Sallin continues vaccine offerings
By Neal A. Johnson
Osage County Health Department (OCHD) Administrator Kim Sallin continues to fight for every vial she can find in her ongoing effort to …
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Sallin continues vaccine offerings
By Neal A. Johnson
Osage County Health Department (OCHD) Administrator Kim Sallin continues to fight for every vial she can find in her ongoing effort to vaccinate as many residents as possible, something that’s not always easy.
“I’ve been getting a batch here and a batch there from area hospitals and I appreciate everything we’re able to get,” she said. “We may have a new option soon but there are pros and cons to it.”
Sallin learned in a conference call Tuesday that the state of Missouri is set to receive 50,000 doses of the new Janssen vaccine by Johnson & Johnson, though it’s unknown at this time whether any of those will make it to Osage County.
Even if the Janssen option is available, Sallin isn’t sure whether people will want to take it because it has an efficacy rate of 85%, while Moderna and Pfizer are both at 95%, which means that even with vaccination, 15% of those who take the single-dose Janssen shot could still get COVID.
“They would probably have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all but they could still spread the virus,” said Sallin. “It’s more likely with Janssen than Moderna or Pfizer but the fact it’s a single dose might be preferred by some people.”
Janssen will be very useful in larger cities, particularly among the homeless population, which is difficult to track down for a booster shot.
“Our high-risk population is minimal here in Osage County, so that’s not really a factor, but I’ve talked to some people about this and they prefer the higher efficacy rate, even though that means having to get two shots,” said Sallin. “I will make Janssen available to anyone who wants it, provided we have access to it.”
She encourages everyone to continue wearing a mask and social-distancing, along with hand-washing and other preventative measures.
Monday’s booster clinic to provide the secondary shot ended prematurely as Sallin came up 21 doses short due to a difference in the supplies provided with the vaccine. Different size needle/syringes can change the amount of doses yielded from each vial of vaccine.
“I hated having to tell people they wouldn’t be getting their shot but there was nothing I could do,” said Sallin. “Through no fault of our own, we didn’t have enough vaccine but we’re working very hard to get what we need to complete the booster shot. I will do everything within my power to make this right as quickly as possible.”
Sallin is seeking additional volunteers to help with registration and directing people for future clinics to be held at the Osage County Community Center. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact the OCHD office at 573-897-3103.
Sallin said there are just eight active COVID cases and the overall number of cases is at 1,614, with 12 fatalities.
For additional information and updates, visit OCHD on Facebook.