Boone County health department requests additional vaccine doses for health clinics

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia/Boone County health department has requested coronavirus vaccines from the state to help vaccinate smaller health clinics as well as patient-facing health department workers.

Assistant health department director Scott Clardy said there is no timeline for receiving additional doses of the vaccine as of Thursday. Clardy said an answer could come next week.

The health department is contacting local health clinics to see how many doses of the vaccine they will need.

"We won’t know when it will come until we know necessarily how much is needed," Clardy said.

The state health department told Clardy there is no timeline right now due to a lack of supply.

"They are trying to get the vaccine out as soon as they get it, but there is just not enough vaccine to immunize everybody to vaccinated everybody who is in group one A right now," he said.

Tara Fergerson with the Cole County health department said the department is also working to help small health providers get the vaccine.

"We are working with the local hospital systems in Jefferson City, Capital Region and SSM, as well as Community Health Center of Central Missouri to vaccinate the smaller health care groups that may not be affiliated with a larger health organization," she said.

The Cole County health department is in the process of reaching out to organizations to determine how many of their staff are patient facing and interested in receiving the vaccine.

Dave Dillon with the Missouri Hospital Association said he is unsure when the vaccine will be given out to smaller clinics and health departments.

Boone Hospital Center, MU Health Care, SSM St. Mary's, Capital Region Medical Center and the Truman VA in mid-Missouri have already started vaccinating health care workers.

Dillon expects the Moderna vaccine to drop next assuming approval , but is unaware when the next Pfizer shipment will drop.