Gov. Mike Parson says this week’s state-organized COVID-19 mass vaccination events have been canceled. A press release from Parson’s office says extreme winter weather has led to the change.
February 2021 mass vaccination clinic in southeast Missouri. Photo courtesy of Missourinet affiliate KREI in Farmington
“Missouri is experiencing severe winter weather that makes driving dangerous and threatens the health and safety of anyone exposed to the cold. These conditions will also likely delay some vaccine shipments,” says Parson. “We want to protect the safety of everyone involved in the mass vaccination events, from the patients being vaccinated to the volunteers who generously support these events.”
The release says the state is making every effort to reschedule these events, but individuals who were registered are encouraged to reach out to other vaccinators in their region in the meantime. Missourians scheduled to receive a vaccine this week through other providers should check with their vaccinator for any potential schedule changes.
To ensure that no vaccine doses are endangered, Parson says arriving vaccine shipments for this week’s events will remain in each of the nine Missouri State Highway Patrol regions across the state and redistributed to community hospitals with emergency generators. Community hospitals can give vaccinations in compliance with Missouri’s current activated tiers to eligible local health care workers, first responders, and high-risk residents.
This week, the mass vaccination program was also scheduled to administer second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. These events are being postponed, but the state says doses will be retained in the region. Plans are being made to give these doses as soon as possible.
The slight delay will not affect the efficacy of the booster dose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second dose may be administered as late as six weeks after the first dose.
The Missouri National Guard’s targeted vaccination teams working to vaccinate vulnerable at-risk citizens in St. Louis and Kansas City will focus this week on locations that do not require citizens to travel to be vaccinated, including senior apartments, retirement centers, and similar locations.
“We are extremely appreciative of all the hard work, sacrifices, and rapid adjustments that are being made by our state and local partners to quickly get the vaccine into arms across our state,” says Parson.
For additional information, updates on mass vaccination events, and other vaccinators in your region, visit MOStopsCOVID.com.
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