointments, which is causing logistical issues.

County health departments in the St. Louis area plan to use these pre-registration sites as a key tool for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

About 105,000 health care workers in Missouri have received their first dose of the two-shot vaccine. That’s about one-third of the state’s more than 350,000 patient-facing health care workers.

St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jaclyn Driscoll joins Sarah Fenske to discuss the major issues likely to be debated this session at the Missouri Statehouse, including COVID-19 liability protection for businesses, Medicaid expansion and the state budget.