Cox, Mercy collaborate with state
to administer COVID-19 vaccines
February 4, 2021
Sheila Harris
Due to limited availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, CoxHealth President & CEO Steve Edwards is encouraging area residents to sign up everywhere to take it.
“Get your name on a list,” he said, in a media briefing Monday, “and take the vaccine from whichever organization contacts you first to let you know it’s available. It’s just important to get people vaccinated to slow the course of this virus.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the Department of Health and Senior Services announced the implementation of a distribution plan for the vaccine Monday. That plan includes partnering with selected hospitals in the state, which have the capability of administering 5,000 doses of vaccine per week. The allocation of vaccines to those hospitals will be proportional to regional population, based on highway patrol territories.
Within Troop D, which includes Barry County, both CoxHealth and Mercy hospitals are scheduled to receive 5,700 doses of vaccine every other week on a rotating basis through February. The hospitals then decide how much of the vaccine to allocate to their different facilities, again based on population.
Edwards anticipates that Cox Monett will be receiving vaccines this week as part of CoxHealth’s first allotment of 5,700 doses.
Edwards said the state’s partnering healthcare facilities will receive 55 percent of the state’s total allocation of 76,000 vaccine doses per week. The remaining 45 percent will go to other clinics, pharmacies, state-operated mass distribution points and public health departments.
Edward appreciates the agility of the governor’s new vaccine distribution plan with its predictable cadence. There are still two unknowns, though, according to Edwards: one is the future vaccine supply, since it’s dependent on both manufacturers and federal allotment.
“I do anticipate that supply will increase,” he said, “especially with the product of more manufacturers almost ready for approval.”
The second variable which presents an unknown, Edwards said, is the number of people who will be interested in taking the vaccine.
“When we administered our first allotment to employees in December, there was a certain amount of caution among them,” he said, “but, after those who were initially hesitant saw that their peers who had taken the vaccine were doing well, they stepped forward to take one, too. We anticipate it will be the same for members of the general public when they become eligible.”
Because there is a limited supply of vaccine, CoxHealth is offering it in tiers based on the following criteria: age 80 and over, with a BMI over 40; age 80 and over, with diabetes or lung disease; and age 85 or over with heart disease.
If there is not enough demand in those categories, they will begin offering it to those who are eligible under the state criteria, which recently opened to those age 65 and older, or who have known health conditions.
Edwards is pleased with the collaboration among state and local health entities to administer the vaccine.
“What has torn us apart as a nation, also has the ability to bring us together,” he said.
Residents interested in taking the vaccine through Cox or Mercy may sign up online at coxhealth.com or mercy.net.
Sheila Harris
Due to limited availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, CoxHealth President & CEO Steve Edwards is encouraging area residents to sign up everywhere to take it.
“Get your name on a list,” he said, in a media briefing Monday, “and take the vaccine from whichever organization contacts you first to let you know it’s available. It’s just important to get people vaccinated to slow the course of this virus.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the Department of Health and Senior Services announced the implementation of a distribution plan for the vaccine Monday. That plan includes partnering with selected hospitals in the state, which have the capability of administering 5,000 doses of vaccine per week. The allocation of vaccines to those hospitals will be proportional to regional population, based on highway patrol territories.
Within Troop D, which includes Barry County, both CoxHealth and Mercy hospitals are scheduled to receive 5,700 doses of vaccine every other week on a rotating basis through February. The hospitals then decide how much of the vaccine to allocate to their different facilities, again based on population.
Edwards anticipates that Cox Monett will be receiving vaccines this week as part of CoxHealth’s first allotment of 5,700 doses.
Edwards said the state’s partnering healthcare facilities will receive 55 percent of the state’s total allocation of 76,000 vaccine doses per week. The remaining 45 percent will go to other clinics, pharmacies, state-operated mass distribution points and public health departments.
Edward appreciates the agility of the governor’s new vaccine distribution plan with its predictable cadence. There are still two unknowns, though, according to Edwards: one is the future vaccine supply, since it’s dependent on both manufacturers and federal allotment.
“I do anticipate that supply will increase,” he said, “especially with the product of more manufacturers almost ready for approval.”
The second variable which presents an unknown, Edwards said, is the number of people who will be interested in taking the vaccine.
“When we administered our first allotment to employees in December, there was a certain amount of caution among them,” he said, “but, after those who were initially hesitant saw that their peers who had taken the vaccine were doing well, they stepped forward to take one, too. We anticipate it will be the same for members of the general public when they become eligible.”
Because there is a limited supply of vaccine, CoxHealth is offering it in tiers based on the following criteria: age 80 and over, with a BMI over 40; age 80 and over, with diabetes or lung disease; and age 85 or over with heart disease.
If there is not enough demand in those categories, they will begin offering it to those who are eligible under the state criteria, which recently opened to those age 65 and older, or who have known health conditions.
Edwards is pleased with the collaboration among state and local health entities to administer the vaccine.
“What has torn us apart as a nation, also has the ability to bring us together,” he said.
Residents interested in taking the vaccine through Cox or Mercy may sign up online at coxhealth.com or mercy.net.
