State to move on to next vaccine tier

The state of Missouri is moving to its next phase of Covid-19 vaccine eligibility in a few days.
Starting Monday, March 15, state residents in Phase 1B, Tier 3 will be eligible to receive a vaccine. This includes those who keep the essential functions of society running, including K-12 educators and school employees, child care providers, grocery store employees as well as energy, food, agriculture and other critical infrastructure employees, according to a Feb. 25 announcement by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
The Phase 1B, Tier 3 classification is termed as “critical infrastructure,” and is geared toward protecting those who keep the essential functions of society running.
Those eligible include:
• Education: teachers, faculty and staff in public, private and non-profit pre-K through grade 12;
• Childcare: faculty and staff within a Department of Human and Senior Services and Department of Social Services-licensed facility providing care to children;
• Communications sector: employees at public, private or non-profit organizations that provide communication services. This specification is not directly identified as an information provider but rather the operation of critical infrastructure sectors and assisting with satellite, wireless and wireline providers.
• Dams sector: employees at public, private or non-profit organizations that provide services in the dams sector related to critical water retention and control services;
• Energy sector: employees at public, private or non-profit organizations that provide energy services, regardless of its source;
Food/agricultural sector: Employees of certain food production and processing facilities, and related operations, prioritizing mass food production, distribution, transportation, wholesale and retail sales, including grocery and convenience stores where groceries are sold; includes veterinary services.
• Government: Elected officials in any branch of government at the state, county, and/or municipal levels required for the continuity of government; members of the judiciary at the federal, state, and/or local levels required for the continuity of government; employees designated by the federal government that fall within the state’s vaccine allocation responsibilities; other designated government personnel required for the continuity of government.
• Information technology sector: employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide IT services.
• Nuclear reactors, materials, and waste sector: employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that work in this sector.
• Transportation systems sector: Employees in the transportation systems sector including aviation, highway and motor carriers, maritime transportation systems, mass transit and passenger rail, pipeline systems, freight rail, and postal shipping.
• Water and Wastewater Systems Sector: Employees at public, private, and/or nonprofit organizations that provide drinking or wastewater services.
CDC data shows Missouri ranked second lowest in the nation for average daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 in the past seven days (Feb. 19-25).
“While supply is still limited, we are expecting slow and steady increases, and activating Tier 3 on March 15 will allow us to continue making progress as supply expands,” Parson said. “If vaccine supply continues to increase, and if we continue to make the progress we’ve been seeing, we believe that we will be ready to activate Phase 2 within 45 days of March 15.”
A Covid-19 vaccination clinic will take place Friday, March 19, at the Perry County School District No. 32 old Senior High building, 400 Edwards St. Appointment times are from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If eligible for the vaccine, call 573-547-6465 for an appointment, starting Monday, May 15, at 8 a.m.
The Perry County Memorial Hospital held a community vaccine clinic March 10.
“Our Health Department continues to receive limited amounts of vaccine,” said Sylvia Forester, director of the Perry County Health Department. “When we know we are receiving vaccine, we plan for distribution and advertise appointment availabilities and registration.”
The health department held a clinic March 10 in Brewer.

Several options for those seeking to get a vaccination are available. Many have individuals go through a list of eligibility questions at a web site portal prior to getting an appointment scheduled.
Those options include:
• Cross Trails Medical Center at the Cape Girardeau location but accepting Perry County residents (surveymonkey.com/r/CTMCCovidSurvey)
• Walmart (Perryville, as well as at locations in Cape Girardeau and Jackson)
• SEHealth (sehealth.org)
• St. Francis Medical Center (sfmc.net/covid19/vaccine)
An estimated 14.8 percent of the county’s 19,136 persons have initiated vaccination as of March 8, according to state statistics. A total of 2,838 have received first doses while in total, 5,065 doses have been administered.
Thus far, the Perry County Health Department has administered over 4,000 vaccines since its first clinic in mid-January, according to Liz House, assistant director with the Perry County Health Department.
This number includes the PPC clinic that received staffing and vaccine administration support from Perry County Memorial Hospital, Forester said.
“We plan to administer around 700 more this week,” House said.
Perry County is part of the 11-county Region C, which includes St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. Mass vaccine events are scheduled March 11-13 at the Washington County Ambulance District in Mineral Point as well as Saturday, March 13, at the UMSL Millenium Student Center in St. Louis from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Additional information about the statewide vaccination events can be found at covidvaccine.mo.gov/events.
A total of 24 vaccine clinics have been conducted in the St. Louis and Kansas City area. The state’s seven-day polymerase chain reaction positivity rate is at 6.1 percent, as of Feb. 25, while the antigen test rate has fallen to 5.2 percent, according to a press release.
“Vaccines are a fundamental part of Public Health and one of the largest programs of the Health Department,” Forester said. “We have held multiple clinics in our office, and have also hosted clinics in other locations for ease of access to citizens throughout the county we serve.”
Those additional spots have included Altenburg and Brewer. Forester has been pleased with the response.
“The clinics have gone very well,” she said. “Our small team is doing the work of dozens and have the clinics running very efficiently. Demand remains high for vaccine, so our current goal is to be able to receive and administer vaccine to all eligible county residents who want a vaccine.”
The Centers for Disease Control issued new guidelines March 8 for those vaccinated.
For those who have been fully vaccinated, they have been told they can:
• Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask;
• Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19;
For those who have been around someone who has Covid-19, they do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless experiencing symptoms.
For additional information about vaccine tiers, go to showmestrong.mo.gov/data/public-health/vaccine/.