The Callaway County Health Department administered its first 10 COVID-19 vaccines to front-line medical personnel Wednesday.
In total, the CCHD has obtained from the state 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine, 10 of which were administered Wednesday, with the rest to follow Monday. Recipients are primarily staff of the Callaway Community Hospital (formerly the Fulton Medical Center) and the Fulton Medical Clinic, which it operates. CCHD Executive Director Sharon Lynch said extra doses, if any, will be offered to other local healthcare workers that fall under Phase 1A of Missouri's distribution plan.
Dr. Amy Apodaca, the hospital's chief of staff, was first to bare her arm for the vaccine. The vaccines are administered in the muscle of the upper arm, much like a flu shot.
"That felt easier than a flu shot - it's a very small needle," Apodaca said.
She said she was excited and honored to receive the vaccine.
Dr. Rezwan Islam, a family medicine doctor, went next.
"This is a great triumph for Callaway County and also for the United States, to take huge leaps (in stopping COVID-19)," he said. "Each day, thousands of Americans are dying."
He and Apodaca monitored themselves for symptoms of an allergic reaction for 15 minutes after receiving their shot. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a few individuals who've received a COVID-19 vaccine have had a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The health department nurses administering the vaccine kept epinephrine and Benadryl on hand in case of such a reaction, though neither Islam nor Apodaca had need of it.
"Those with allergies or immune conditions, we'll monitor for 30 minutes," Apodaca said.
Moderna's vaccine, like the other approved COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer, requires two doses to protect its recipient against the disease. The second dose will be administered 28 days after the first, and it takes another week or so to fully develop the immune response, according to Apodaca.
"It will probably be five weeks before I'm officially immune," she said. "Even once I have immunity, I'll still be practicing mask hygiene."
Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine doesn't require extreme cold temperatures to avoid spoilage - though all 10 doses in each vial must be used or discarded within three hours of opening the vial.
Lynch said she's been in contact with other local healthcare providers to make sure no vaccine is wasted.
"We don't want to waste even one single dose," she said. "Hopefully we'll dispense it all - I don't know when we'll get more."
Phase 1A also includes nursing home residents and workers, though Lynch said most or all local nursing homes have enrolled in a federal vaccine distribution program and will receive vaccines through CVS or Walgreens, rather than the CCHD.
Phase 1B will include high-risk individuals, first responders, essential workers and people over the age of 65; Phase 2 is populations at increased risks (such as prisoners and the homeless) and Phase 3 includes the rest of Missouri's residents, according to the state-run website covidvaccine.mo.gov.
Lynch said she hasn't heard from the state regarding when vaccines might be available to the general public.
As of Wednesday, the CCHD reported 490 active cases of COVID-19 within the county. In total, 3,564 cases have been diagnosed since March, according ot the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccines and the studies demonstrating their safety and efficacy, visit the CDC's website: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines.