The news of expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility “is very exciting, and we are eagerly anticipating this next phase of response,” the Phelps-Maries County Health Department stated Friday in a press release. However, this does not mean that vaccine is widely available yet. Demand continues to significantly outpace supply, the health department said.

The Phelps-Maries County Health Department has been approved to be a COVID-19 vaccination site, but it has no guarantee for when, or if, it will receive a shipment of vaccine. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services determines how the vaccine allocations from the federal government are distributed to vaccination sites each week.

While some local public health agencies and rural hospitals in Missouri have received small amounts of vaccine, the majority of vaccine continues to be sent to larger hospital and pharmacy systems.

In addition to the department’s efforts to secure vaccine locally, there is a tentative plan for a National Guard Mass Vaccination Site to be held in Phelps County in early February. More information is coming soon.

Registration will be online. If you are aware of family members or friends that do not have access to the internet, please consider registering for them. The health department is hopeful to have a call center to assist Phelps and Maries County residents with registration for the National Guard event.

There continue to be opportunities to get vaccinated throughout the State of Missouri, and the health department encourages residents to take advantage of those opportunities if they are able to safely travel. The health department said it wants to be transparent in this process and will continue to keep the public informed of what it knows.