You can get a COVID vaccine in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine District. Here’s what to know
A new vaccine effort launches next week in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine District, following full FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
On Monday, coronavirus vaccines will be available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at 1616 East 18th Street, said Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who is also president of the Black Health Care Coalition.
All three vaccines —Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — will be available.
“We knew that not having FDA approval was an impediment to people getting vaccinated, so now that Pfizer is approved, we wanted to be able to provide vaccine opportunities to those who were hesitant for that reason,” Robinson told The Star.
Doctors and scientists have expressed hope that the full FDA approval announced Monday will motivate those holding out on the vaccine to go in for an appointment.
More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered in the U.S. — and hundreds of millions more worldwide — since emergency use began in December.
The Monday clinic kicks off a larger campaign set to last through early October.
Beginning Sept. 11 and lasting through Oct. 2, second doses and additional vaccines will be available every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gregg Klice Community Center, 1600 John Buck O’Neil Way.
Robinson said the goal is to vaccinate at least 100 people Monday, and an additional 30 people each following Saturday as part of the effort, which is a partnership between the Kansas City Health Department, the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Kansas City University and the Urban League of Greater Kansas City.
“It’s important for the community to all come together and do our part,” Robinson said.
Conversations with vaccine-hesitant Kansas Citians
On Monday the city and health groups are also inviting individuals who are hesitant to get the vaccine to sit down with staff from Kansas City University for a free lunch during which they can ask questions about the vaccine.
The small, socially-distanced conversations will take place at the museum from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The museum-hosted clinic will also be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday for those who want assistance scheduling annual doctor’s visits.
“We’ll be doing patient navigation and supporting people who need better access to the medical community,” Robinson said.
COVID-19 cases in the Kansas City metro
The Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 4,500 new COVID-19 cases and 49 deaths in seven days as health officials continue urging residents to get the vaccine.
On Tuesday, the area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 618 new cases for a total of 176,990 to date.
That bumped the seven-day rolling average for new cases from 633 on Monday to 657, according to data tracked by The Star. One week ago, the average sat at 676. Two weeks ago, it was 735.
As of Wednesday, barely more than 42% of Kansas City residents had been fully vaccinated.
