UPDATED at 9:57 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2021

Howard County will apply for the second of two approved  COVID-19 vaccines. Public Health Department Administrator Marsha Broadus said the county plans to administer the Moderna vaccine when it becomes available. 

Moderna, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the second company to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. It was authorized for emergency use by the FDA, under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The vaccine uses mRNA technology to provide immunity against the virus.

According to the company, the nucleoside-modified mRNA in the Moderna COVID‑19 Vaccine is formulated in lipid particles, which enable the delivery of the nucleoside‑modified mRNA into host cells to allow expression of the SARS‑CoV‑2 spike antigen. The vaccine elicits an immune response to the spike antigen, which protects against COVID‑19.

The first vaccine to be administered was developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. It was granted emergency authorization by the FDA on December 11, 2020.

According to Broadus, the county chose not to seek the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for two reasons. The first is that it must be stored at ultra-low temperatures between -112°F and -76°F. And while ultra-low freezer space was made available, Broadus said that the other reason was that the county would have been made to accept 970 vials. Each vial contains 10 doses.

In contrast, the county can accept as few as 100 vials of the Moderna vaccine, which can be stored at temperatures between 36°F and 46°F for up to 30 days before vials are punctured. Broadus said the health department is able to adequately store the vaccine on site.

Another difference between the two vaccines is the duration between doses. Both require an initial inoculation followed by a booster. The second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is administered three weeks after the first dose, while the Moderna vaccine requires a four-week period between injections.

“At first we weren’t going to (give vaccinations), because we weren’t going to be able to do the Pfizer. And that was before the Moderna was approved,” Broadus said. She said she is currently working on approval for the county.

The health department is also working to form some kind of partnership with Fitzgibbon family health to administer the vaccines. “Everything is still in process,” Broadus said.

Moderna announced on Monday that in laboratory tests its vaccine appears to be protective against emerging coronavirus variants. 

A time frame for when Howard County would begin vaccinations has not been determined. Broadus said the vaccine is not yet available to health departments in Missouri, and it will likely be sometime in February before it arrives here. “As soon as I get through this application I’m going to put our order in,” she said.

According to an article published on December 28, 2020, by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, CVS and Walgreens, through a contract with the federal government, began administering the Moderna vaccine to among the first of roughly 56,000 long-term care residents and 70,000 staff in Missouri.

When Howard County does receive the vaccine, it will be reserved for those aged 65 and older, along with EMTs, firefighters, police, and other first responders. The Boone County health department in Columbia, along with Boone Hospital, and the University of Missouri currently offer vaccinations. They are available even for those who do not reside in Boone county, although anyone seeking the vaccination will be placed on a list.

On Monday, the health department reported a decrease in positive cases in Howard County. There are currently 18 active cases, with zero hospitalizations. The department has reported 985 recovered cases and five deaths since the start of the pandemic.

According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri has the lowest rate of vaccinations for the first coronavirus inoculation. As of Sunday, fewer than 4% of Missourians have received the first vaccine. However, the state ranks slightly higher than the national average for residents who have received both doses. 

Gov. Parson mobilizes Mo. National Guard for vaccine rollout

On January 20, Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced that the Missouri National Guard will begin assisting the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and other state partners in establishing COVID-19 vaccination sites across the state.

A mass vaccination team will be assigned to each of Missouri's nine Highway Patrol regions. Howard County is served by the patrol’s Troop F.

“The Missouri National Guard is once again answering the call to help Missourians in time of need,” said Governor Parson. “The purpose of these vaccination teams is to support our existing vaccinators and provide an additional vaccination source for eligible Missourians that may otherwise have a hard time receiving a vaccine.”

The Missouri National Guard is providing teams of Soldiers and Airmen to assist in establishing and staffing mass vaccination and targeted vaccination sites. The National Guard will also be deploying administrative teams to assist local agencies and other providers with data backlogs.

Missouri National Guard mass vaccination teams consist of 30 support personnel, who provide assistance in the form of traffic control, administrative support, and data input. Targeted vaccination teams consist of four-person teams with one vaccinator and three support staff to assist with administrative duties. Administrative support teams consist of three personnel to assist providers with paperwork and data backlogs due to vaccination entry requirements.

“We are proud to be a small part of the whole-of-government effort to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to our fellow Missourians,” said Maj. Gen. Levon Cumpton, Missouri National Guard Adjutant General. “This effort is truly a team effort, led by DHSS and consisting of multiple physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, local governments, and others.”

A mass vaccination site began last week in the Southeastern region, and other sites will be operational in the remaining eight Highway Patrol regions by the end of January, according to the governor’s plan. These sites have the capability to provide up to 2,500 doses per day, per team. More details concerning dates and locations will be released once finalized.

Targeted vaccination sites provide vaccines to populations outside the reach of mass vaccination sites, as designated by DHSS. Target vaccination teams will work with clergies and community leaders in the Kansas City and St. Louis regions to vaccinate vulnerable populations. Teams staffing these sites have the capability to provide up to 160 doses per day, per team.

Vaccine supply remains extremely limited. The current demand for the vaccine far outweighs the current supply that the state is allotted by the federal government. 

Missourians are encouraged to visit MoStopsCOVID.com to see the latest vaccine updates, find out when they are eligible for the vaccine, and locate available vaccinators in their areas.

Corrections/Clarifications

The original published version of this article incorrectly stated that the county would have to "purchase" the vaccines. The county would not have to actually buy the vaccine. The vaccine would be provided by the state upon approval.

In the related story regarding influenza, the article incorrectly stated that only one case had been reported in Region F. It should have stated that one case had been reported in Howard County.

The Advertiser regrets the errors.