Missouri hasn’t given half its COVID vaccines — and it’s in last place for first shots

Missouri must do a vastly better job making sure COVID vaccines get into arms.

According to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as compiled by The New York Times, Missouri recently ranked last among all states for first vaccines. Nearly 96% of the state’s population has yet to receive at least one inoculation.

Missouri recently expanded the list of residents who can get a shot, but most people who want them still aren’t getting them. “It doesn’t seem as if anyone, and I say that respectfully, has a plan for how we can actually get those vaccinations done,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas.

Gov. Mike Parson, who will give the state of the state address Wednesday, must address this issue immediately, by providing a clear, transparent path for accelerating the state’s inoculation efforts.

There is quibbling over the numbers, and paperwork snafus may be involved. But there can be no argument that Missouri is doing far worse in administering vaccines than states such as West Virginia and Alaska, which are inoculating residents at twice the rate here.

Confusion about the vaccine remains rampant. Missouri recently said residents over age 65 were eligible to get vaccinated immediately, leading hundreds of thousands of people to believe they could actually get a shot now.

Really? Where? The doctor? The health clinic? The hospital? The pharmacy? The high school gym? The National Guard armory? The answer varies by city and county, or there may be no clear answer at all.

And when? No one can say for sure. The muddled communication surrounding the vaccine program in Missouri is frustrating and dangerous.

“Since the start of the pandemic, Missouri has followed Donald Trump’s lead in downplaying the virus and being too slow to take real action,” said state Sen. John Rizzo. That has to change.

This isn’t a matter of access. There are complaints that Missouri hasn’t received as much vaccine as it should, but the shortfall doesn’t appear to be dramatic. And, in fact, the state says more than 300,000 doses it has received to date — roughly half its allocation — have yet to be used.

“Some of Missouri’s vaccinators have not been administering vaccinations as efficiently as we have been asking,” said a statement from Missouri Health and Senior Services spokeswoman Lisa Cox. “We are working with these providers to increase the speed at which they get vaccine into arms.”

That work must go much more quickly. Adding the National Guard to the mix will help, but it won’t be enough.

And there are systemic issues in Missouri that have delayed vaccinations, which must be addressed.

A small group at the state level determines each week which local health care agencies get vaccines. How does it make that decision? “I’m not 100% sure,” said Dr. Rex Archer, head of the Kansas City Health Department.

When the health director of one of the state’s major cities is unclear about the rules for vaccine distribution, something is seriously wrong.

Missouri’s long habit of underfunding local health departments — and its own Department of Health and Senior Services — makes a bad situation worse. Missouri’s health infrastructure is outdated and unprepared for a mass vaccination program.

Some vaccinations for long-term care patients and staff are being administered by private pharmacies, under a contract with the federal government. Those shots are far behind schedule. That must be addressed as well.

Fixing these concerns won’t be easy. But they won’t be repaired at all if Missouri continues to ignore the problems, or sees the virus as a hoax, or refuses to invest funds and attention on the most critical health challenge of the last 100 years.

Missouri’s economy will continue to suffer. Schools and businesses will remain shuttered. People will die needlessly. Missouri must step forward now and get vaccines into arms. Last place is not acceptable.