KMBC 9 NEWS AT 4:00. KELLY: GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M KELLY ECKERMAN. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THE METRO ARE VACCINATED NOW AFTER A VISIT TO A MASS VACCINATION EVENT PUT ON BY THE STATE OF MISSOURI. IT WAS HELD AT CERNER’S HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH KANSAS CITY. KMBC 9’S EMILY HOLWICK GOT AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE THE FIRST CLINIC IN THE METRO. >> THE NATIONAL GUARD IS HELPING TO FACILITATE THE FIRST REGIONWIDE MASS VACCINATION EVENT IN THE METRO HERE IN NORTH KANSAS CITY. MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE MADE APPOINTMENTS TO GET THEIR VACCINES HERE WEDNESDAY. 42 MEMBERS OF THE MISSOURI NATIONAL GUARD CAME FROM ALL OVER THE STATE TO HELP RUN THE CLINIC, WHICH WAS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO LIVES IN THE KANSAS CITY REGION ON THE MISSOURI SIDE. THEY’VE HAD TEAMS AT SITES LIKE THIS ALL ACROSS MISSOURI IN RECENT WEEKS, HELPING WITH EVERYTHING FROM DIRECTING TRAFFIC TO ENTERING PATIENT DATA. THE STATE HAS MOSTLY TARGETED RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR MASS VACCINATION SITES, BUT KANSAS CITY WAS READY TO JOIN THEIR RANK >> IT HAS BEEN HIGH DEMAND. LIKE MOST OF THE EVENTS WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ACROSS THE STATE. THERE IS A DEMAND FOR THE VACCINE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO GET IT AND WE ARE HILLER -- WE ARE HERE TO HELP SUPPORT THE CITIZENS OF MISSOURI. >> RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE NO CONCRETE PLANS FOR A REGIONWIDE VACCINATION EVENT IN KANSAS CITY. THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE ON BOARD IF THE STATE OFFERED IT. REPORTING IN NORTH KANSAS CITY. KELLY: TODAY’S STATE-RUN EVENT WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR LAST MONTH BUT HAD TO BE RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER. CERNER HAS ALSO BEEN RUNNING VACCINATION CLINICS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN CLAY COUNTY. WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION AT KMBC.COM. THIS AFTERNOON, MISSOURI GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON IS STANDING BY HIS STATEMENTS THAT THE VACCINE HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED EQUALLY AND EFFICIENTLY TO MISSOURIANS ACROSS THE STATE. HERE IN THE METRO, THE GOVERNOR SAYS WE GET MORE THAN 14,000 DOSES PER WEEK. IT’S SENT TO PLACES LIKE TRUM MEDICAL CENTER, LIBERTY HOSPITAL, ST. LUKE’S HCA AND THE , CASS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER. MEANWHILE, KANSAS CITY MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS IS ASKING FOR FEDERAL HELP. HE WANTS FEMA TO HOST A MASS VACCINATION EVENT IN THE CITY’S URBAN CORE SAYING THE STATE HAS RELIED HEAVILY ON HOSPITALS TO DISTRIBUTE VACCINES, WHICH HE MAINTAINS HAS LEFT SOME PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO FIND ONE. DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS IS WORKING TO HELP GET SHOTS IN THE ARMS OF THOSE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING ONE. IT’S SETTING UP WEEKLY CLINICS AT HEARTLAND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN LAWRENCE AND SETTING ASIDE 10% OF ITS VACCINE ALLOTMENT. THE CLINICS ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE RELIABLE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION, INTERNET, OR EVEN A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THE GOAL IS TO VACCINATE 800 PEOPLE BY THE END OF THE WEEK. NOW THAT VACCINATION