Tier 3 Vaccination Plan Announced,
J & J single-dose vaccine approved
March 3, 2021
Governor Mike Parson announced Thursday, February 25, that the activation of Phase 1B-Tier 3 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine plan will go into effect on Monday, March 15.
This announcement was followed by news from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on February 28 that a standing order was signed for the Janssen Biotech, Inc. COVID-19 vaccine, approved by the FDA on February 27. Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
“With vaccine supply steadily increasing, we believe we are in a good position to activate Phase 1B - Tier 3 of the COVID-19 Vaccine Plan,” Governor Parson said. “This will make approximately 550,000 more Missourians eligible to receive a vaccine.”
The Phase 1B-Tier 3 category includes infrastructure employees in the following categories:
• Education: Teachers, faculty, and staff in public, private, and nonprofit pre K – 12.
• Childcare: Faculty and staff in a DHSS or DSS -licensed facility providing basic care to children
• Communications Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide communications services
• Dams Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide services in the dams sector related to critical water retention and control services.
• Energy Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide energy services, regardless of the energy source.
• Food/Agriculture Sector – initial: 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.
Missourians in Phase 1A and Phase 1B - Tier 1 and Tier 2 will also remain eligible.
A list of those eligible in all categories can be found at: https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/priority/Phase1b/#phase1b-3.
Currently, the state estimates that there are approximately 800,000 Missourians who are eligible and interested in getting vaccinated. By March 15, the state expects this number to decrease to approximately 400,000.
Activating Phase 1B - Tier 3 on March 15 will help ensure that there is a steady population of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine. This will allow vaccinators across the state to continue vaccinating Missourians without delays due to those who are eligible but not seeking a vaccine.
“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,” Governor 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.”
“For now, we ask that vaccinators work in their communities to plan for March 15. We want this to be a smooth process, and it will be up to vaccinators to start planning now so that Tier 3 populations are ready,” Governor Parson continued.
Governor Parson said, as of February 24, approximately 12 percent of Missouri’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Over 350,000 Missourians have been fully vaccinated with both doses.
Barry County Health Department administrator Roger Brock says the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available in Barry County as soon as the initial order of 200 is received.
According to information released by the DHSS, the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is different from Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, in that it is manufactured using a specific type of virus called adenovirus type 26 (Ad26). The vaccine uses Ad26 to deliver a piece of the DNA, or genetic material, that is used to make the distinctive “spike” protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While adenoviruses are a group of viruses that are relatively common, Ad26, which can cause cold symptoms and pink eye, has been modified for the vaccine so that it cannot replicate in the human body to cause illness. After a person receives this vaccine, the body can temporarily make the spike protein, which does not cause disease, but triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2.
Reported side effects include pain or redness/swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, nausea and fever. Those who should not get the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine are those under age 18 and those who have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of the vaccine.
Missourians are encouraged to visit MOStopsCOVID.com to view the latest vaccine updates, find out when they are eligible for the vaccine, and locate available vaccinators in their area.
Governor Mike Parson announced Thursday, February 25, that the activation of Phase 1B-Tier 3 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine plan will go into effect on Monday, March 15.
This announcement was followed by news from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on February 28 that a standing order was signed for the Janssen Biotech, Inc. COVID-19 vaccine, approved by the FDA on February 27. Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
“With vaccine supply steadily increasing, we believe we are in a good position to activate Phase 1B - Tier 3 of the COVID-19 Vaccine Plan,” Governor Parson said. “This will make approximately 550,000 more Missourians eligible to receive a vaccine.”
The Phase 1B-Tier 3 category includes infrastructure employees in the following categories:
• Education: Teachers, faculty, and staff in public, private, and nonprofit pre K – 12.
• Childcare: Faculty and staff in a DHSS or DSS -licensed facility providing basic care to children
• Communications Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide communications services
• Dams Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide services in the dams sector related to critical water retention and control services.
• Energy Sector: Employees at public, private, or nonprofit organizations that provide energy services, regardless of the energy source.
• Food/Agriculture Sector – initial: 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.
Missourians in Phase 1A and Phase 1B - Tier 1 and Tier 2 will also remain eligible.
A list of those eligible in all categories can be found at: https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/priority/Phase1b/#phase1b-3.
Currently, the state estimates that there are approximately 800,000 Missourians who are eligible and interested in getting vaccinated. By March 15, the state expects this number to decrease to approximately 400,000.
Activating Phase 1B - Tier 3 on March 15 will help ensure that there is a steady population of people who are eligible and interested in receiving a vaccine. This will allow vaccinators across the state to continue vaccinating Missourians without delays due to those who are eligible but not seeking a vaccine.
“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,” Governor 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.”
“For now, we ask that vaccinators work in their communities to plan for March 15. We want this to be a smooth process, and it will be up to vaccinators to start planning now so that Tier 3 populations are ready,” Governor Parson continued.
Governor Parson said, as of February 24, approximately 12 percent of Missouri’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Over 350,000 Missourians have been fully vaccinated with both doses.
Barry County Health Department administrator Roger Brock says the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available in Barry County as soon as the initial order of 200 is received.
According to information released by the DHSS, the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is different from Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, in that it is manufactured using a specific type of virus called adenovirus type 26 (Ad26). The vaccine uses Ad26 to deliver a piece of the DNA, or genetic material, that is used to make the distinctive “spike” protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While adenoviruses are a group of viruses that are relatively common, Ad26, which can cause cold symptoms and pink eye, has been modified for the vaccine so that it cannot replicate in the human body to cause illness. After a person receives this vaccine, the body can temporarily make the spike protein, which does not cause disease, but triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2.
Reported side effects include pain or redness/swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, nausea and fever. Those who should not get the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine are those under age 18 and those who have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of the vaccine.
Missourians are encouraged to visit MOStopsCOVID.com to view the latest vaccine updates, find out when they are eligible for the vaccine, and locate available vaccinators in their area.