Missouri’s online COVID-19 vaccine dashboard indicates 627 doses of COVID-19 have been administered in Ozark County as of Tuesday including 573 first doses and 54 second-of-two vaccinations.The total represents 6.2% of the county’s 9,174 residents, the dashboard reports. The dashboard also reflects 304 vaccinations were administered in the last seven days. The website’s address is covidvaccine.mo.gov/data/.
The Ozark County Times reports among the first Ozark County residents to be vaccinated were residents and staff of the Gainesville Health Care Center, who received their first dose on Dec. 31 and their second dose on Jan. 28.
Faculty and staff members of the Bakersfield School District were also vaccinated early, thanks to an offer by Pharmacy Barn in Viola.
Superintendent Dr. Amy Britt told the Times a pharmacy representative said Bakersfield was in its service area, and on Jan. 18, Arkansas had begun vaccinating “those who are 70 and older and those who work in education,” according to the healthy.arkansas.gov website.
Missouri is not yet vaccinating those who work in education. Under its phased vaccination system, the first Missourians to be vaccinated were in Phase 1A, which includes residents and staff of long-term care facilities, patient-facing healthcare workers and EMS/EMT/paramedics.
Those now eligible to be vaccinated are in Phase 1A, Phase 1B, Tier 1 (first responders and emergency personnel), and Phase 1B, Tier 2 (“high-risk individuals” who are age 65 and older and/or those with underlying health challenges).
The next phase (Phase 1B-Tier 3), when it is designated by the governor, will make the vaccine available to those involved in childcare and K-12 education, communications infrastructure, dams and energy, food and agriculture (sector 1), government, information technology and other categories.
Phase 2 will include the “commercial facilities sector,” according to the covidvaccine.mo.gov website, as well as critical manufacturing, defense industrial base, financial services, food and agriculture (sector 2), government, the homeless and other categories. Phase 3 is “everyone else who has not been vaccinated but wants to do so,” the website says.
On Jan. 28-29, the Ozark County Health Department (OCHD) began administering its first vaccinations to about 35 EMS workers and first responders. Last week, OCHD began vaccinating residents age 65 and older, and anyone age 18-64 with a high-risk health issue. Those vaccinations have continued this week.
OCHD administrator Rhonda Suter said 230 vaccinations have been given to people in Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1 and 2. These residents may call OCHD (417-679-3334) for an appointment to be vaccinated.
The Gainesville Medical Clinic staff administered 120 vaccinations last week to those who were eligible on its wait list. Residents may call the clinic (417-679-4613) to be put on a list and will be called when they are eligible — and when more vaccine is available.
However, a medical clinic employee told the Times Monday that the most efficient way to sign up is through Ozarks Healthcare’s (OH) website. The Gainesville clinic is an OH affiliate. The list can be accessed at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/vaccine-sign-up/.
Theodosia Family Medical Clinic (417-273-2300) is also accepting names for a wait list, but an employee told the Times Monday the clinic has not received any vaccine. The Missouri Ozarks Community Health Clinic in Gainesville (417-679-2775) has told the Times it has registered to be a vaccination site, but as of last week the local clinic had not received any vaccine.
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