St. Louis Vaccinated Thousands Of Its Most Vulnerable But Lawmakers Say More Shots Are Needed

CBS St. Louis

March 21, 2021

It's been a slow roll, but we're finally seeing more vaccines coming to the St. Louis area. On Saturday, 4,000 north St. Louis County residents were vaccinated at the North County Recreation Center. "This area's been left out and everyone's felt like they're being left out, and I communicated that with the Governor's office," Sen. Angela Walton-Mosley said. The Missouri senator for District 13 said she's been trying to get vaccines into North County since January.
"We have about 75 percent of African Americans, which is being affected the most by this virus, and we stepped up and got this ball rolling," State Rep. Neil Smith said. Smith serves Missouri's 67th district and said he's feeling optimistic now that shots are getting into the arms of his constituents.

Saturday's mass vaccine event focuses on the most vulnerable in North County

St. Louis County is targeting the most vulnerable for its mass vaccination event on Saturday.

Residents who were vaccinated at the recreation center Saturday said the process was easy. "It went like clockwork, didn't spend a lot of time. Went right up, got my shot, waited, now I'm leaving," Gregory McKinney said. McKinney said he's been waiting for a chance to get a vaccine and said he's very happy he was able to get it right in his community. "It means a lot to me because I don't think I would drive two hours or whatever to get a shot," he said. "I would probably just wait until they come in this area, no matter how long it took." The same goes for Bonny Giovanni. She said she didn't want to drive far to get her shot. She too, has been waiting for months. "I was thrilled because I had been on several different sites, nothing happened. When this popped up, it was incredibly easy," she said. Although Giovanni just got her first dose Saturday, she said she's already feeling more confident. "I am relieved," she said. "I feel like I can stop and speak to my neighbors in the street that I know are vaccinated, and now they'll know I'm vaccinated." Giovanni said her overall experience at Saturday's vaccine event was great. However, there is one thing she wants to see change. "When you go vote, you get a sticker that says 'I voted.' They need to give you a sticker that says 'I'm vaccinated'," Giovanni said. We talked to the St. Louis County Health Director who says he's working to get more shots into this region, to host even more events like this one.