Cole County health leaders plan for accessibility issues for coronavirus vaccine during winter weather, other barriers
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Health leaders in Jefferson City said the weather is something they monitor every day as a part of the coronavirus vaccine rollout plan.
The Cole County Health Department with area health providers and elected leaders held a briefing Thursday afternoon to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of the Health Department Kristi Campbell said the numbers of cases and hospitalizations continue to decline, but vaccine supply also continues to be low.
"While our numbers are low, so is our vaccine supply," Campbell said. "It's also very limited in Cole County, so we are really asking everyone to have a lot of patience as we work through distributing the vaccines that we get."
The winter weather has pushed back some of that distribution in the Mid-Missouri regions. The Camden County Health Department said it already received 2,000 doses of the vaccine for an event on Sunday that had to be postponed.
Making sure no doses of the vaccine go to waste is a big priority for health leaders, so Campbell said keeping an eye on the weather has been a part of the vaccination process on a smaller scale.
"You can't be ready for 100 people to show up if you aren't sure, so we just don't mix up those doses and we don't draw them up," Campbell said. "We look at what the weather is going to be, of course people will call in, it just takes a little bit more planning."
She said if someone does call in because of inclement weather, the department will reschedule the appointment.
Health Care providers in the Cole County area said they also mix the vaccine sparingly to avoid wasting doses.
If a patient is getting their second dose of a vaccine and have to reschedule, Dr. Lenora Adams with SSM Health St. Mary's said both Pfizer and Moderna say there is about a 4 day grace period to get the second shot.
"If for some reason you cannot get your second dose when you should, they recommend that you just get it as soon as you can afterward," Adams said. "You do not need to restart the vaccine series, you will be considered fully vaccinated."
Other people in the community may not have access to the vaccine for various reasons. Chief Clinical Officer for the Community Health Center of Central Missouri Crystal Sullivan said the organization has sent out its mobile unit with doses into communities that may have issues with transportation.
"We know that we've not been able to reach everybody, obviously supply is still very limited," Sullivan said.
Sullivan suggested reaching out to family, friends and other organizations if citizens are unable to transport themselves. She also mentioned OATS Transit is offering free rides.
A spokeswoman for OATS said anyone over 60 or with disabilities qualifies for a free ride to a vaccine in the Mid-Missouri. They ask passengers to alert OATS 24-48 hours in advance.
The free rides which started last week must fall under it's normal schedule. The program is paid for using Federal CARES Act Funding.
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