This article is free to all readers because it includes information important to the health and safety of our community.
Cole County health officials are asking residents to be patient as they work through the COVID-19 vaccination process, which continues to be developed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Health care staff at Capital Region Medical Center and St. Mary's Hospital with direct or indirect patient contact have been offered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Cole County Health Department Director Kristi Campbell told the Cole County Commission on Tuesday.
The vaccine is not mandatory for employees at either hospital, according to CRMC and St. Mary's officials.
"When it comes to other medical offices such as chiropractors, eye doctors and dentists, the hospitals aren't set up to do vaccination clinics," Campbell said. "That's in our wheelhouse, so we are working with the hospitals to re-distribute the Pfizer vaccine to us, and we'll do clinics at our department for patient-facing health care workers."
The Cole County Health Department received some vaccines from St. Mary's and will do clinics on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for these health care workers, Campbell said.
Long-term care facility residents and staff are also receiving the vaccines.
"The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is moving slowly as a state as far as how fast they'll be moving to the next phase of vaccination because they want the entire state to move from one phase to the next," Campbell said.
After patient-facing health care workers and long-term care facility residents and staff receive vaccines in the state's Phase 1A, Phase 1B will bring vaccines to people over age 65 and high-risk individuals ages 18-64, as well as first responders and essential workers.
More information about the state's COVID-19 vaccination phases is available at covidvaccine.mo.gov.
The state has not shared any timeline for when movement to the next phase will occur, Campbell said. That's led the Cole County Health Department to be inundated with phone calls from people asking when they can receive vaccines.
The county Health Department has posted a survey on its website, colehealth.org, for residents interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
"We'll be keeping a list, so when it gets to their turn we will call them to schedule an appointment," Campbell said. "DHSS is supposed to be developing software that will be a vaccine scheduler."
When it comes to the general population, Campbell said, they anticipate there will be a lot of vaccinators such as CVS and Walgreens, which are currently doing vaccinations for long-term care facilities.
"I imagine once they get done with those, they'll start vaccinating in the next phase," Campbell said. "It will probably eventually be like the flu shot, where you could go to these drug stores, but it's going to take time because the supply of the vaccine is just not there yet.
"We're asking for the public to be patient and know that until the vaccine supply builds up there is not a lot we can do, and we'll work through the phases as we're instructed by DHSS," Campbell added. "Very soon we'll be able to order the Moderna vaccine, but for now the supply of that vaccine is going to the long-term health care facilities. No one else has been able to order it."
People also should be aware that if they receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the second dose also must be Pfizer, Campbell noted.
"With the Pfizer vaccine, you have to get your second dose in 21 days, with a two-day grace period; while with the Moderna vaccine, the second dose has to be received in 28 days," she said.
Anyone with COVID-19-related questions should consult a factual source, Campbell said, such as CDC.gov, health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the DHSS COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411.
This article was edited at 3 p.m. Jan. 8, 2021, to clarify details about hospital employees being offered the COVID-19 vaccine.