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UK variation of COVID-19 not detected in Missouri – yet

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A highly contagious version of COVID-19 has made its way to the United States from the UK. During a Capitol press conference Wednesday, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams says the state is keeping a close eye on the variation.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on August 5, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“We have not identified a case of the UK variant yet in Missouri,” says Williams. “It is in the Midwest. It’s in Illinois. It’s been in Indiana. Certainly, have seen that around the country. So, we are watching that very vigilantly. We get tests back and so far we’ve been blessed that they have come back negative. But that could certainly be a factor.”

The variation, known as B.1.1.7., has an unusually large number of mutations. The CDC says there is no evidence at this time to show that UK version of the virus causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.

Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, an infectious disease specialist at Washington University in St. Louis, says there have been other strains of the virus but they have not had a significant impact like this one.

“All that we are seeing right now is higher clusters of people, particularly in the United Kingdom and in South Africa,” she says.

Hlatshwayo Davis says the higher rates of transmission are another reason taking health precautions is necessary, such as wearing a mask, proper handwashing, social distancing, and getting vaccinated.

She says Pfizer and Moderna, who have researchers testing B.1.1.7. against the vaccine, think the drugs currently being used will be effective against the UK version of the virus.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination in Missouri? Here is what you need to know

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Missourians who are first responders, 65 years or older, or have certain serious health problems are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccination. But state Health and Senior Services Department Director Dr. Randall Williams tells Missourinet there’s not enough vaccine to immunize all the people who fall into this category.

Eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination in Missouri? Here is what you need to know

“We are getting about 80,000 vaccines a week and we have about two million people to vaccinate who are now eligible for the vaccine,” says Williams. “Of the two million people, 1.9 (million) are going to get an answer that we don’t have vaccine this week.”

Obviously, that means many Missouri vaccination sites don’t have the vaccine. Williams says vaccinators should get notified about one week in advance of their shipment.

“We only find out every week how much we have available to us,” says Williams. “They put in their order. We find out how much we. We allocate it. Then Moderna and Pfizer communicate with them directly through UPS and Federal Express and let them know when it’s coming in.”

The Pfizer vaccine comes in shipments of 975 doses. He says there’s also more work involved in getting the drug to rural parts of the state than the metro areas. But Williams says Gov. Mike Parson has been insistent on reaching all areas of the state.

“We have been incredibly purposeful about redistributing the Pfizer (vaccine),” says Williams. “So we’ve gotten into an area and then broken them down – 200 here, 300 here, 400 here. And that’s hard to do because when the second dose comes, the federal government won’t send it to the second place. It has to go to the first place and we have to do the same thing over again and keep track of it. If I send 10,000 doses to Barnes Jewish Hospital, I don’t worry about it anymore. They got it. They vaccinate. The people are in the hospital. They just have an appointment. They come get it. They report it. It’s done. If I send 3,000 doses down to Poplar Bluff, then I have to get it down to Kennett, I have to get it to Dunklin County. That’s what we’ve been doing.”

To look for a vaccination site, go to MOSTOPSCOVID.com and click on “Map”. Pick a site and get in touch with them.

“Interact with them to find out if they have vaccine, if they are eligible, are they giving it to them, and how do they make an appointment. But just understand that if you did that tomorrow, that of the two million people, 1.9 (million) are going to get an answer that we don’t have vaccine this week,” says Williams. “It is up to the vaccinator to inform them in whatever way they think they want to do, whether it’s a voicemail or a link on their computer to say, ‘We are a vaccinator. At this moment in time, we do not have vaccine. Or we do have vaccine. If you are in a prioritized group, this is how you get a vaccination.’ That’s how the system works. And that will depend on who the vaccinator is. Barnes Jewish Hospital may say, ‘We are only vaccinating our employees at this moment.’ Cole County may say, ‘Go to this link. Fill out the information and schedule your appointment.’”

Check with the provider to also learn how to get registered.

Missouri is largely using the honor system for the COVID-19 vaccination process. Williams says those getting immunized will need a photo ID and your health insurance information. You will be required to fill out a consent form.

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The latest on Missouri’s upcoming distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

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If the Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer’s request for emergency use of the company’s COVID-19 drug, Missouri could get the first shipment of the vaccine later this month. The first batch is expected to include enough doses to vaccinate 51,000 people, followed by enough to immunize 64,000 the next week.

DHSS Director Dr. Randall Williams

The first phase of the state’s immunization plans will allow healthcare workers to get the two-dose vaccine about one month apart. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams tells Missourinet vaccinating nurses and other hospital employees will help to alleviate a shortage of those workers.

