Missouri vaccination numbers continue to drop with most of the population still unvaccinated
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri is continuing to see a steady decline in the number of coronavirus vaccinations given daily after reaching a peak on April 11.
The seven-day average of daily vaccinations reached 54,187 that day, the highest seven-day average since the state begin distributing coronavirus vaccines in December. On Wednesday that seven-day average had dropped to 26,508 per day.
Using the seven-day average is considered a more accurate measurement than daily totals, which see sharp declines on weekends.
To date, Missouri has recorded 3,845,710 first and second coronavirus vaccine doses administered. The share of the population that has initiated vaccination is 37.3% and 27.4% have completed the vaccination.
The peak in average daily vaccinations was reached just two days after Missouri opened up vaccine eligibility to anyone old enough to get the shot. This extended the vaccine to an estimated 1.1 million Missourians who were previously not eligible.
Boone County has the highest vaccine initiation rate in the state with 43.6% of the population initiating the vaccine. In Cole County, 34.3% of the population has initiated the vaccine equating to 26,346 Missourians.
Chezney Schulte, the communicable disease coordinator with the Cole County Health Department, said the supply of vaccines has been high in Cole County which has allowed a lot of people to get vaccinated.
She said most of the people who wanted to get vaccinated already have, and the ones that haven't either have made up their minds they are not going to, or do not have the proper education on the vaccines.
However, Boone and Cole counties are continuing to work on vaccinating more resident.
Schulte said the department's walk-in clinic at the Capital Mall has increased the number of vaccines given out daily.
The Columbia/Boone Department of Public Health and Human Services hosted its first walk-in-only vaccination clinic for rural areas Wednesday. Health officials hope the convenience of a walk-in clinic closer to where people live will encourage people to get shots.
Ashton Day, a health educator at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department, said another reason for vaccine decline is people not having the access to the vaccines. She works to make vaccines more accessible to the public.
The health department, in partnership with the Missouri National Guard, vaccinated 95 people at a walk-in clinic in Centralia on Wednesday.
The health department is holding a walk-in vaccine clinic in Ashland on Thursday.
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