Missouri town with 65 residents receives nearly 2,000 vaccines for reasons unknown

A mass vaccination clinic in Leopold, MO operated on a first-come-first-serve basis yesterday due to overallocation.

By 4:40 p.m. yesterday, 648 people had been vaccinated in a town of only 65. // Image courtesy of leopold.k12.mo.us

Gov. Mike Parson allocated almost 2,000 vaccines for the clinic. The Bollinger County town’s population of 65 did not fulfill that allocation, leading the health department to open the clinic up to anyone who wanted to be vaccinated.

By 3 p.m. Wednesday, anyone could show up to be vaccinated without an appointment. As of 4:40 p.m., 1,302 shots were still available and only 648 had been given, leaving almost two thirds of the allotment unused. The event ended at 5 p.m.

Many Missourians rushed out to take advantage of this opportunity. While a few hundred people got the message to turn out for a vaccine, some didn’t, despite being nearby.

In today’s COVID-19 press conference update, Gov. Mike Parson was asked if instances like this one, where rural counties have more shots than people showing up to get them, are a waste of vaccine.

“I’m not aware of that,” Parson says in response to the assertion that almost 66% of the clinic’s vaccines went unused. “Maybe you know more than what I evidently do, because I don’t think that’s the case at all.”

Killer defense, Mike. Great job.