State unveils new vaccine program

Gov. Mike Parson announced a new COVID-19 vaccine channel Thursday and also signaled a shift in geographic allocations of vaccine doses.

Parson announced a plan to send 15% of the state's weekly vaccine allocation to pharmacies across the state.

"With vaccine supply continuing to increase and more Missourians becoming eligible, we will now begin shipping vaccines to pharmacies in all regions and communities throughout the state," he said. "Local pharmacies are a trusted health care resource for many Missourians, so distributing vaccines to as many pharmacies as we can will help expand accessibility by providing a vast network of capable providers in every community."

More than 150 pharmacies across the state are participating in the program. They will each be allocated 200 vaccine doses per week, according to a news release. In this area, participating pharmacies are:

• Bollinger County: Twin City Pharmacy, Marble Hill
• Cape Girardeau County: Jones Drug Store, Jackson; Park Pharmacy and John's Pharmacy, Cape Girardeau
• Stoddard County; Advance Pharmacy, Advance; Key Drugs at Dexter, Dexter
• Scott County: Medical Arts Sikeston, Sikeston; Chaffee Drug Store, Chaffee.

The state's vaccine allocation goes to several vaccinator channels: high throughput health centers, 35%; mass vaccination events, 15%; local public health agencies, 15%; federally qualified health centers, 15%; community/enrolled providers, 5%; pharmacies, 15%.

The release said later this month, allocations will more closely reflect "unvaccinated eligible populations" in each of the state's Highway Patrol regions (nine).

Allocation shifting

The governor also said today vaccine doses will be increasing in the state's urban areas.

"While distribution is equitable based on population throughout each region, we do recognize that some Missourians are less interested in receiving a vaccine than others," he said. "Vaccine interest is often highest in urban populations, so starting next week, we will begin transitioning mass vaccination teams to accommodate more events in the Kansas City and St. Louis regions."

Parson said mass vaccination teams will begin transitioning operations to include a larger presence in Region A (Kansas City) and Region C (St. Louis) next week. Eventually, two teams will be operational in Region A and three teams will be operational in Region C. The state expects a full transition by April 1. This timeline will allow vaccination teams to complete booster clinics for previous Moderna and Pfizer events and transition to the single dose Janssen vaccine.

Visit MOStopsCOVID.com to view the latest vaccine updates, check vaccine eligibility and locate vaccinators.