Late last week, the state of Missouri opened up eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations.
All residences, ages 16 and older, have the opportunity to get a vaccine.
In Perry County, a total of 7,726 doses of vaccine have been administered. This is a reported 23.8 percent of residents who have initiated vaccination. Of the county's total population of 19,136, there have been 17.3 percent who have completed vaccination.
Perry County's completed vaccination percent ranks 54th in the state. Nearby counties are both higher and lower on the list.
Cape Girardeau County is at 23.4 percent (18,419 of 78,871 residents) for completed vaccination, which ranks 11th. Ste. Genevieve County, at 18.6 percent (3,332 of 17,894 residents), ranks 40th.
Bollinger County is at 14.9 percent (1,808 of 12,133 residents), Madison County is at 14.6 percent (1,762 of 12,088 residents) while St. Francois County is at 16.6 percent (11,186 of 67,215 residents).
Among the state's 114 counties, Atchison County has the highest completed vaccination percentage, at 28.1 percent. This is followed by Boone (25.5 percent) and Jackson (24.8 percent) counties, which are among 30 that are at 20 percent or higher. On the low end, seven counties are at 10 percent completed or lower, with Pulaski County's reported 6.6 completed rate (8,182 of 52,607 residences) more than 1 percent lower than McDonald County's completion rate of 7.7 percent (4,091 of 2,2837 residences.
More statewide data
As of April 12, a total of 31.9 percent of Missouri residents had initiated vaccination while 21 percent of the state's population had completed vaccination. This translated to more than 3,135,710 first and second doses as well as 1,954,964 who have initiated vaccination. The number who reportedly completed vaccination was 1,286,041.
There were a reported 334,681 doses of vaccine administered from April 4-10, an average of 47,812 per day.
Since the vaccine rollout began earlier this year there have been 19 days in which 50,000 or more doses have been administered. The day in which at least 50,000 received a dose was Jan. 29 while the most recent occurred April 9, when the reported doses administered was 73,195, also marking a single-day high.
A reported 50,000 doses were administered in four-day stretches from March 23-26, March 30 to April 2 and April 6-9.
Statewide, a total of 72 percent of individuals from age 75-84 have initiated vaccination while 60.4 percent in that age group have completed vaccination. The next highest population group in terms of initiation and completion is 65-74, which has a reported 69.4 percent of vaccination initiated and 55.4 percent vaccination completed.
In addition, 35.5 percent of women in the state have initiated vaccination while 24.2 percent have completed vaccination. For men, the percentages are down slightly, which a reported 27.9 percent initiating vaccination and 17.5 percent in the completed vaccination phase.
In terms of race, a reported 25.8 percent of whites in Missouri have initiated vaccine and 16.9 percent have completed vaccination. For Black or African Americans, the initiated figure is at 15.9 percent followed by 9.6 percent completed. The highest in the initiated category is multi-racial, at 63.1 percent, with 51.4 percent as reported "completed."
All the COVID-19 vaccination dosage data for the state of Missouri was taken from covidvaccine.mo.gov/data.
Local availability
Several options are available for those seeking to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination.
Nearby vaccinations are available Cross Trails Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Those interested can complete the registration process at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CTMCCovidSurvey.
Walmart in Perryville as well as three Cape Girardeau locations have the vaccine. Schedule an appointment by visiting walmart.com/cp/flu-shots-immunizations/1228302.
Vaccinations also are available through SEHealth and St. Francis Medical Center.
In addition, a statewide portal to register for a dose can be accessed at covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator.
