KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More veterans will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday it's sending shipments of the Pfizer and newly-approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to 128 more locations nationwide.
That includes locations in Kansas and Missouri.
The Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (KCVA) said it expected to receive its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine as early as Monday.
High-risk patients at the VA will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting this weekend.
"Our goal is this week — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — to get quite a few vaccinations done with our employees and then this weekend we're going to vaccinate some of our high-risk patients in the veteran population," said David Isaacks, KCVA director.
The VA will vaccinate six people at a time and monitor them for 15 minutes afterward.
It is receiving 1,700 doses in this first shipment, 1,000 of which are going to employees and 700 which will go to those high-risk and elderly patients.
"As we get additional allotments in the coming weeks, we'll start reaching out to larger and larger groups of our veteran population based on, really, the risk and priority for those," Isaacks said. "We're starting with our elderly veterans, veterans living in long-term care environments."
For groups who help veterans, getting the information out will be important in these coming weeks.
"We need to be kind of that bridge to help them get registered with the VA to receive that free vaccination," said Christ Stout, veteran and programs director at Hope Faith Ministries.
Hope Faith serves homeless veterans every day.
"We run into veterans everyday who don't realize they're eligible for the services, so I think it's just a huge education piece," Stout said.
Stout said many veterans are coming down with COVID-19, which is delaying important medical procedures. He said the vaccine will help them get the care they need.
"Veterans who may not be using the VA right now, we certainly welcome them to come and learn more about their VA benefits they may have," Isaacks said. "Also, that would make them eligible for the vaccine through the VA, if that's what they desire."
KCVA as well as all Kansas VA locations were left off the initial list of VA sites set to receive the Pfizer vaccine earlier this month.
With another vaccine available, KCVA, as well as locations in Poplar Bluff, Missouri and Leavenworth, Topeka and Wichita in Kansas are set to receive first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.
KCVA said the first of its vaccines will go to their front line health care staff and veterans who are at high risk of severe illness if they contract the virus.
Due to limited availability, distribution will continue in order of assessed risk until KCVA is able to "offer it to all Veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.”
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, who represents Kansas, said on Twitter that as chairman of the Senate VA committee, he worked to bring the Moderna vaccine to the three locations in his home state.
Of the 128 distribution sites announced Monday, the VA said 113 will receive the Moderna vaccine.
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