Get Vaccinated
The best way to keep your community safe is to get vaccinated. The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center currently offers all three vaccinations - Moderna, Pfizer & Janssen (J&J) by appointment.
For ages 18 and up, we offer the Moderna, Pfizer & Janssen (J&J) vaccinations daily from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm by appointment. Please call 573-335-7846 to schedule an appointment if you are interested in receiving the vaccine.
For ages 12 and up, we offer the Pfizer vaccination daily from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm by appointment. Please call 573-335-7846 to schedule an appointment if you are interested in receiving the vaccine.
For ages 5-11, we offer the Pfizer vaccination on Thursdays from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm by appointment. If the child is currently a patient in our Rural Health Clinic, please call 573-335-2229 to schedule an apppointment. If the child is not currently a patient in our Rural Health Clinic, please call 573-335-7846 to schedule an appointment if you are interested in receiving the vaccine.
For each COVID-19 vaccine authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), the FDA requires that vaccine recipients or their caregivers are provided with vaccine-specific EUA information to help make an informed decision about vaccination. This information are in fact sheets accessed by visiting the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccine EUA Fact Sheets for Recipients and Caregivers.
Who is eligible?
The Moderna and Janssen (J&J) vaccines are currently authorized for those aged 18 and up. The Pfizer vaccine is currently authorized for those aged 5 and up.
What about boosters?
For Moderna and Janssen (J&J), everyone ages 18 and older are now eligible to get a booster shot. For Pfizer, everyone 12 years and older are now eligible to get a booster shot.
If you received Pfizer or Moderna:
- You should get a booster at least 5 months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination series.
If you received Janssen (J&J):
- You should get a booster at least 2 months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination.
For the latest information regarding booster shots, please visit Keep Cape Strong or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Get Tested
Anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.
| Find Testing Location |
Have you just been tested?
If you’ve been tested for COVID-19, you can prevent further spreading the virus by quarantining until you receive your test result. This keeps you from unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Isolating from household members can also prevent your loved ones from getting sick.
Did you test positive?
- Isolate yourself from household members as soon as possible for 5 days, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from others and pets in your home. If possible, use a separate bathroom. Avoid sharing personal household items and clean high touch surfaces every day. This can help prevent your loved ones from getting sick.
- Stay home except to get medical care and call ahead before visiting your doctor. Do not leave your home or visit public places. If you are asymptomatic or your symptoms improve after 5 days, you can leave your home (followed by mask wearing). If your symptoms do not improve or they include a fever that persists, continue to stay home until your fever/symptoms resolve.
- Inform your close contacts that they may have been exposed. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 hours (2 days) before they have symptoms or test positive. Advise them to follow the CDC's updated isolation and quarantine recommendations to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus to others, and best protect their loved ones.
- Monitor your symptoms.
- Wear a mask covering your nose and mouth and wash your hands often.
If you tested positive, you may be around others if: 1) it has been 5 days since symptom(s) onset and 2) you've been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines, and 2) your symptom(s) are improving. It is recommended to wear a mas around others for an additional 5 days.
Get Informed
The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center aims to prevent illness, prolong life, and improve and protect the health of the people in our community. One way to do this is to help you stay informed on the state of COVID-19 in our county.
While our focus is back to routine core public health functions and no longer includes local dashboard updates to preserve public health resources and avoid duplicative efforts, we encourage our community to check Missouri's Department of Health & Senior Services for the latest COVID-19 data state-wide (select Cape Girardeau County from the Select a Jurisdiction drop-down menu).
| Missouri's COVID-19 Dashboard |
What does "close contact" mean?
You are considered a "close contact" when the following applies:
- You were within 6 feet of a positive case for 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period
- You provided care at home to someone who has COVID-19
- You had direct physical contact with the person
- You shared eating or drinking utensils
- They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
| Protect Yourself |
| CDC Mask Guidance |
Please visit Keep Cape Strong for the latest COVID-19 updates in Cape Girardeau County.
