State officials say COVID-19 vaccine plans evolving; veterans to receive vaccine doses

A trio of Missouri state government officials said in a media availability COVID-19 vaccination plans are evolving to become more efficient and address changing supplies of vaccine doses.

The officials -- Randall Williams, director of the state's Department of Health and Senior Services; Robert Knodell, deputy chief of staff for Gov. Mike Parson; and Adam Crumbliss, director of DHSS Division of Community and Public Health -- addressed various virus-related issues in a video presentation.

Williams said Missouri has been receiving 38,025 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine each week and 50,400 doses of the Moderna vaccine. He noted a Johnson & Johnson vaccine will likely become available soon.

The director pointed to data showing between one-fifth and nearly one-third of senior Missourians have received at least one vaccine dose.

Distributing the vaccine for peak efficiency is key, Williams said. He explained 53% of the state's allotment is going to high-throughput centers, such as hospitals, while 23% is going to National Guard teams operating across the state. Health departments and other providers divide the remaining doses.

Knodell said distributing the vaccine doses is only part of the equation, though.

"We are very aggressive in making sure that those shots get into arms as quickly as possible," he said. "It does not further our mission to have vaccines sitting on any shelf anywhere in the state."

Williams and Knodell noted Missouri's virus trendlines -- lowering in virus cases per 100,000 population and rising in percentage of population immunized.

"I am pleased to see Missouri rising and doing as well as or better than the majority of surrounding states. We are excited to be passing our neighbors," Knodell commented.

Crumbliss said distributing vaccine doses is a week-to-week process.

"Every week, we're going to see numbers grow and fade in each region, but our commitment and our expectation is that we will continue to work toward regional balance," he said.

He added vaccinating as many people as possible in the shortest possible time is a race against virus flare-ups, and virus variants are complicating the process.

For more information about the state's vaccine program, visit mostopscovid.com.

Opportunity for veterans

Veterans may have a special opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine dose Saturday.

A release from John J. Pershing VA Medical Center said VA will be administering vaccine doses at the VA clinic in Cape Girardeau and veterans (no age restriction) interested in receiving a dose should contact VA by calling (573) 686-4151, option 2, to sign up.

The release indicated VA has been following vaccine eligibility guidelines but in this instance wants to ensure all allotted doses are used.