-->

Coping with COVID: COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to open April 9 to all Missouri residents 16 and up

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced that in a few short weeks, all Missouri residents 16 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on April 9. According to the state, Missouri’s vaccine allotments are projected to increase significantly by the first week of April.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s administration said every resident 16 and older will become eligible on April 9.

In a similar fashion, neighboring Illinois intends to do the same on April 12.

The announcements come as the U.S. dramatically increases the flow of vaccine to states, and as both Missouri and Illinois ramp up vaccination events.

Missouri officials said earlier this week that the state’s weekly allocation in early April could surpass 500,000, more than double this week’s allotment.

Parson said Missouri would activate Phase 2 of its vaccine distribution plan on March 29, making eligible another 880,000 Missourians, including workers in construction, critical manufacturing and higher education.

Phase 3 is set to start April 9, and add 1.1 million more Missouri residents. About 4.5 million Missourians should be eligible for the shot in total, the state said.