Governor doesn't want door-to-door vaccine help

KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Federal officials are pushing back after Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn't want government employees going door-to-door in the state to urge people to get vaccinated, even as a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms some hospitals.

Missouri asked for help last week from newly formed federal "surge response" teams as it combats an influx of cases public health officials are blaming on fast-spreading delta variant and deep-seated concerns about the vaccine. After President Joe Biden mentioned the possibility of door-to-door promotion of the vaccine, Parson tweeted: "I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!"

He added Thursday during a stop in the Kansas City area to promote a new law providing a legal shield against COVID-19 liability lawsuits that hospitals are not overwhelmed on bed space. He said he didn't know what the federal government planned to do but stressed the state had been getting federal help all along.

"We are all concerned about the spike in the delta virus but to try to mislead people like we are in crisis is totally misleading," Parson said. "We are not in a crisis mode in this state and we shouldn't be right now."

Statewide, hospitalizations rose to 1,034 on Monday, up by nearly 60% from 648 one month earlier. In Southwest Missouri, hospitalizations rose by nearly 124%, up to 387 from 173.

Dr. Nana Gaisie answers questions about the coronavirus surge at Cox South hospital on Tuesday in Springfield, Missouri, during a news conference.Nathan Papes ~ The Springfield News-Leader via AP

"We know there's a vast number of people that is hesitant to take the vaccine," Parson said. "That is what we all should be working together trying to find a solution to get more vaccine in more people's arms, not trying to force people to take it. Not trying to scare them into it. Just make sure that they understand the facts."

But Jeffrey Zeints, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Thursday the best people to promote vaccinations are "local trusted messengers" like doctors, faith leaders and community leaders, who may go door to door.

"So I would say for those individuals, organizations that are feeding misinformation and trying to mischaracterize this type of trusted messenger work, I believe you are doing a disservice to the country and to the doctors, the faith leaders, the community leaders and others who are working to get people vaccinated, to save lives and help to end this pandemic," he said.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich also sent a letter to Biden condemning the new strategy. Fox News first reported on the letter.

The pushback from Arizona and Missouri came after Biden said Tuesday: "Now, we need to go to community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oftentimes, door-to-door -- literally knocking on doors -- to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted Thursday the door-to-door vaccine canvassing is done entirely by volunteers and the White House believes it's helped boost vaccine rates in several states, including Alabama, Florida and Georgia. She emphasized the federal government doesn't keep a database of who's been vaccinated.

Parson has urged people to get vaccinated, while also declining to enact restrictions to control the virus' spread, instead asking residents to take personal responsibility. Missouri -- which leads the nation with the most new COVID-19 cases per capita over the last two weeks -- did not have a mask mandate, and Parson signed a law last month placing limits on public health restrictions and barring governments from requiring proof of vaccination to use public facilities and transportation.

Over the weekend, the Republican governor tweeted a picture of himself at a fireworks celebration in the tourist town of Branson, a large crowd behind him. Branson is about 40 miles south of Springfield, where one hospital, Mercy Springfield, was so overwhelmed with patients it temporarily ran out of ventilators and took to social media to beg for help from respiratory therapists. This week, Mercy Springfield set a pandemic high for hospitalizations.

Just 29.5% of residents in the county where Branson is located have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, state data shows. That is below the state rate of 45% and the national rate of 55.1% but not unlike several other Southwest Missouri communities. Some have vaccination rates in the teens and 20s.

Vaccine and mask resistance runs deep in the area: Branson's mayor was elected to office this spring after running on a platform calling for doing away with masks.

"I think what Missouri shows us, unfortunately, is that it's the unimmunized who are ending up in the hospital," said Dr. Chris Beyrer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "And that makes it in some ways even more of a challenge for health care workers, because these are preventable hospitalizations and preventable deaths."

Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington lamented the worsening situation in a tweet.

"This is a mass casualty event, happening in slow-motion," he said. "EMS resources are depleted, and the hospital systems are overwhelmed. Our community is in crisis."

Lawsuits limited

Parson also on Wednesday signed a bill into law to limit lawsuits against companies for wrongdoing related to the pandemic.

The legislation, which takes effect Aug. 28, prohibits COVID-19 liability lawsuits against businesses and health care providers unless plaintiffs can prove they were exposed and sickened by the coronavirus and the entity engaged in "reckless or willful misconduct."

Religious organizations will be shielded from COVID-19 exposure lawsuits unless "intentional misconduct" can be proven.

Manufacturers who changed their normal business operations to make masks or other COVID-19 products also will not be subject to liability lawsuits unless plaintiffs can prove by "clear and convincing evidence" their "reckless or willful misconduct" caused harm or injury.

The legislation was a top priority for Parson and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During a bill signing in his Capitol office, Parson lauded businesses for shifting the focus to masks, hand sanitizer and other tools needed during the pandemic.

"This is to protect those businesses," Parson said. "The last thing we need to do is punish anybody for trying to help in the middle of a crisis."

Some Democratic lawmakers have cautioned the measure goes too far and could make it difficult to file lawsuits against faulty mask manufacturers or other bad actors.