After hosting a weekend vaccination clinic that administered 546 first doses of the Pfizer product, Hermann Area District Hospital and Clinic announced Tuesday all future vaccines given in the county will come from local pharmacies and physicians or the health department.

According to Ellen Schaumberg, director of clinic operations for HADH, individuals interested in COVID-19 vaccination should directly contact their primary care provider or one of the COVID-19 vaccine providers in Gasconade County to inquire about availability.

“The contact list that was set-up and maintained by Hermann Hospital and Clinics will no longer be used to schedule appointments for COVID-19 vaccine clinics,” according to Schaumberg.

Those wishing to acquire a vaccine in Owensville should contact either Capital Region Physicians at 573-437-4168, Medley Pharmacy at 437-3440, or Walmart Pharmacy at 437-4158. Those seeking a vaccine in Hermann should contact either Berlener’s Healthmart Pharmacy at 573-486-2612, Hermann Family Drugstore at 486-2873, the Gasconade County Health Department at 486-3129, or Southwest Medical Associates at 486-2118.

If Hermann Hospital and Clinics or Gasconade County Health Department sponsor additional large scale vaccine clinics, announcements about those clinics and how to sign up will be posted in multiple places including newspapers, Facebook, websites, and posters around town.

COVID-19 in Gasconade County

This announcement comes as Gasconade County reports the continued decrease in new COVID-19 cases reported in the past week. New cases confirmed in the county have dropped to less than one new case per day in the past week with a “7-day positivity rate” which dropped below 5 percent, according to Dr. Michael Rothermich, M.D., and chief of staff at Hermann Area District Hospital.

“All residents of Missouri are now eligible for vaccination, although most vaccines are only FDA authorized for people 18 or over at this time,” Rothermich noted in his weekly report to the media. “The Pfizer vaccine is currently authorized for people 16 and over, and is expected to be authorized for those 12 and over soon.”

The hospital and associated clinics administered far fewer vaccines on April 10 than what they could have obtained.

“The event was very efficient, with nearly everyone immunized within just a few minutes of arriving,”  Rothermich reported. “We had hoped to give 1,200 doses at this clinic, but despite hard work and hundreds of calls from staff and volunteers, assistance from the schools in our county and Montgomery City, and hundreds of flyers, were only able to register about half that many people.  Ultimately, we did not accept the other 600-plus doses — so none were wasted.”