COVID-19 vaccinations resume in Southeast Missouri

Winter weather forced health officials in the region to postpone COVID-19 vaccination events last week, but vaccinations are restarting this week.

Among the vaccination events in Southeast Missouri this week:

• Bollinger County: National Guard mass vaccination clinic, Wednesday, Leopold Knights of Columbus Hall; to register, visit www.covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator or call (877) 435-8411.
• Cape Girardeau County: today, rescheduled from Feb. 16, Century Casino in Cape Girardeau (Moderna vaccine); Saturday, rescheduled from Feb. 19 and 21, Cape Girardeau Central High School (Pfizer-BioNTech); all appointment times are the same.
• Scott County: Wednesday, Missouri Delta Medical Center; for an appointment, call (573) 472-7406 or (573) 471-4044.

Maria Davis, health educator with Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, said the postponements will not adversely affect those waiting for their second vaccine dose.

“The best practice is to get Pfizer three to six weeks” after the first dose, she said, “and for Moderna, four to six weeks after the first dose. However, even if you pass these windows, it is still recommended you get your second dose as soon as possible. ... Anyone who did not get their second dose due to the rescheduled clinics will still receive their second shot within the best practice window.”

Davis explained procedures are in place to ensure vaccinators use every available vaccine dose, even with the uncertainties snow and ice bring.

“We do not waste COVID-19 vaccines. They are the most effective tool we have to fight the virus and are treated as precious cargo. We continuously monitor the storage freezers and use mobile freezers (also monitored) at our local clinics,” she noted. “We are very careful to only thaw what is needed throughout the day, and if people do not show up, the vaccine is used for the following clinic.”

State numbers

According to state Department of Health and Senior Services data, vaccinators across the state have administered 1,029,785 vaccine doses, with 11.5% of the state’s population having received at least one vaccine dose. Of the total doses administered, 703,014 have been first doses and 326,771 were second doses.

Nearly 40% of the state’s population 85 years old and older have received at least one vaccine dose. Percentages having received at least one vaccine dose in other age groups include: 75-84, 25.5%; 65-74, 28.8%; and 55-64, 13.4%.

Cape Girardeau County ranks fourth in the state in percentage of population having received at least one vaccine dose, 17.5%. Other Southeast Missouri county percentages as of Monday were Bollinger, 12.1%; Perry, 13.5%; Scott, 16.2%; and Stoddard, 10.9%.

Davis said administering a vaccine to as many people as possible as quickly as possible requires a great deal of planning.

“We attribute the success to the coordination and cooperation among the local vaccine providers and partners throughout the county. Planning for a pandemic started long before this event in Cape County,” she said. “Cape County and Southeast Missouri organizations came together to establish the Infectious Disease Taskforce in 2005 to discuss emerging communicable diseases and collectively create a plan. The Taskforce has continued to meet yearly and has responded to epidemics in the past.”

The health educator said the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines has boosted confidence the pandemic’s end may be coming.

“We are very hopeful but cautious. The vaccine is the best tool we have in the fight against this disease but supply is still extremely limited,” she said. “Even though people are getting vaccinated and cases are going down, it doesn’t mean the virus is gone. We need to continue to socially distance, wear a mask and avoid large crowds.”