The Callaway County Health Department plans to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to people in Missouri's Phase 1B, Tier 2 next week, Executive Director Sharon Lynch said.
This week, the county Health Department is working its way through first responders in Phase 1B, Tier 1. By the end of this week, the county hopes to have used all 600 vaccine doses it has received so far.
"When we get done with first responders, we will be going to next level - those over 65 and with medical conditions," Lynch said Tuesday. "The last time I checked, (we) had over 4,000 on that list."
Missouri's Phase 1B, Tier 2 includes anyone 65 or older and any adults with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart conditions, weakened immune system due to organ transplant, severe obesity (BMI greater than 40), sickle cell disease and Type 2 diabetes. It also includes pregnant women and people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome.
"We're going to prioritize by age and need," Lynch said. "We'll start notifying them hopefully at the end of this week or start of next week when they can come in and get a shot."
A few Callaway County residents in that priority tier have already received vaccinations through medical offices or Mexico's mass vaccination clinic. Others were summoned Monday by the Callaway County Health Department to use spare doses - the Moderna vaccine comes in 10-dose vials, and each vial expires six hours after being opened.
"We didn't waste any doses yesterday. They all went in arms," Lynch said.
Callaway County residents interested in receiving the vaccine through the county Health Department can fill out a survey at surveymonkey.com/r/2DKZBC2.
Lynch asks anyone who signs up through that form then gets vaccinated elsewhere to notify the Callaway County Health Department so they can be removed from the list.
She again did not specify how many vaccines the Health Department would have on hand for next week's vaccinations.
"It's totally for security reasons," she said. "I don't like putting it out there if we have vaccine in the building because I'm afraid someone will come and try to take it. We've worked on some security measures."
To see how many Callaway County residents have been vaccinated so far - either by the county Health Department or through another source - check Missouri's Public Health Dashboard here. As of Monday, nearly 3,000 Callaway County residents have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the dashboard.
"We'll likely run out of vaccine early next week," Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann predicted.
Jungermann said he's trying to reach out to Sandy Karsten, Missouri's public safety director, about acquiring additional doses.
"The thing that's a little frustrating right now is not being able to get our hands on vaccine," he said. "I don't think we're alone in that right now."
Lynch said the county has ordered around 1,200 doses and received less than half that amount. Some counties have received even less.
"We feel fortunate we've been able to, at least so far, get a steady stream of smaller amounts," she said. "That allows us to plan clinics."
For the latest data on Callaway County's COVID-19 cases, visit the CCHD-maintained website callawaycovid19.com. As of Monday, the county had 259 active cases. The CCHD has recorded 38 deaths due to COVID-19 to date.
For the answers to commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, check out this Fulton Sun article. Additional information, including additional details about potential side effects, efficacy and how the vaccine works, can be found at the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine website (cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html), Missouri's website (covidvaccine.mo.gov), or MU Health Care's COVID-19 page (muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/coronavirus).