Local health departments prepare for the activation of Phase 3 next week
COLUMBIA, MO (KMIZ)
All Missourians will be eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine next Friday, April 9. Local health departments are preparing on how to accommodate a larger group becoming eligible.
The state is moving forward with its vaccine distribution plan as Phase 3 will become eligible on April 9.
Phase 3 allows for all Missourians to now become eligible to receive a vaccine. The state activated Phase 2 on Monday, including; financial service providers, construction employees, and more.
The Cole County Health Department plans to administer 1,000 vaccine doses a day at its new vaccination site at Capital Mall, starting April 12.
Cole County Health Department Director, Kristi Campbell, says it will receive 4,000 vaccine doses a week for the clinic. The first week the health department plans to receive 4,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
"Here in Cole County we're implementing and starting that central vaccination site, so here at Cole County Health Department, we won't be doing vaccines anymore. We're going to direct everybody to that central vaccination site because we will be able to increase our throughput and give more vaccines per day," said Campbell.
Campbell says the clinic will also be supported by the Missouri National Guard. Appointments will start at 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, starting April 12.
"Here at the health department if it was full capacity, we would probably be only able to do about 200 to 288 a day, so with partnering with those other health care groups and the national guard we'll be able to do a lot more vaccines every day," said Campbell.
The clinic will be in the old Party City store, which has an outdoor entrance. Capital Region Medical Center, SSM St. Mary's Hospital, Jefferson City Medical Group, the Community Health Center and the Cole County Health Department are partnering to open and staff the clinic.
Campbell says the health department is focused on ensuring the homebound population can get access to the vaccine. The Cole county EMS is assisting the health department in getting the homebound population vaccinated, as it's going to people's homes and vaccinating them there.
Campbell says Missourians interested in getting an appointment at the clinic should sign up and register through the state's vaccine navigator website.
The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services department is also preparing for the large population of Missourians to become eligible next week. Ashton Day, Health Educator for the Columbia/Boone County Health Department, says, the department is currently planning for more local mass vaccination clinics.
"Not only are we excited because more people are eligible, but we're also getting more supply, so we are planning more clinics in our office and outreach clinics and trying to work through all the logistics for all of those," said Day.
Day says the health department is focused on meeting the public where they are in order to get vaccinated. The department is working on ensuring the homebound population has received a vaccine, as nurses from the health department are going into homes and vaccinating those in need.
This week the department is only providing second-dose vaccinations, but Day says Monday the department plans to open up appointments for the week. Day says the public should continue to monitor the department's social media pages and website for updated information on appointments and future clinics.
Day advises for those seeking a vaccine to continue to reach out to local vaccinators like; pharmacies, Hy-Vee and Walmart, which may have sooner vaccine appointments available.
