Sept. 20, 2021
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO – The St. Charles County Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that 51.5 percent of county residents now are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The county has the second highest vaccination rate in the state and is one of just three in Missouri to reach this milestone, according to data available on the state’s website at covidvaccine.mo.gov.
“Vaccination remains our keystone public health measure to curbing new infections of COVID-19,” says Dr. Shephali Wulff, system director of infectious disease for SSM Health. “People who are fully vaccinated are shown to be 90 percent protected from COVID infection including the Delta variant, and 95 percent protected from severe illness, hospitalization and death.
“We encourage more residents to get the vaccine because we want to see our communities get back to normal, keep our kids in school and enjoy life the way we remember it,” continues Dr. Wulff. “The best way to do that is by masking and getting the vaccine.”
The state site shows St. Louis County at 51.8 percent, and Boone County at 51.3 percent. The state of Missouri overall has 46.9 percent of residents fully vaccinated. As of today, 225,678 St. Charles County residents (56.1 percent) have initiated vaccination and 207,167 (51.5 percent) have completed vaccination. While the state site bases fully vaccinated percentages on total population, data categorizes age groups and shows that of St. Charles County residents age 12+ (those who are eligible for vaccination), 60.5 percent have completed vaccination and 65.9 percent have initiated vaccination.
The DPH COVID Vaccine dashboard details vaccinations by date, age, gender. The age group with the largest number vaccinated is 60-69, followed by those in the 50-59 age group and the 40-49 age group.
“I want to commend the County’s Department of Public Health staff on their perseverance in providing our residents with every opportunity possible to receive a vaccination for COVID,” says St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. “We have all been in this pandemic together for the past 18 months, but they, and all health care professionals in our county, have been on the front lines of all aspects of the disease. The dedication and care for the residents of St. Charles County speaks volumes about the community we call home.”
The St. Charles County Department of Public Health offers convenient COVID-19 vaccinations at locations around St. Charles County. The events are open to anyone age 12 and older (for Pfizer/BioNTech) or those 18 and older (for Moderna or Janssen/Johnson & Johnson). Individuals ages 12-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the vaccination.
To schedule a convenient appointment, call St. Charles County’s COVID-19 Hotline at 636-949-1899 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. For more information, visit sccmo.org/COVID.