© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kansas City now has access to new and stronger COVID vaccines

COVID-19 vaccinations being administered at the Missionary Star Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO.
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3
The FDA approved new COVID-19 booster shots last week for those aged six months and older.

Residents can book appointments to get updated COVID booster shots at local CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. However, the city's health department says it could be weeks before vaccines are delivered to its clinics.

The FDA approved new COVID vaccine booster shots last week for those aged six months and older.

This comes right in time as COVID cases and hospitalizations climb across the Kansas City metro.

Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, dean of the UMKC School of Medicine, said the newest vaccines are designed to protect against a strain of the omicron variant called XBB.1.5.

“The booster that's available targets the currently circulating variants and provides better protection against serious complications, especially for those who are in the high risk category,” she told KCUR’s Up To Date.

While the Kansas City Health Department waits for its first shipment of the new vaccines, residents can book appointments at local CVS and Walgreens locations.

Dr. Jackson said everyone should plan to also get a flu shot this fall, preferably before Halloween, and that adults aged 60 and older should get an RSV shot.

Stay Connected
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As a producer for KCUR’s Up To Date, I want listeners to leave the show feeling informed and empowered to make decisions in their daily lives. Whether we’re spotlighting the voice of a creative, business owner or lawmaker, I present stories that matter deeply to Kansas City’s diverse communities. Reach me at claudiab@kcur.org.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.