JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. — Health officials in rural areas of Missouri and Kansas are figuring out how to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to the general public when it's widely available.
Kerri Lewis, community outreach coordinator for Johnson County Community Health Services, said the agency is still very much in the planning process and needs more details before finalizing a plan.
"We will definitely make it as available as we possibly can in our county and in different locations to make sure that we are bringing it to as many people as we can," Lewis said.
Lewis said the county is anticipating receiving the vaccine to distribute to the general public in the Spring, but that isn't set in stone.
"It’s highly dependent on vaccine availability," Lewis said.
The distribution will also depend heavily on the type of vaccine the county receives.
"It could very easily be put through a drive-through type clinic where folks come in, we do what little bit of paperwork we need to do and they just go through and get their vaccine," Lewis said.
Lewis said manpower will be crucial to distribute the vaccine in a timely manner if it needs specialized storage.
"It’s definitely going to take a lot more than what we have on staff here at Johnson County Community Health," Lewis said. "Those discussions have already begun, we’ve already been working out what that looks like."
Lewis said she wants to remind community members there is a light at the end of the tunnel. However, it remains crucial to continue practicing safety protocols such as mask-wearing, social distancing and washing hands.
In Northeast Kansas, staffing is also on the list of things to be figured out for the distribution plan.
Kristina Romine, Director of Operations for the NEK Multi-County Health Department, said the department is looking at doing drive-thru vaccination clinics, similar to Johnson County, Missouri.
"It is a huge task in that if we’re outdoors we have giant tents we will have to set up, public health is very understaffed right now," Romine said.
Romine said the department has strong relationships with community partners to help with manpower.
In the meantime, she wants community members to continue to focus on migitating the spread of COVID-19
"I think the best thing for the community to do right now is to continue to practice social distancing and mask-wearing and hand washing so that we can prevent the spread," Romine said.
