After receiving a new shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the Callaway County Health Department plans to begin vaccinating local first responders Monday.
"If we have any (front-line medical personnel) that haven't been given their first or second dose, we're going to be doing those first," Callaway County Health Department Director Sharon Lynch said.
Missouri is currently vaccinating people included in Phase 1A, Phase 1B-Tier 1 and Phase 1B-Tier 2.
Phase 1A includes front-line medical personnel and congregate community health care settings staff and residents.
Phase 1B-Tier 1 includes first responders, people in emergency services and other members of the public health infrastructure who aren't front-line health care workers.
Phase 1B-Tier 2 includes anyone age 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.
Callaway County is working its way down that priority list based on vaccine availability, Lynch said.
The CCHD received its first batch of 100 vaccines in late December, which went to members of Phase 1A. A second batch of 100 arrived this month, providing the second dose for those health care workers.
This latest batch will go to firefighters, police and medical first responders throughout the county. Vaccination is voluntary.
If any vaccines are left over, the county will move on to Phase 1B-Tier 2, Lynch said. Vaccinations will be distributed by appointment only at this time, due to the limited availability of doses and the importance of using up the entirety of each 10-dose vial.
"Our goal is not to waste even one dose," Lynch said.
Acquiring and distributing the COVID-19 vaccine has proven logistically complicated, she said. Those who receive the dose must wait 15 minutes for observation to ensure they're not having an allergic reaction, and anyone who has reacted to a vaccine in the past has to wait 30 minutes. (So far, no one who has received a vaccine from the CCHD has had a severe reaction, Lynch said.)
Both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines require two doses, 28 and 21 days after the first, respectively. The Health Department must proactively order additional vials of vaccine to ensure doses are available so people can have both shots.
"We're going to try to order again this week for next week," Lynch said. "We just don't know from one week to the next."
As of Monday, 3,056 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to Callaway County residents, according to Missouri's new COVID-19 vaccination dashboard.
Callaway County residents interested in receiving the vaccine through the Callaway County Health Department can fill out a survey at surveymonkey.com/r/2DKZBC2. More than 3,000 residents have signed up so far, Lynch said.
People who lack internet access may get on the list by calling the Health Department at 573-642-6881 or by visiting in person at 4950 County Road 304 in Fulton to fill out a form.
Though cases of COVID-19 have slowed in Callaway County, the disease is still very much present: The CallawayCOVID19.com website lists 236 active cases and 38 total deaths as of Friday. Missouri's COVID-19 dashboard states 4,246 county residents have tested positive for the disease to date.