For the last 10 weeks, St. Louis has seen a steady increase in the proportion of adults who have heard that the FDA recommended an updated COVID vaccine for the fall.
In last week’s survey, 40% of St. Louis adults had heard about the FDA recommending an updated COVID vaccine. This survey was administered just days before the FDA approved updated COVID vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and CDC recommended that all individuals over 6 months of age get an updated vaccine. The updated COVID vaccines will be available at no cost to most Americans through private insurers and a new federal program (Bridge Access Program) for uninsured people.
Survey respondents ages 50 years and older (67%), African Americans (49%) and those with children <18 years (48%) were the most likely to hear about the FDA recommending an updated COVID vaccine. In the same survey, 1 in 5 respondents (19%) reported practicing more COVID-related protective behaviors such as masking, distancing, and avoiding crowds this week than they did the prior week. This is the highest rate recorded in the last seven months.
Explore these data and more at iHeardSTL.
This week’s report is based on 179 responses from a panel of St. Louis City and St. Louis County adult residents surveyed from Saturday, September 9, to Monday, September 11, 2023.
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Suggested caption:
The FDA and CDC approved new COVID-19 vaccines this week. The updated COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for all 6 months+ and are covered by insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. Uninsured individuals have access through the Vaccine for Children and the Bridge Access Programs.
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