Vaccines

The federal goverment has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines that protect people against getting dangerously sick. But the shots are being distributed through commercial means for the first time, and patients have reported canceled appointments and insurance denials.

St. Louis University is enrolling people between 12 and 50 years old to participate in a clinical trial to test if the mpox vaccine works as well in teens as it does in adults. The federal government has approved the vaccine for emergency use in minors, but it hasn’t given full approval.

Scientists at the University of Missouri have found mutations in the monkeypox virus are likely making it less responsive to medicines. The four-person team studied strains of the virus going back decades.

After weeks of requiring people to submit online eligibility forms to receive the monkeypox vaccine, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is now letting clinics determine eligibility for the shots. LGBTQ advocates fear the online form, which asks questions about sexual behavior, discourages some people from seeking the vaccine.

Washington University scientists are conducting a clinical trial of a new version of the original Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers say it will likely be better suited to newer BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the virus that have become dominant this summer.

Monkeypox is not spreading widely in St. Louis, but demand for the vaccine far outpaces the limited supply. To get the vaccine to the highest-risk people, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health will oversee distribution in St. Louis and in St. Charles, Jefferson and St. Louis counties.

As COVID-19 cases drop in the St. Louis region and across the U.S., researchers waste no time in the development of future vaccines — for the coronavirus and for other emerging diseases.

With a highly contagious variant circulating and COVID cases on the rise, an infectious disease physician has tips for navigating this holiday season.

Federal health officials on Tuesday gave final approval for a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to kids as young as 5.

Dr. Kenneth Haller, a SLUCare pediatrician, shares what he’s learned about approaching vaccine hesitancy by working with his clients.