Cole County health leaders are advising residents to be patient - those who want a coronavirus vaccination will receive it as soon as possible.
In December, the federal government began rolling out vaccines so states could begin distribution. Missouri's plan for distribution was to begin with patient-facing health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
More than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Missouri have been among residents of long-term care facilities.
The state opened the next phase of vaccinations (for first responders, emergency services personnel and public health infrastructure) last week. It opened the latest phase Monday. Missouri also began rolling out information to help people find vaccinations, which are arriving in the state in limited supplies.
Phase 1B-Tier 2, which opened Monday, is intended for people at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. That phase includes state residents who are 65 and older and any adult with cancer, chronic kidney disease, cardiopulmonary disease, heart conditions, weakened immune systems due to organ transplant, sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, or intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Representatives of local health care providers participated in Thursday's weekly Cole County Health Department update on COVID-19. Each said they are receiving hundreds of requests for vaccinations and filling the requests as quickly as they can.
Potential vaccine recipients should visit the state's website, covidvaccine.mo.gov, and determine if they are qualified through the latest tier to receive the vaccine, said Dr. Randall Haight, Capital Region Medical Center vice president of medical affairs.
After determining if they are considered high risk, patients should contact their primary care physician. For some patients, their specialist, such as a kidney doctor, provides their primary care; these patients should call their office to be put on a list.
Health care providers are receiving many calls, Haight said. He asks that patients give them time to verify they are on the list.
"We are having some patients who are calling two to four times in an hour and leaving messages," he said. "That's making it difficult for all of us trying to make sure we're getting everyone on the list."
Many of the procedures health care workers are going through are new, so he asks that people have patience, Haight said.
As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, the offices are going down the list and contacting qualified recipients.
CRMC was scheduled to vaccinate a "large amount" of people today(FRIDAY)and Saturday, Haight said. The hospital continues to add people to the list. It had only 1,400 doses available to give but has more than 18,000 patients who are 65 or older and 4,000-5,000 who are younger than 65 but fit into the latest vaccination tier.
It should be noted - much like boarding an airplane - even though a person's group has already been called and the state has opened vaccinations to following groups, people from earlier groups may still receive the vaccinations.
Dr. Lenora Adams, SSM Health's regional vice president of medical affairs, said SSM Health patients who want to receive a vaccine should call their primary care clinic and get on a wait list.
"We are currently vaccinating. All of our appointments are currently full," Adams said. "We also are limited by the amount of vaccine that the government has given us."
A concern, Adams said, is there are patients calling around town to get on as many wait lists as possible.
"That makes it more complicated for us," Adams said. "When we open one of those vials - and there are about six doses in there - we have to use that up."
The Pfizer vaccine must be used within six hours once it has been diluted, Cole County Health Department Director Kristi Campbell said.
Patients of the Community Health Center of Central Missouri should call its main number, 573-632-2777, to be added to the waiting list, said Crystal Sullivan, the center's chief clinical officer.
"We definitely have a lot of patients to get through," she said.
Jefferson City Medical Group began giving COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, providing more than 160, JCMG Director of Medical Services Ron Rockwood said. The physicians' group anticipates holding another clinic today(FRIDAY).
Those vaccinated Thursday were JCMG patients who self-scheduled at jcmg.org/covid-19-vaccine-registration. Patients who don't have internet access are asked to contact their primary care physician.
"This is going to be a marathon and not a sprint," Rockwood said. "Some people think that this is going to be a couple of weeks that we have to get through and then we'll be OK."
It's going to take several months to get people vaccinated, he continued.
"It's prevention and it's patience," Campbell said. "We need to continue doing all those things we've been doing to prevent and slow the spread of COVID, but also be patient because it's going to take a while to vaccinate everyone who wants it."
The Cole County Health Department has not received vaccines directly from the government, but local hospitals have provided it with vaccines. That has allowed the county to provide vaccinations for health care workers, emergency personnel, paramedics and law enforcement.
"If we had extra vaccine and we had appointment times, we've also started Tier 2 vaccinations," Campbell said. "We would like to emphasize that you do have to have an appointment."
The department conducted a survey last week, through which it registered more than 7,000 people interested in receiving the vaccine.
"We're trying to serve those that do not have a doctor," Campbell said.