CoxHealth

After the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, at least one hospital system in Missouri announced it would mandate the shots for employees. Just over half of Missouri adults are fully vaccinated, and doctors hope the full approval will persuade more skeptical patients to seek out the shot.

The delta variant was first detected in Missouri in spring and has since spread throughout the state quickly, state health experts said. The variant accounts for about half of the cases involving variants in Missouri and is behind the state's rising case numbers and outbreaks in the southwest part of the state.

When American doctors enter the field of medicine, most take an oath to put the patient’s health as a top priority. But some doctors and hospitals say...