CLINICS ARE HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD, PROVING YOUR VACCINATED STATUS MAY BECOME A REQUIREMENT FOR TRAVEL OR WORK. KMBC 9’S KELEIGH GIBBS HAS MO ON A NEW CARD BEING DEVELOPED. IT IS CALLED A VACCINATION PASSPORT. >> NOW THAT SHOTS ARE GOING INTO ARMS ACROSS THE GLOBE DAY TO DAY , ACTIVITIES ONCE CONSIDERED A RISK ARE BEGINNING TO SLOWLY RESUME ONCE AGAIN. >> WE WENT TO GET BACK TO WORK. WE WANT TO GET BAC TO TRAVELING SEEING OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, , EATING IN RESTAURANTS, ALL OF THAT FUN STUFF. AND WE THINK THIS IS KIND OF THE LAST PIECE OF RETURNING TO SOME LEVEL OF NORMALCY. >> A COALITION OF COMPANIES INCLUDING CERNER ARE NOW WORKING ON AN INITIATIVE TO VERIFY A PERSON’S VACCINATED STATUS. AND THEY’RE DOING IT WITH A CARD, THAT CAN SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH A SIMPLE SCAN. >> IT POINTS TO SOME OTHER USES OF THIS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THAT MIGHT MAKE ALL OF OUR RECORD KEEPING SIMPLIER. >> THE OWNER OF SHELTON TRAVEL OF KANSAS CITY SAYS, WHILE THESE VACCINATION CARDS ARE NOT YET REQUIREMENT TO TRAVEL, HE ANTICIPATES THAT MAY CHANGE MIDYEAR AND SUPPORTS THE MOVE. >> THE NEGATIVE, IF THERE IS A NEGATIVE, MIGHT BE PRIVACY ISSUES. THAT SAID CERNER IS VERY , CONSCIOUS ABOUT THOSE KIND OF ISSUES. >> CERNER SAYS THE PLAN FOR THE CARDS IS TO MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE TO ANYONE WHO HAS RECEIVED THE COVID-19 VACCINE. KELEIGH GIBBS, KMBC 9 NEWS. KELLY: CERNER ESTIMATES THE CARD ROLL OUT WILL HAPPEN SOMETIME THIS SUMMER. BOTH KANSAS AND MISSOURI A REPORTING NEW NUMBERS AND POSITIVITY RATES AND THE SUNFLOWER STATE HAS HIT A NEW LOW. KANSAS HAS A POSITIVITY RATE OF JUST 2.9%. MISSOURI’S IS HIGHER AT 4.5%. THE NUMBER OF CASES ARE DOWN AS WELL. MISSOURI IS BELOW 400, WITH KANSAS ABOUT DOUBLE THAT. ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE NUMBERS ALSO SHOW A DROP IN TESTING OVER THE LAST MONTH. THE COVID TRACKING PROJECT REPORTS TEST RATES HAVE DIPPED BY 25% SINCE MID-JANUARY. EVEN WITH THE APPROVAL OF SEVERAL VACCINES, HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THE DROP MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE DROP IN DAILY REPORTED CASES DESPITE THE RISE IN NEW VARIANTS OF THE VIRUS. LOCAL HEALTH EXPERTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE SEEING IN STATES LIKE TEXAS WHERE LEADERS ARE ROLLING BACK HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES LIKE MASK WEARING. DOCTORS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM STRESS THE VIRUS IS STILL OUT THERE AND EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS SHOW FEWER CASES, ELIMINATING SAFETY STEPS NOW COULD BE DANGEROUS. >> THE COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION IS GOING TO ACCELERATE UNTIL YOU HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE VACCINATED THAT YOU CAN PREVENT IT FROM DOING THAT AND PREVENT IT FROM GETTING ANOTHER FOOTHOLD AND WE JUST DON’T HAVE THAT YET. KELLY: THEY URGE YOU TO HANG IN THERE AND KEEP UP WITH MASK WEARING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING UNTIL WE GET TO THAT POINT. WE KNOW YOU HAVE MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VACCINE AND THE VACCINATION PROCESS. EVERY DAY, WE’RE ADDING ANSWERS TO OUR WEBSITE, ALONG WITH STATE AND COUNTY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON VACCINES FROM LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS. THAT INCLUDES WHO WILL QUALIFY FOR A VACCINE AND HOW AND WHEN TO SIG