The Warren County Health Department has launched its own online registrations for COVID-19 vaccination clinics that the health department plans to begin running in the near future.

Health officials announced late last week that they have ordered a shipment of vaccines and are waiting on a delivery date. This will be the first locally administered vaccine that will be open to the general public, rather than administered to specific high-priority groups.

Health Director Stacey White said on Tuesday that information on statewide vaccine distribution changes daily, but that the department hopes to hold its vaccine clinic within a week’s time.

“Vaccine shipments due this week have been delayed by CDC and DHSS. We anticipate delivery of some vaccine this week,” White said. “Once we have vaccine in-hand, we will look at the weather forecast and determine the best date for clinic, and then call and make appointments for those who pre-registered and meet eligibility requirements.”

The health department is taking pre-registrations at www.warrencountyhealth.com so that vaccination appointments can be made as soon as doses arrive. A link on the website takes users to a confidential questionnaire that assesses a person’s priority for receiving the vaccine. The questions include a person’s age, illnesses, current employment and contact information, along with other questions.

Each person in a home needs to register separately. The health department won’t be able to add additional patients to a visit when someone is called to be vaccinated.

For anyone without internet access, the health department recommends getting assistance from family or a friend to get registered online. A small window for registrations over the phone will be held each Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The registration phone number is 636-359-9379.

“Please be honest in your pre-registration. If you provide false information, you may be determined to be ineligible for vaccine from Warren County Health Department,” health officials said last week. “We will only be vaccinating those who fall into the current open (priority groups) at this time. When the state of Missouri moves to the next phase, we will do the same.”

The department also clarified that it doesn’t yet know how many doses of vaccine it will receive, so registering now isn’t a guarantee that a dose will be available. Once the vaccine has arrived, the health department will begin calling those who pre-registered in order to set up appointments.

Previously, the only vaccinations generally available to Warren County residents was by signing up with hospital systems in neighboring counties. The links for those sign-ups are still available on the health department’s website, and it’s still recommended that eligible people register with every provider available.