CCS releases Grant County vaccine information
By Logan Bagett on Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories More Top Stories
JOHN DAY – (Press Release provided by Community Counseling Solutions)
“Greetings Grant County residents. Following is our vaccine information for the week of 2/22 – 2/2/21
Total first doses administered: 230
First doses to date: 1074
Second doses (booster): 68
Total 2 nd doses to date: 500
We have administered a combined total of vaccines (1st and 2nd doses): 1574
For the week of March 8 – March 14 we have received 230 new vaccine doses and 100 booster doses.
On March 8th we will hold our largest to date vaccine clinic, providing vaccines to approximately 400 people (wow!!). We will be finishing up those in the 65 and above age group (as well as health care providers and educators who were in earlier priority groups) and will begin to vaccinate those on our list who are in Groups 6 and 7 (see attached) as well as continuing to work down our wait list. We are administering every dose that we have available. We have been told that this next week we will receive 300 new first doses and 100 second doses.
We are required to follow the sequencing as set forth by the Oregon Health Authority. Please refer to the attached sequencing graphic and definitions. As can be seen, we are being instructed to vaccinate those aged 45-64 with specific underlying medical conditions, migrant and seasonal farm workers, agricultural workers, food processing worker, people in low income senior housing/senior congregate/independent living, individuals experiencing homelessness and wildland firefighters. This group is referred to as Group 6 in Phase 1B. After we finish with Group 6 we can move into Group 7:
frontline workers (see attached document for specific definition), multi-generational household members and adults 16-44 with specific underlying health conditions. This is just a friendly reminder that health care providers in Grant County were not involved in the development of the order of sequencing. We are however required to follow it.
Assuming that we receive vaccines this next week, we plan to hold a vaccine clinic next Monday (3/15), where will continue to vaccinate all prior and currently eligible groups, as well as working down our wait list. We also are planning vaccine event days in Monument, Dayville, Long Creek and Seneca. More information will be forthcoming on those events. We are guaranteed to receive all second doses as needed (weather and other events beyond our control permitting).
Blue Mountain Hospital District (BMHD) and the Grant County Health Department (GCHD) are closely collaborating on making the COVID-19 vaccine available to residents of Grant county, as vaccines are provided to Grant County from the state. We continue to maintain a list of those interested in receiving the vaccine. In the future, when we receive additional shipments, we will work off the list to get people in for the vaccine as eligibility criteria are expanded by the state. We will need to continue to do this for the near immediate future, until the vaccine is more widely available. We greatly appreciate the support of Len’s Drug in vaccine administration at the vaccine clinics.
If you have already called the GCHD or BMH and put your name on the wait list, you are set. There is nothing more you need to do. If you would like to be added to the wait list, please send an email to vaccine@ccsemail.org. This is our preferred route to sign people up on the wait list. When you send an email, simply let us know that you are interested in receiving the vaccine. Please provide your name, date of birth, phone number, mailing address and any chronic health conditions. You will receive a confirmation email back within 48 hours.
If indicating interest through email is not possible, you can call the GCHD at 541-575-0429 or Strawberry Wilderness Clinic at 541-575-0404 and asked to be placed on the COVID-19 vaccine list.
Given that there are strict regulations on how to manage and prepare the COVID-19 vaccine, there are limitations on how vaccinations can be delivered, stored, and given. Each vial only contains 10 -11 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Given that once a vial is opened all doses must be used within 6 hours, we will schedule vaccinations in groups of 10. If an individual does not present at the designated time for the vaccine, the GCHD will diligently work off the waitlist to identify another individual to receive the dose. We call people in the order that people called/emailed us. Whenever possible we will identify someone who falls in current priority group that we are working in. However, if no such individual can be identified, we will continue to move through the list, prioritizing those in at risk or high priority populations.”
