ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The latest big vaccine event in the St. Louis area will feature live music and celebrity appearances.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced details Wednesday morning about a walk-up vaccine event partnership with Centene Corporation, which is one of the region’s largest employers.
It'll take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. this Saturday at Centene’s Ferguson location on the 2900 block of Pershall Road. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available. The event is free for the public and reservations are not required. Parking also will be available for free.
Some live entertainment and a former pro football player also will be on hand to greet the crowd.
“The Voice” contestant Kennedy Holmes will perform during Saturday’s event and former St. Louis Rams cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Aeneas Williams will visit as well.
Visit St. Louis County's website for more information on the Centene event or for other vaccination clinics happening in the coming days and weeks.
The announcement Wednesday comes as Missouri leads the nation with the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections and the Delta variant takes hold.
Page said local health leaders are keeping a close on the variant and case rates in the county.
"Fortunately we’ve not seen increases in new COVID cases here yet," Page said Wednesday. "We've noticed a slight uptick in cases this week, averaging 50 new cases a day. We’re not certain whether that’s a one-time bump or a new trend but our health experts are watching it very closely."
As of Wednesday morning, 43.7% of the state's population has initiated the vaccination process, while 38% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC's latest numbers. Those rates are slightly higher in St. Louis County, with 48.3% who have started the process and 42% who are now fully vaccinated.
5 On Your Side's Jacob Kuerth contributed to this report.