Vaccinations and precautions such as mask-wearing, hand washing, and social distancing will minimize the spread of Covid-19. Being fully vaccinated doesn’t mean you won’t get Covid from someone else, just like having your flu vaccine doesn’t stop you from getting the flu. However, the data shows that the vaccines protect the vast majority of people from suffering from severe Covid, the need for hospitalization, and death.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved by the FDA for use on those ages 12 and older. The Moderna vaccine and Johnson & Johnson vaccine are approved for use for those ages 18 and older. Vaccines are free.
Although case numbers have dropped since the onset of the Delta variant, so are the temperatures in northeast Missouri. As people begin spending more time indoors, the risk of rising case counts rises as well.
As of mid-October, the CDC reported that more than 188 million people across the country are fully vaccinated, or nearly 57%. Nearly 218 million, or almost 66% of the population, have received at least one dose.
Nearly 49% of Missourians or nearly 300 million people are fully vaccinated. Counties and northeast Missouri continue to lag. While six counties increased fully vaccinated population percentage from 1.3% to 1.9%, five counties barely moved the needle. Here are the percentages of the fully vaccinated population by county as of October 20, 2021:
Adair | 40.7% |
Clark | 26.9% |
Knox | 37% |
Lewis | 29% |
Macon | 35.9% |
Mercer | 31.9% |
Putnam | 29.5% |
Schuyler | 25.9% |
Scotland | 22.2% |
Shelby | 39.6% |
Sullivan | 37.7% |
If you still have questions about Covid-19 vaccines, talk to your Northeast Missouri Health Council provider by visiting our website NemoHealthCouncil.com. Then, get out there and get your free vaccine!