Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City is scheduled to receive its first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday (Dec. 15) and then begin administering it to hospital staff, possibly the same day, Mercy spokesman Joe Poelker said.
The Jefferson County Health Department does not expect to receive any of the Pfizer vaccines being shipped across the country and the state.
However, Health Department officials hope to receive the Moderna vaccine once it is approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Jeana Vidacak, public health preparedness coordinator for the Health Department.
Vidacak said the Health Department does not have the proper refrigerators to store the Pfizer vaccine.
“We don't have the capacity to do the ultra-cold storage,” she said. “It's packaged in a way that we could accept it, but we would have a very short turnaround window to administer it.”
The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored around -70 degrees Celsius, and the Moderna around -20 degrees Celsius.
“We currently have storage capabilities for all our regular immunizations or regular vaccines, and the Moderna vaccine falls into that category,” Vidacak said.
Since the Moderna vaccine is still awaiting FDA approval, Vidacak said there has been no word about when the Health Department might receive it.
Vidacak also said she didn’t know how much of the vaccine the Health Department would receive when it’s available.
Some vaccines arrived in Missouri on Monday and were to be shipped to “21 initial vaccination sites” around the state this week, Gov. Mike Parson announced.
Those sites include hospitals and other health care facilities, he said in a written statement.
“We have been preparing for many months and will soon begin administering vaccines according to our COVID-19 vaccine plan,” he said.
Even though some Missourians will soon receive the vaccine, it won’t be available to the public at large for some time, so it’s still important to take steps to stem the spread of the virus, Parson said.
Once the Health Department receives the Moderna vaccine, it plans to hold large drive-thru events for the public, hopefully at the end of January, Vidacak said.
“I'm not sure if we will be at a stage for public vaccination by the end of January. It may be that we're helping with the end of Phase 1 with (getting) health care workers (vaccinated),” she said. “We plan to be ready to go by the end of January, and that way, whatever comes down the line will be ready for it.”
Vidacak said the vaccine requires a second dose 28 days after the first one.
Once vaccines arrive, residents will need to register online for vaccination events and receive a time slot, she said.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams said many vaccinations will be free, but health care providers could charge up to $25 to administer each one.
Vidacak said Monday that Health Department officials had not decided whether the vaccine will be free.
She said the Health Department has been working on a distribution plan since July and she’s excited to know vaccines will soon be here.
“Every time we get a step further to getting better control over this pandemic it is always good. I think vaccines are that next big step we've all been waiting for,” she said.
County COVID-19 stats
The Jefferson County Health Department has reported 454 more COVID-19 cases since its last report on Dec. 11, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 14,623 since the first ones were reported in March.
Of those cases, 171 were from Dec. 11, another 139 were from Dec. 12 and 144 were from Sunday (Dec. 13), according to the Health Department.
The county currently has 5,545 active cases, the highest number since the pandemic began, the Health Department reported.
As of midnight Sunday, a total of 8,934 people had been released from isolation since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Department.
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 1,035 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live in Jefferson County.
Of the 111 COVID-19 deaths in the county, 58 have been from long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported.
Preventive steps
The county remains at the red level on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system, for the sixth consecutive week.
Red is the highest level on the Health Department’s four-color system and indicates widespread and uncontrolled transmission of the virus.
In an effort to control the spread of the virus, health officials urge residents to follow the county’s face mask order, which requires residents to wear face masks while in public spaces when social distancing cannot be maintained. There are no fines or penalties for violators, though.
The Health Department also stresses the importance of taking additional steps to stem the spread of the virus, including limiting nonessential travel, avoiding crowds, social distancing, good hand-washing and staying home if you are sick.
