One day after their doses ran out, St. Louis County spokesperson Doug Moore told 5 On Your Side it’s not an issue of “low” supply, there’s no supply
ST. LOUIS — Missouri health leaders Wednesday addressed some of the ongoing concerns that vaccine supply is not being distributed in the accordance with the state’s own plan.
“Our objective is to make sure that we are really aimed at proportionately distributing those vaccines, but it is an ebb and flow on a weekly basis as we continue to move up and down,” Department of Health and Human Services’ Adam Crumbliss said.
Crumbliss was reacting to concerns that Missouri’s largest municipalities aren’t receiving proportionate vaccine supply, adding “what may show today to be a low spot for one community, may very well show to be a high spots for that same community a week later.”
This week, a Franklin County commissioner, Tim Brinker, sent a letter to the state saying the number of vaccines sent to our region doesn’t match population percentages, adding “this allocation is inconsistent with the State’s own plan.”
One day after their doses ran out, St. Louis County spokesperson Doug Moore told 5 On Your Side it’s not an issue of “low” supply, there’s no supply. This week, the county executive, Dr. Sam Page, sent a letter concerned that they were entering the third week without vaccines from the state.
In the letter, Page’s office questioned why they received an automated shipping notice from ShowMeVax letting the County know 3,900 doses were headed to the health department, a shipment that never materialized.
Crumbliss explained it this way: the county had previously gotten a round of “first doses” from BJC, and when they tried to send second doses directly to the county — cutting out the middle man — the federal software they use denied that request. Moore says the county health department has enough second doses to cover residents who have already gotten a first shot, and they hope to soon announce a new arrangement with the state that will lead to more stability in supply.
We also asked why the City of St. Louis went so long – weeks — without a vaccine shipment even as doses went to health departments in St. Charles and St. Louis counties.
They said the city’s early applications showed their health department planned to hand the doses off to partner Affinia Healthcare for vaccine clinics, so state doses went there until the city set up their own vaccination clinic.
“Some of the early orders that the City of St. Louis worked with us on, they actually were more focused on using vaccine to be distributed to … instead of directly to the health department, to some of the partner agencies in the city to help to vaccinations,” Crumbliss said.
The City of St. Louis has since received doses, which their workers distributed at city-organized clinics.
