Missouri sending COVID-19 vaccines to state hospitals

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BRANSON NEWS: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri’s state strategy will send approximately 76,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine a week during February. CoxHealth and Mercy Hospitals in Springfield and Branson are two of the 30 facilities to receive a portion of the doses.

“That’s really encouraging news, I will say that I’m really grateful that the Governor laid out a plan, asked for our input, we gave him input, and he changed the plan,” said Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth. “That plan moved to be more focused on healthcare systems delivering the vaccine, and we’ll let the other groups fill in the gaps.”

Edwards said it will be more efficient and lighten the burden on smaller vaccinators.

“I believe the hospitals can do this like no other entity because it’s what we do,” said Edwards. “We think we can do 8,000 vaccines a day.”

The first shipment to CoxHealth is expected to arrive the week of Feb. 1. The healthcare system will begin vaccinating those in tier two based on its own staged approach, starting with people 85-years-old and older.

“Not everyone is doing it that way, our physicians have designed out process based on the ethic that we save lives first,” said Edwards. “You’ll hear stories of people who are younger, kinda outside, getting it, and that will be frustrating to some people, but also know that you don’t want to waste it. And also know that every person that gets a vaccine is one person closer to herd immunity.”

Edwards said more than $30,000 people have been put on the vaccination waitlist.

Cox patients, according to Edwards, will be contacted when the times comes to get the vaccine.

Individuals can register to get on the waitlist on CoxHealth’s website.

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