Warren County residents can now pre-register for COVID-19 vaccinations through three more regional healthcare systems: SSM, BJC, and St. Luke’s Hospital. They join Mercy as potential vaccine providers for Warren County residents.

County health officials are encouraging people to register with each available provider to be vaccinated as soon as doses become available, said Stacey White with the Warren County Health Department. While there’s no guarantee you’ll get a vaccination right away, there’s no downside to registering in multiple systems.

“It doesn’t hurt to register at multiple sites,” said White. “Once you get an appointment, let’s say with SSM, then if BJC calls to tell you they have an opening, you can just tell them you already have an appointment, and they’ll move on to the next person. You’re not taking anyone’s spot by registering.”

The health department website, www.warrencountyhealth.com, has links to pre-register with each of the participating hospitals.

Each of the hospital systems has a screening process to assess where a registrant falls within Missouri’s vaccine priority system. You do not have to be a patient to pre-register for vaccinations with any of the healthcare networks.

Regional hospital systems are becoming the focal point of Missouri’s response to COVID, White said. According to a press release from the state health department and Missouri Hospital Association, just over half of the vaccine doses throughout the state are being channeled to regional hospitals in February.

“The hospitals included in the first phase of this plan were selected for their ability to rapidly begin community vaccination efforts on a large scale,” said Herb B. Kuhn, president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association.

About 53 percent of vaccine doses statewide will go to hospital systems in February. Another 23 percent will be devoted to regional mass vaccination events conducted by the Missouri National Guard. The rest will be divided among local public health agencies and smaller community health providers.

Stacey White, with the county health department, said her department hasn’t been allocated any vaccine doses at this time, and doesn’t have the deep-freeze facilities to store the vaccine offered by Pfizer. Other vaccines, such as one made by Moderna, may eventually become available to the health department in smaller amounts, White said.

“Until we have vaccine of our own and we’re able to do a vaccine clinic here, or until the state decides to have a National Guard clinic here — which is out of our control — we’re encouraging people to get signed up through the major health systems,” White said.