COVID-19 news: FDA approves Pfizer, Joplin hits 50% vaccine rate, Ozark mayor plugs ivermectin
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
What Pfizer’s FDA approval means
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday for people 16 and older, making it the first of three COVID-19 shots available in the U.S. to be upgraded from an emergency use authorization (EUA) to full approval.
The upgrade means the Pfizer vaccine will still be available to the public even after the “current public health emergency” the original authorization was based on comes to an end. The approval also means employers, local leaders and other businesses may be more willing or likely to mandate COVID-19 vaccination.
However, experts say the approval’s largest impact may be on those who have remained hesitant about the vaccine’s safety, many of whom call them “experimental” shots.
Missouri city breaks 50% vaccination mark
Joplin, a city of about 50,000 people in southwest Missouri, became the first region in the state to exceed a vaccination rate of 50%, according to state health data.
In mid-July, Joplin was listed as having the highest hospitalization rates per capita in the country, but is now 50.2% vaccinated. Boone County, where the University of Missouri is located, sits at 49% fully vaccinated.
Kansas City and St. Louis, the two largest metro areas in the state, still have a ways to go.
Just shy of 42% of Kansas City residents and nearly 39% of St. Louis city residents are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Lake Ozark mayor wants ivermectin treatment for friend
A central Missouri mayor on Monday shared a message asking for support to allow a longtime friend hospitalized with COVID-19 to be treated with ivermectin — an anti-parasite drug not approved for treating viruses — despite recent warnings from public health officials about doing just that.
In a Facebook post, Lake Ozark Mayor Dennis Newberry said his friend of 30 years, the owner of Missouri Hick Barbeque in Cuba, Missouri, is hospitalized with COVID-19. As a last ditch effort, the mayor said, he would take ivermectin to his friend in the hospital in an attempt to help with his treatment.
“Please pray for cooperation from his caregivers and Hospital admin to allow his loved ones and friends to step in and assist with his life. If we do nothing his life will surely be taken from his 18 year old son, his family and friends,” the mayor wrote. “I need your prayers and comments to attempt to gain favor with the powers to be.”
Kauffman Center to require vaccine for entry
Proof of vaccination will be required to attend events at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts beginning Sept. 6, officials announced Monday, joining a growing list of venues imposing such mandates.
The policy was arrived at in partnership with the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Harriman-Jewell Series, all of which present all or many of their events at the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall or Muriel Kauffman Theatre. The policy also covers performances by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.
In addition to providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination, visitors will be required to wear masks except while eating or drinking in designated locations. There will be no exceptions.
McClatchy’s Katie Camero and The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Anna Spoerre and Dan Kelly contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 7:37 AM.
