Vaccinations dip, county lags behind state, nation

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Coronavirus Cancellations

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Vaccinations have slowed slightly and active cases of COVID-19 are also down slightly in Nodaway County according to the latest available data.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ online vaccination dashboard, as of Sept. 14, only 201 individual vaccine doses were administered in Nodaway County over the week prior. That figure usually is between 250-300 and sometimes crosses 300 during busy weeks for vaccinations.

A total of 8,921 Nodaway County residents have been fully vaccinated, or about 42 percent of county residents. About 45.8 percent of county residents — 9,722 — have initiated a vaccine regimen.

Importantly, vaccination numbers are based on residency information provided at the vaccination site, meaning that a significant chunk of Nodaway County’s population — college students who do not live in Maryville year-round — may have been vaccinated elsewhere and will not be counted toward the vaccination percentage in the county.

Missouri overall is at about 46.4 percent fully vaccinated and about 52.7 percent having initiated a vaccine. Across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 54.1 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and 63.4 percent have received at least one dose, as of Sept. 14.

The most recent data released by the Nodaway County Health Department on Sept. 14 showed 53 active cases of COVID-19 in the county, continuing the high plateau of active cases that has hovered between 50-70 since mid-July. None were hospitalized in the most recent report, and 32 have died since tracking began in March 2020.

Results of a recent study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that unvaccinated people were 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, and were nearly five times more likely to be infected in the first place.

Appointments for vaccination can be made at the Nodaway County Health Department at 660-562-2755.

Vaccination data

The Forum has begun using new, more accurate 2020 U.S. Census data in vaccination population calculations for all levels. Because the new figures showed a significant decrease in the population of Nodaway County, the vaccination percentages reported by The Forum may be higher than other sources that continue to use the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, including the state data posted to the DHSS online vaccination dashboard