Boone County health providers waiting on more shipments before vaccinating people in Tier 2

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state of Missouri began vaccinating people who fall under Phase 1B Tier 2 on Jan. 18, but vaccines have not been readily available to people in that tier in Boone County.

Local healthcare providers have been trying to get enough vaccines to inoculate people. Vaccinators in Boone County submit requests for doses to the state, which gets them from the federal government.

According to an email sent to University of Missouri faculty, staff and students, local providers are still waiting to vaccinate millions of people.

"For example, while Missouri has authorized vaccinations through the first two tiers of Phase 1B, vaccinators are receiving a fraction of the supply needed to vaccinate millions of Missourians who fall into those priority tiers."

University of Missouri statement

Eric Maze, spokesman for MU Health Care, said it is working to get more vaccines.

MU Health Care opened a mass vaccination site at Faurot Field in Columbia Monday morning, but vaccines are not available at the site for tier 2 patients.

"When we receive adequate vaccine doses from the state, we are excited to begin vaccinating people in the first two tiers of Phase 1B. We are prepared to vaccinate up to 1,100 people per day once supplies are adequate. Right now, we have enough vaccine to begin Phase 1B Tier 1," Maze said.

"The university does not control the flow of the vaccine – these decisions are made by federal, state and county officials. We talk frequently with these leaders to ensure we are up to date on the situation because we know our community is anxious to participate."

University of Missouri statement

Boone Hospital Center is also working to get more vaccines. Chief Medical Officer Boone Hospital Center Dr. Robin Blount said the hospital did not receive any additional vaccines last week or this week. The hospital is currently only giving second doses it receives from the state.

The Columbia/Boone County Health Department is doing the same and hopes to get a second shipment of the first doses this week.

"It's one of those things where it's a struggle because we want to be able to give out vaccines, we have the capacity to do so in large numbers if we had the vaccine available, but we just don't have it available, you know, here locally," said Sara Humm with the health department.

Humm said there are several reasons why Boone County is behind on vaccinating high-risk individuals. She said community size and the number of people in each tier impacts how quickly vaccines can be given.

"That first phase had a lot of those frontline healthcare workers, which in Columbia we have a lot of those, and more than other communities around us, because you know, our hospitals have such a large catchment area that we have a lot of staff members who are those patient-facing healthcare workers," she said.

Humm said Boone County vaccinators are also waiting to start vaccinating people in Tier 2 because they are still working to vaccinate people from Phase 1A and 1B Tier 1.

The health department is still working to be prepared for when it and other vaccinators receive more doses. Staff is communicating with health care providers in Boone County and the state to provide the latest information, which Humm said changes daily.

The department is also working to create a registry so people in Tier 2 can register when vaccines become available. It is also looking at more locations to give vaccines.

Humm said once county healthcare providers get more doses they will be able to more quickly inoculate people in each category.

Anyone looking for information about vaccines as they become available can sign up for information at como.gov/covidvaccine.