COVID-19 vaccines have been administered within St. Charles County since the start of January.  

Doug Bolnick, public information officer for St. Charles Department of Public Health, said the department has received a limited number of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.  

“The Department of Public Health received both kinds of vaccines, the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” Bolnick said. “However, it depends on what is shipped to us as to what we are giving out at that current time.”  

In St. Charles County, residents falling within the Phase 1A and Phase 1B (Tiers 1 and 2) categories are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The St. Charles Department of Public Health has administered an estimated 1,500 vaccines on an appointment basis since receiving the first shipment of vaccines in late December.

One location for vaccine distributions in St. Charles County is the Family Arena.

Bolnick said they are of the few thousands of people across the United States that are authorized to give out vaccinations.   

“So just because we’ve only given out a small number doesn’t mean that there’s only been a small number of the vaccines given across this community,” Bolnick said. “The hospital networks all give out vaccines.

“Some other entities are also giving out the vaccines. So the more opportunities there are for people to get vaccinated, the better off we’re all going to be.” 

Regardless of phase eligibility, the St. Charles Department of Public Health encourages members of the public to register to receive the vaccine as soon as possible. Their website provides links to register for the vaccine at the St. Charles Department of Public Health as well as at local hospitals.  

Bolnick clarified that Lindenwood students who aren’t originally from St. Charles County, but are living at an on-campus residency when they are eligible for the vaccine, will be able to receive one. 

If a person who registers with the St. Charles Department of Public Health goes on to receive the vaccine elsewhere, they request to be notified of the change by phone or email so they can move on to someone else. 

“The biggest reason to get the vaccine is that it’s effective in preventing this illness that, up until this point in time, did not have a treatment and did not have a vaccine,” Bolnick said. 

Bolnick said the vaccination is 95% effective.

“It’s stopping an illness that’s been going around for just now over a year and has killed hundreds of thousands of people across the world, and has infected tens of thousands of people here in our state…The more people who get vaccinated the better off we’ll all be,” Bolnick said. 

Even after receiving the vaccine, Bolnick said the public still needs to take proper precautions, including social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands frequently to continue stopping the spread of COVID-19.  

For the latest updates on the COVID-19 vaccine, check the Missouri Covid Vaccine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites.  

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that vaccines have been administered daily in St. Charles County. The St. Charles Department of Public Health is only able to provide vaccinations when they are delivered to the department.