After five months of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, all Missouri residents will be eligible to receive a dose beginning Friday, when the state moves to Phase 3 of the vaccine allocation plan.
Phase 3, the final phase of vaccine distribution, will include all state residents regardless of occupation. Residents 16 and older can receive the Pfizer vaccine and anyone 18 and older can receive the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
With Phase 2 vaccinations underway since Monday, public health officials hope the process is headed toward the finish line.
“It’s great that we’re ready to move to Phase 3,” said Sara Humm, public information specialist for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. “It’ll make things easier for community members to be able to know they are eligible and make that appointment to be vaccinated.”
A total of 27.9% of Missouri residents have received at least one shot, according to data from the state’s COVID-19 dashboard. More than 90,000 doses have been administered in Boone County so far.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32% of American adults have received the first dose of a vaccine. Missouri trails behind 41 states and Washington, D.C., for vaccine distribution.