Parson gives update on vaccine incentive program, coronavirus in hospitals
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Parson introduced Dru Buntin as the new director of the Department of Natural Resources at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. The governor also gave an update on the state's vaccine incentive program and discussed a new initiative to increase staff at hospitals.
The first drawing for the Mo VIP incentive program is Friday and the deadline to get the vaccine to be eligible for the drawing is Wednesday. The program was announced on June 21, and more than 450,000 Missourians have signed up for the drawing as of Wednesday afternoon.
Parson said 200,000 more vaccines have been administered in Missouri since he first announced the incentive program, which about a 15% increase.
Mo VIP has three tiers of eligibility: a red tier for Missourians 18 or older who receive at least one dose on or after July 21, a white tier for 18 or older Missourians who have already received at least one dose and a blue tier for Missourians 12 to 17 years old, for which the prize is a MOST 529 savings account.
Watch the news conference replay in the players below.
There are 2,200 people in Missouri hospitalized with COVID-19 and the state logged 3,282 new confirmed cases Wednesday, according to the latest data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The number of COVID-19 patients in Missouri's intensive care units has reached near-record levels, rivaling those seen in December, before the vaccine was widely available.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported 82 people in its area have died from COVID since July 1.
Parson announced $30 million from the CARES Act will be allocated to combatting overcrowding in hospitals. The governor said hospitals are having a hard time keeping up with COVID patients because there are not enough workers.
Dave Dillion with the Missouri Hospital Association told ABC 17 hospitals have enough beds and supplies but need more healthcare professionals to care for the patients and run the equipment.
"We can expand out additional capacity, but we can only do that if we’ve got clinicians to put right next to those beds," Dillon said.
Of the $30 million, half will go toward recruiting and hiring hospital workers and the other half will go to starting antibody infusion sites. Parson said the state is planning to open five to eight centers in areas where there is a high need. The centers should be able to treat 2,000 patients a day.
"We have seen tremendous success with our site in Springfield," Parson said. "We are working with regional partners to identify high need areas and establish these sites."
