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Coping with COVID: Next tier of vaccinations to begin in Missouri mid-March with Phase 1B Tier 3 

By Madison Parry

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday that the state will begin Phase 1B Tier 3 of vaccinations on Monday, March 15. The tier will put emphasis on reaching “critical infrastructure workers” and if effective, could advance the start of Phase 2.

With the start of March just days away, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the state’s intentions to begin Phase 1B Tier 3 of COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, March 15.

The move is expected to make an estimated 550,000 more Missourians to become eligible for the vaccine and if all goes ‘according to plan’ Phase 2 could be activated just 45 days later.

“We still have to remember there’s lots of people out there who haven’t received the vaccine yet, that they are the priority of this state,” Parson said.

This next tier will put an emphasis on vaccinating the essential workers ; K-12 teachers, child-care providers, grocery store employees, agriculture, energy and other “critical infrastructure workers,” too.

“The one thing I would say that we all need to do a better job of? some of these tougher communities to get to, we need to do a better job of getting vaccines to them, and that means the cities need to a better job,” Parson said. “We need to do be able to do a better job to send the national guard in there to target the vaccine.”

The state feels comfortable moving to this next phase as it sees a slow, steady increase in the vaccine supply to the state.

People eligible in Phase 1B, Tier 3 include those who work in the following professions:

  • Education
  • Childcare
  • Communications Infrastructure
  • Dams Sector
  • Energy Sector
  • Food & Agriculture Sector 1
  • Government
  • Information Technology
  • Nuclear Reactor Sector
  • Transportation Systems
  • Water and Wastewater Systems