“About 10% – the reason they’re not at work is because they have COVID or they’re quarantined,” says Dr. Williams. “Getting them vaccinated by the end of January at our ten additional sites, is going to be huge for taking care of that issue. So, we’re incredibly excited about that.”

According to the state’s new COVID-19 vaccine website, the first phase will also include other essential workers like daycare and school workers, first responders and some food processing employees.

On Tuesday, the CDC prioritized long-term care residents to get vaccinated. During a Capitol press conference today with the governor, Williams says the extra Pfizer doses will be used to vaccinate both long-term care residents and employees beginning around December 21. Missouri has about 58,000 patients living in these facilities.

The state is expected to get doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for 105,000 other hospital workers. Williams says the state is on track to have all of its 300,000 healthcare workers vaccinated by the end of January.

Williams says residents and staff within Missouri’s congregate facilities like prisons and mental healthcare will begin getting vaccinated in February.

Under Missouri’s plan, the general public could get vaccinated in phase 2 and 3 as the vaccine availability increases.

The state has identified 21 sites to store the vaccinations. Their locations are a mystery. Williams tells Missourinet the federal government has restricted the state from releasing their locations.

“We’re not allowed to share that for security reasons,” says Dr. Williams.

He says the drugs can be stored for up to six months.

“To receive the distribution, you have to assure the CDC that you can vaccinate that amount of people in 10 days,” says Williams. “You can’t hoard it. You can’t ask for 10,000 doses and say we’re going to use it over three months.”

To view the state’s new COVID-19 vaccine website, click here.

Missouri to launch ‘Project Echo’ to help reduce COVID-19 strain on hospitals

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On December 8, the state will launch a program that aims to better equip Missouri’s rural hospitals to care for COVID-19 patients and avoid further strain on the largest hospitals. Some of the larger ones have had to stop accepting ambulances and patient transfers from rural areas for periods of time due to capacity problems.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on August 5, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

State Health and Senior Services Department Director Randall Williams tells Missourinet the program, called Project ECHO, stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes. ECHO will include specialists giving guidance to workers at smaller hospitals.

The University of Missouri is one of America’s pioneers of the program. Show-Me ECHO is a telehealth network that connects community providers with experts, building virtual learning and mentoring collaborative efforts to increase capacity for care.

Williams says the state’s program will allow human resource officers to offer ways to help maximize staffing, particularly among nurses.

“Where we find our rate-limiting staff is not beds. It’s not doctors. It tends to be nursing and ancillary personnel. Like 10% of those are affected by COVID. They can’t work because they either have COVID or they are quarantined,” says Dr. Williams.

He says the National Guard has helped hospitals during the pandemic, but he is not aware of soldiers helping with hospital staffing problems. The state is reviewing where it can get other nurses from, including other states and using LPNs and others to free up nurses.

Williams says the state is also converting ventilators to high-flow oxygen and making those available to smaller hospitals.

“There will also be a respiratory therapy component to that so that the respiratory therapists can know how to give high-flow oxygen, which is also something they don’t always do but is very much needed with COVID-19 patients,” says Williams.

Another element will involve long-term care facilities.

“One of the rate-limiting steps now is hospitals cannot discharge people who have recovered back to nursing homes. So, the ECHO covers both triage, I.E. referrals to tertiary care facilities. Reverse triage, which is getting people who have recovered back to smaller hospitals and getting patients out of all hospitals back into long-term care facilities. Listening to our clinicians, our intensivists and our hospitalists in both our large and small hospitals, they think all of those elements of patient care need to be addressed and that’s what the Echo will do.”

Will these efforts go far enough to prevent most transfers?

“That’s really a clinical decision that clinicians have to make. I probably wouldn’t speculate on that. I think what we’re very interested in is the whole chain of patient care,” he says.

According to Williams, Missouri also continues to review whether to temporarily waive regulations required of hospitals.

The program will launch on the heels of Missouri reporting today more than 2,900 new COVID-19 cases. Since the coronavirus came on the scene in March, the state has reported about 302,000 testing positive for the virus – more than 116,000 of those cases came in November alone. Missouri has had 4,006 people die as a result of COVID-19 and nearly 2,600 are in a hospital battling the virus.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri flu shots are up 19 percent, from a year ago

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The state health director says more than 100,000 Missourians become sick from the flu, during a typical year.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on October 15, 2020, as Governor Mike Parson listens (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams tells Capitol reporters that Missouri is outpacing itself from a year ago, in its number of flu shots.

“We’ve looked at our data through September 25, which is the eighth week in our flu season and we’re up 19 percent for flu shots,” Dr. Williams says.

DHSS notes that symptoms of flu and COVID-19 significantly overlap one another. Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, headaches and chills.

