Parson thanks state for lack of post-Thanksgiving coronavirus bump

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Parson thanked Missourians on Wednesday for taking action to avoid a coronavirus bump in the weeks after Thanksgiving.

Health officials urged people nationwide not to travel for Thanksgiving, expressing fears of a surge in cases after the holiday. Parson said during his coronavirus briefing Wednesday that the post-holiday case bump has not materialized.

"I know this Thanksgiving looked very different for many of us, including my own family," Parson said. "But we truly appreciate Missourians making adjustments and taking precautions to protect one another."

Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below.

Parson said more than two weeks after the holiday, the data do not show a surge in cases. Though case levels remain high, they are stabilizing, Parson said.

After months of stressing personal responsibility in his refusal to issue a statewide mask mandate, Parson said Wednesday that the lack of post-holiday surge was evidence of people taking that responsibility seriously.

"I want to thank all Missourians for taking the action upon themselves, not because of mandates, not because of governments telling you to do things," Parson said. "It's taking the responsibility on yourselves."

He urged residents to continue taking those precautions during upcoming holidays.

Missouri received its first shipment of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine this week, with about 51,000 vials going out to hospitals across the state.

A second Pfizer shipment is expected next week, along with more than 100,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine, pending FDA approval.

Hospitals have begun giving the vaccine to their employees. The state's vaccination plan targets health-care workers and residents in long-term care facilities to get the vaccine first.

SSM Health, which owns St. Mary's Hospital in Jefferson City, received nearly 5,000 doses of the vaccine Tuesday morning. Boone Hospital Center planned to get just under 1,000 doses Wednesday and start vaccinations Thursday. University of Missouri Health Care got a little less than 3,000 doses Tuesday night and began vaccinations Wednesday.

Parson said the vaccines are safe and effective.

Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said the coronavirus vaccines go through a rigorous review process before approval.

"We very much think this is safe, and as the governor said, effective, for people with COVID," Williams said. He said less than 10% of people experience mild side effects, usually with the second shot. Those symptoms -- fatigue, headaches, muscle pain and others -- go away after about a day, he said.

The state needs to get to 75% of residents vaccinate or exposed to the virus to reach "herd immunity." Williams said the country could get there by June under the best-case scenario.

Parson also provided an update on the state's partnership with Vizient to bring out-of-state workers in to Missouri hospitals to help with staffing. SSM Health and BJC Healthcare, which operate hospitals in Mid-Missouri, are among the six health-care systems taking the state's offer.