Walk ins welcome at Friday vaccine clinic

Walk ins will be welcome at the Missouri National Guard and Butler County Health Department mid-sized COVID vaccination clinic from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday at the Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge.

“We are urging registration through vaccine navigator, we’re going to accept walk ins as well,” said Butler County Health Department Director Emily Goodin. “You have to be 18 and older since it’s the Moderna vaccine.”

The weekly number of new COVID cases in Butler County is 19, with a total of 36 active cases, Goodin announced during the COVID briefing Wednesday.

“That’s for the whole week, bringing our total for 4,484 since the beginning of the pandemic,” she said.

Goodin explained, “we are still doing smaller clinics at the health department by appointment. We’re finishing up all our booster shots. We are still doing COVID testing free, and we are down to one day a week. All you have to do is get on our website, our Facebook page and you can set up an appointment. They are the rapid test, which takes about 15 minutes. Those are free to Missouri residents.”

Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers explained Goodin was assisting the National Guard Wednesday with a vaccination clinic in Malden.

Goodin said, the Malden event was a drive-through clinic at the airport, but the one at the Elks Lodge will be a walk-in clinic.

All adults in Missouri are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The One for All Missouri campaign and local public health experts encourage Missourians to register for vaccine appointments in their area. Missourians can sign up for mass vaccination events happening in their area or book vaccine appointments at health centers and clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.

More than one third of adults in Missouri have initiated their vaccination against COVID-19 and 23.6% have been vaccinated, officials said.

Registering through the Missouri Vaccine Navigator, local public health departments and care providers can help Missourians stay informed of vaccination updates and available appointments in their area.

Missourians can also contact the Missouri COVID-19 hot line at 877-435-8411 if they’d like assistance with their registration.

Getting vaccinated will help prevent illness from COVID-19, save lives and, with time, help end the pandemic, officials predict. While waiting for most of the population to get vaccinated, health officials recommend the need to continue taking steps to stop the spread. Protect yourself and the health of others by continuing safety steps like mask wearing, physical distancing and hand washing.

Officials remind it takes two weeks upon receiving the final dose of a vaccine to reach maximum protection.