Dr. Williams spoke at Wednesday’s Capitol press conference in Jefferson City, where he joined Governor Mike Parson. The governor is encouraging all Missourians to consider getting a flu shot.

“The First Lady and I received our flu shots every year, and this year is more important than ever,” says Parson.

DHSS is urging you to get the flu vaccine by the end of the month. The agency says fewer than half of Missouri adults typically get a flu vaccine.

Dr. Williams has emphasized that it’s crucial to ensure Missouri has the capacity to care for COVID patients. He says flu vaccines are important to the COVID-19 fight, saying Missourians need to do whatever they can to prevent a strain on the state’s health care system.

DHSS says the single, best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine annually.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing, May 13, 2020 : Testing ramps up statewide

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Gov. Mike Parson with Jim Dumbauld, Senior Director for Logistics, Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities and Fleet, Quest Diagnostics and DHSS Director Randall Williams. Williams provides updated testing capability numbers and outlines the 4-part approach to COVID-19 testing in Missouri.

Total cases confirmed in Missouri: 10,142
Deaths: 542

Watch full briefing:

Missouri’s health director testifies about coronavirus funding and St. Louis County case

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Missouri’s health director testified Tuesday in Jefferson City about the one presumptive positive result for coronavirus in the state. The case involves a college student who is from the St. Louis suburb of Ladue.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams prepares to testify before a joint legislative committee in Jefferson City on March 10, 2020 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams testified before the Legislative Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Awareness.

“That patient had, as (St. Louis County Executive) Sam Page has said, had done the right things,” Williams testifies. “She had come from a country which is one of our flagged countries, she had gotten symptomatic.”

Dr. Williams tells lawmakers that the woman called a hotline, got into care and become sicker, then was tested.

Governor Parson and County Executive Dr. Sam Page announced the St. Louis County case at a Saturday evening news conference in Clayton. The woman had recently traveled to Italy.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has not confirmed the St. Louis County case yet. Dr. Page told reporters Saturday that the case is highly likely to come back confirmed as positive.

President Trump signed the coronavirus emergency funding package, which contains about $9.9 million for Missouri. Dr. Williams tells lawmakers that the state has received the appropriation for the funding, but not the funding itself yet.

“Which (the funding) will be incredibly helpful,” Williams testifies. “I’ll cut to the chase, we do not plan to ask for GR (general revenue) funding, we think we have the funds to cover what we need.”

Williams testifies that DHSS is developing guidelines about how that $9.9 million will be spent.

Dr. Williams also testifies that about 35 to 40 tests have been done in Missouri for coronavirus. All of the others in Missouri have tested negative.

Former State Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, who is a physician, also testified before the committee on Tuesday.

He testified that Missouri lawmakers should be ready to dip into the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Schaaf also predicts coronavirus will impact Missouri prisons and hospitals.

Former Senator Schaaf is also calling on lawmakers to give Governor Parson the authority to release non-violent prisoners immediately. Schaaf works for a company that provides health care to Missouri inmates, and emphasizes he is not speaking for the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC). He also says he did not clear his remarks with the governor.

As for Dr. Williams, he reiterated Tuesday what he said last week to a House special committee: that he’s hoping for the best but preparing for the worst regarding the coronavirus.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri leaders to address coronavirus control, health director meets with White House

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Dr. Randall Williams (courtesy Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services)

Missouri’s health director will testify Monday in Jefferson City before a newly-created state House committee related to the new coronavirus. House Speaker Elijah Haahr announced the formation of the committee Thursday, saying state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams has briefed his office on the state’s response plan to protect Missourians’ health. Speaker Haahr says that the more information Missourians have, the better equipped the state will be to mitigate the virus’ spread.

Williams said in an agency statement released today, “Prior to the national health emergency being declared on January 31, our incident management team from DHSS had already begun daily meetings (on Jan. 27) as part of our normal preparedness and response duties. Part of our responsibilities also includes being an effective liaison to local public health departments who were briefed last week in Jefferson City with the latest information from federal partners.”

This week, Williams traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with his counterparts from around the nation to discuss preparations across our country with the acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.”

“I am pleased that our efforts here in Missouri are strategically aligned with our federal and national partners.”

The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory has been approved by the CDC to begin providing testing. The test uses real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect the virus which causes COVID-19, and it can provide same-day results.

“Our Missouri team has been working to educate and collaborate with a robust network of response organizations including the State Emergency Management Agency, all 16 State departments, the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, clinicians, local public health departments, medical associations, hospital associations, airports, school nurses, student health departments at colleges, and others to provide timely and accurate information in preparation for the possibility of a future positive case,” Dr. Williams also said in the press statement.

Missouri DHSS has established a website at www.health.mo.gov/coronavirus to provide information and links to resources and education material on COVID-19.