Work needed to vaccinate the most vulnerable

Can get in line."AHEAD OF MISSOURIOPENING UP ELIGIBILITY--OVER 1-POINT-8 MILLIONMISSOURIANS HAVEGOTTEN AT LEAST ONEDOSE OF THE SHOT.IN KANSAS-- OVER 931-THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVEDONE THe SAME.WITH THE SHOT NOWAVAILABLE TO SO MANYPEOPLE-- COUNTY HEALTHDEPARTMENTS ARE NOWWORKING TO MAKE SUREOUR VULNERABLEPOPULATIONS DO NOT GETOVERLOOKED.41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER DAN COHEN ISBREAKING DOWN SOMENEW DATA AND HE TALKEDTO THE KANSAS CITYHEALTH DEPARTMENT.DAN-- WHAT DID THEYTELL YOU ABOUT GETTINGTHOSE VULNERABLEPOPULATIONSVACCINATED?AS THE SECOND MOSTPOPULOUS COUNTY IN THESTATE, JACKSON COUNTYFACES A DAUNTING TASKOF GETTING EVERYONEVACCINATED.BUT NEW DATA SUGGESTSOFFICIALS THERE MAYNEED TO DO A BETTER JOBFOCUSING ON THE MOSTVULNERABLECOMMUNITIES.TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP .THE WHITE DOTSREPRESENT SO-CALLED"HIGH THROUGH-PUTHOSPITALS" OR HOSPITALSTHAT CAN GIVE OUT ALARGE NUMBER OFVACCINES IN A SHORTAMOUNT OF TIME.THE BLACK DOTREPRESENTS THE ONEMASS VACCINATION EVENTTHE COUNTY HAS HELD -AT ARROWHEAD STADIUM.YOU'LL NOTICE, NONE OFTHOSE DOTS ARE IN THEDARKEST RED AREA OFTHE COUNTY.THAT DARK RED AREA ISWHERE THE MOSTVULNERABLEPOPULATIONS ARE - BASEDON FACTORS LIKE HIGHPOVERTY LEVEL, HIGHPERCENTAGE OF MINORITYPOPULATIONS, AND A HIGHNUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHAT LEAST ONE CO-MORBIDITY.AND THERE'S ANOTHERCONSIDERATION - STAYINGAHEAD OF COVID-19VARIANTS.Dr. Rex Archer / Kansas CityHealthDepartmentNot everyone is talking aboutit quite this way, but we reallyneed to understand we don'thave one pandemic right now.We have several pandemics.Each of these variants iscreating in many cases itsown pandemic.

Each one ofthose has differentcharacteristics.

Some aremore contagious but not anymore lethal, a few of them thataren't fortunately morecontagious, maybe slightly,may have some level ofresistance at leasttheoretically to the vaccine.resistance at leasttheoretically to the vaccine.SO WITH ELIGIBILITYEXPANDING TODAY, ANDVARIANTS POSING ATHREAT TO KEEPING CASENUMBERS LOW, HEALTHLEADERS SAYVACCINATION RATES MUSTREMAIN HIGH.

NATIONALLY,THE U.S. IS AVERAGINGABOUT 3 MILLIONVACCINATIONS PER DAY.RAE AND LINDSAY?DAN, WHEN IS THE STATEHOSTING ITS NEXT MASSVACCINATION EVENTS INOUR REGION?TOMORROW ATGRANDVIEW HIGH SCHOOL,THAT'S THE NEXT ONE FORREGION A.

AND THEN NEXTWEDNESDAY ANDTHURSDAY AT LEGACYPARK IN LEE'S SUMMIT.AND OF COURSE AT THEEND OF APRIL, ANOTHERMASS EVENT ATARROWHEAD STADIUM,WHERE 8,000 PEOPLEWERE VACCINATED JUST AFEW WEEKS AGO.