ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – The first vaccinations for long-term care residents in the St. Louis area will begin Monday morning in St. Charles County.
Al Beamer, chief operating officer of The Cottages of Lake St. Louis, confirmed a medical team from Walgreens would be setting up an on-site clinic with about 140 doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to cover the residents and staff.
“People are excited. They want to be able to take the vaccine. They’re all saying, ‘Does this mean we’re going to be able to come and visit soon? Does this mean my daughter’s going to be able to come soon?’ Our elders need it. They need to be able to see their family members,” said Tina Parker, a Cottages of Lake St. Louis spokeswoman.
Residents will get their second doses four weeks after the first, according to Beamer.
“I said when we get it I wanted to be first in line,” 86-year-old Shirley Jeffers said.
She won’t get to go first. That distinction goes to a neighbor at the facility, who is 101 years old.
At some point after that, The Cottages hope to resume in-person visits.
“The staff here is wonderful and everybody’s great but it’s still my mom,” said Wendy Eggleston, the daughter of 88-year-old resident Melvine Robinson. “I just want to hug her and spend some time with her.”
Even in the best-case scenario, it will have been about a year since their last in-person visit. Most long-term care facilities and nursing homes in the area are still waiting to hear exactly when they’ll get their vaccines.
With Wednesday’s news from The Cottages of Lake St. Louis, the answer would seem to be “very, very, soon.”
