Audrain County to host National Guard coronavirus vaccine clinic
MEXICO, MO (KMIZ)
Mexico will host one of the dozens of planned Missouri National Guard coronavirus vaccine clinics.
The Audrain County Health Department said Tuesday that the Guard will hold the clinic starting at 9 a.m. Friday at the Mexico Memorial Airport. Anyone in Tiers 1 and 2 of Phase 1B of the state's vaccination plan can get the shot. Those groups include people 65 and older and those with health conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The Missouri National Guard will provide 2,500 vaccine doses in partnership with the Audrain County Health Department. The clinic is one of at least 27 that will be held around the state. The first took place last weekend in Poplar Bluff, in the southeastern part of the state.
The Audrain County Health Department says the vaccine supply will be limited and they may need to turn some people away during the event.
“We apologize in advance for this and will continue to work on scheduling other mass vaccination clinics in the near future,” health department Administrator and CEO Craig Brace said in a news release.
Brace says the event will be first come first served and advises the public to get there early. No registration is needed to receive the vaccine, the department requests for people to bring a form of I.D.
The state opened up vaccinations of Tier 2 of the Phase 1B population last Monday. However, in many areas of the state limited supply has meant those people have not received their vaccines.
The state's Department of Health and Senior Services says that vaccinators have not been giving shots at the rate that was anticipated. State vaccinators have administered 60% of the vaccine doses that the state has received, a department spokeswoman said Monday. The department says it is working toward a plan with health care providers to increase the speed of vaccinations and get more people vaccinated.
Another issue the state is monitoring is the number of Moderna vaccine doses that have been administered to long-term care facilities. Only 17% of vaccine doses for long-term care facilities have been administered by pharmacy partners CVS and Walgreens as of Monday. Many local long-term care facilities are preparing for the second round of vaccinations at their facilities this week.
