Missouri is distributing the vaccine according to a tiered system that takes risk factors and occupation into account.
Residents who want to get vaccinated should register for the state’s vaccine navigator. After completing questions about age, occupation and health risk, the tool will place individuals into a tier. When the vaccine becomes available for their tier, individuals will receive an email with a link allowing them to schedule an appointment at one of the state’s vaccination locations. The state is warning residents they may not be contacted to schedule an appointment for months, as vaccine availability is still very limited. While 395 vaccinators requested over 250,000 doses last week, Missouri received only 93,000 doses from the federal government.
An estimated 11.5% of Missourians have received the first dose of the vaccine, according to data from the state. Missouri is currently vaccinating health care workers, emergency service providers and first responders, and high-risk individuals, including residents over age 65.
Seniors in Missouri can get help with vaccine registration and transportation to appointments by contacting their local Area Agency on Aging (AAA). Residents can find their local AAA contact here.
As part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, 81 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in Missouri have begun receiving vaccines from the federal government. Eligible Missourians can schedule vaccine appointments when they are available through the Walmart or Sam’s Club websites.
Individual counties within the state are following Missouri’s distribution plan, but most county websites also include their own specific vaccine contact forms.
Jackson County
Information on when residents of Jackson Country can receive the COVID-19 vaccination is available on the health department’swebsite. In addition to Missouri’s vaccine navigator tool, the Jackson County Health Department is asking residents who want to get the vaccine to take asurvey to determine their eligibility. Residents will get a notification when the vaccine becomes available to their tier.
For resident of Jackson County within city limits, the Kansas City Health Department has developed a similar survey. Kansas Citians without access to the online form can also call 3-1-1 to sign up.
Both websites also list information on area vaccine providers such as Truman Medical Centers, Saint Luke’s Health System, mass vaccination clinics, and pharmacies included in the Federal Retail Pharmacy program. To sign up for vaccination at one of these providers, individuals must be eligible according to the state’s tier system.
The vaccine won't be available to the general public until late spring to early fall, depending on the number of approved vaccines and state allotments.
Clay County
The Clay County Public Health Center website has a similar sign-up form. Completion of the form will put county residents on a waiting list. When they become eligible, residents will be contacted to make an appointment through the health department or Operation Safe, a collaboration between the health department, area hospitals and Cerner Corp. that provides large-scale vaccination clinics every other week at Cerner’s headquarters in North Kansas City.
The CCPHC website also includes information on other area providers where eligible Missourians can sign up for a vaccine appointment, including Sam’s Club, Walmart, Hy-Vee, and Truman Medical Centers.
Platte County
Platte County residents who want to receive the vaccine must fill out an interest survey, according to the health department’s website. Like other counties, the health department will contact individuals who complete the survey when their tier becomes eligible to schedule a vaccination.
The department recommends the general public useVaccine Finder to find where they can receive the vaccine once it becomes available, though the public can’t use that tool to find a COVID-19 vaccine yet.
Platte County says it will continue to update its website with more vaccine information as the rollout progresses.
Cass County
The Cass County Health Department has created a survey to determine individual vaccine eligibility. Information from the survey will be used to notify residents when the vaccine becomes available to their tier, with instructions on how to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Kansas
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is administering vaccines according to a five-phase plan that prioritizes certain populations based on public health risk and the state’s infrastructure needs. For example, health care workers, child care workers and teachers will all have access to the vaccine before the general public.
Kansas currently is in Phase 2. The entire vaccination plan is availablehere.
According to data provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 11.6% of Kansans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Like Missouri, Kansas is participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, with more than 400 locations involving 12 pharmacy chains. So far, 82 pharmacies in the state have received doses of the vaccine as part of the program. Participating locations are available on county websites or here.
Vaccine distribution is coordinated at the county level by local health departments. The health departments decide how their limited supply of doses will be allocated to different population groups.
Johnson County
The Johnson County Department of Health is vaccinating residents as part of Phase 2 of the state’s plan, The health department’s website has an interest form specifically for those who are eligible to be vaccinated in this phase. Residents can also call the health department to fill out the form. Those who complete the form will be contacted when appointments become available. The department estimates vaccinating the Phase 2 population will take several weeks.
The health department’s website provides weekly updates with information on the vaccine rollout. The website also lists area providers where eligible residents can sign up for vaccine appointments, including health care systems and pharmacies taking part in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Wyandotte County
Wyandotte County is asking residents interested in getting the vaccine to fill out aninterest form or call 3-1-1 to determine their eligibility. From the information provided in the survey, the department will notify residents when the vaccine is available. The health department’s website also provides information on vaccine eligibility. The county is currently vaccinating residents in Phase 2 of Kansas’ vaccination plan. People age 65 and over became eligible on Feb. 16 to receive the vaccine in Wyandotte County.
Douglas County
Douglas County is currently administering vaccines under Phase 2 of the state’s plan. Residents who want to receive the vaccine can fill out a survey on the health department’s website. Those who need assistance filling out the form can call the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County at 785-842-0543. Those who fill out the form will be notified when the vaccine becomes available, with instructions on how to sign up for an appointment.
