KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said the state should be done with Phase 1 of its vaccination plan by the end of January.
The governor made the announcement at her weekly press conference.
She expressed confidence in the number of vaccines that have been distributed throughout the state.
More than 45,000 doses have been doled out, Kelly said. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman estimated the actual number of vaccines distributed could be double that.
The gap is due to delays in reporting from providers, Kelly and Norman said.
Some vaccine providers had not been trained on the computer systems through which to report vaccine distribution, and the state said earlier this week it was working to bring them up to speed.
The slowness also led to reports earlier this week that Kansas had the lowest vaccine distribution rate in the nation.
Since then, the state has made positive progress according data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Norman said another contributing factor is that providers' priority has been vaccinating people, not necessarily reporting the data immediately.
Phase 2 of Kansas' vaccination plan includes people older than 65, people who live in congregate settings where social distancing is not possible and high-contact critical workers.
There are no special provisions in the vaccine plan for legislators and other government workers, Kelly said, with the exception of constitutional officers.
Most legislators will meet the age requirement in Phase 2, Kelly said.
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