Missouri opens coronavirus vaccine booster to all adults

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — All adults in Missouri are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster, the state health department announced Friday.

All adults in Missouri now can receive a booster shot within six months of their last Pfizer or Moderna dose. Johnson & Johnson boosters were already approved for adults at least two months after the shot.

People can mix-and-match boosters from any company.

The Department of Health and Senior Services followed suit within hours of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approving widespread boosters. The government is trying to get ahead of rising coronavirus cases experts fear could snowball into a winter surge with upcoming holiday travel.

Missouri health department data show 2% of fully vaccinated Missourians caught the virus and only .02% of fully vaccinated Missourians died from coronavirus.

Department of Health and Senior Services director Donald Kauerauf said the data show "vaccines are undisputedly saving lives."

"With the upcoming holidays, where you will come in contact with your loved ones, getting vaccinated is the way to prevent getting sick and unknowingly exposing others," Kauerauf said in a statement.

Missouri's health department also "strongly urged" people to get a flu shot, if possible at the same time they receive a COVID-19 booster.