MU Health to open 4,000 slots for coronavirus vaccine shots
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
University of Missouri Health Care plans to schedule 4,000 appointments this week for coronavirus vaccine shots after the state announced a new plan to distribute shots.
MU Health said Monday that it expects 4,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week and will open up appointments at the Walsworth Family Columns Club at Faurot Field.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri Hospital Association announced Monday a new plan to distribute the coronavirus vaccine through the month of February.
Missouri's interagency vaccine planning team selected hospitals in all regions of the state to receive more than half of the state's weekly vaccine allocation, the department said in a news release. The state will alternate weekly which hospital groups the doses are going to.
Hospitals selected in mid-Missouri are:
- University of Missouri Health Care
- SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital
- Capital Region Medical Center
- Phelps Health
- Bothwell Regional Medical Center
MU Health Care and Phelps Health are receiving doses this week and again the week of Feb. 15. St. Mary's Hospital, Capital Region and Bothwell will get vaccines next week and again the week of Feb. 22.
The department says the limited supply of vaccine to this point has been a major factor in leaving 2 million currently eligible people unvaccinated.
MU Health will hold appointments from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this week, according to a release. Appointment invitations will be sent out to people who filled out MU Health's vaccine survey and meet current eligibility requirements to receive the shot.
MU Health expects to host appointments again the week of Feb. 15, when it gets another large allocation of shots from the state.
The state's COVID-19 portal shows 397,430 Missourians have received the first dose of the vaccine and 118,420 have received the second dose as of Monday morning.
The hospitals selected in each region for the new distribution plan had to have the capability to administer 5,000 vaccines every week.
The state is committing 53% of weekly allocations to selected hospitals, 23% to regional mass vaccination events, 8% to local public health agencies, 8% to federally qualified health centers and the last 8% to community providers requesting the vaccine.
Thousands were vaccinated at the regional events held in Mexico, Moberly and Sedalia last week.
Hospitals not selected fall into the community provider category and may request the vaccine through DHSS.
