Ozarks Healthcare says it will host COVID-19 vaccination clinics administering the Moderna vaccine at no cost to participants on Tuesday and Wednesday in West Plains.
According to a press release, individuals can get the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at no cost on Tuesday, April 13 in Ozarks Healthcare's Willard Hunter Classroom in the Parkway Center. That vaccine clinic will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, April 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., individuals who got their initial dose on March 17 or earlier may receive the second, or "booster" dose of the Moderna vaccine. That vaccine clinic will also be at the Willard Hunter Classroom in the Parkway Center in West Plains, and there is no cost for the booster dose.
To sign up, participants can go to: https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator/ or if internet access is a problem, they can call 877-435-8411.
Ozarks Healthcare was one of the state's earliest health care facilities to receive and administer the COVID-19 vaccine, with frontline health care workers getting the shot in late December. It has held ongoing vaccination clinics for the south-central Missouri region since then.
As of Friday, April 9, all Missouri residents ages 16 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is recommended for people aged 18 years and older, according to the CDC.
How effective is the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19?
The Moderna vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, with a period of approximately 28 days, or a few weeks, recommended between doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Evidence from a large clinical trial involving about 30,000 participants ages 18-95 showed the Moderna vaccine to be 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 in people who received the two doses and who were not known to be previously infected. You can read more about that clinical trial for the Moderna vaccine here.
Potential side effects of the Moderna vaccine
The CDC says possible side effects to the Moderna vaccine include pain, redness and swelling in the arm where the shot was given. Some individuals may feel tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, or nausea a day or two after the vaccine. You can learn more about the Moderna vaccine in general, including information for people with allergies, by clicking here.
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