Grant County residents can email to get on vaccine waiting list
By Logan Bagett on Friday, January 22nd, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
JOHN DAY – (Press Release from the Blue Mountain Hospital District and the Grant County Health Department)
Blue Mountain Hospital District and the Grant County Health Department are closely collaborating on making the COVID-19 vaccine available to residents of our wonderful county, as vaccines are provided to Grant County from the state. At this time, we are creating a master 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. We will need to continue to do this for the near immediate future, until the vaccine is more widely available.
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 and mailing address. You will receive a confirmation email back within 48 hours.
If indicating interest through an email is not possible, you can call the GCHD at 541-575-0429 or Strawberry Wilderness Clinic at 541-575-0404. We will again ask if you are able to email please do so, as our phones are not able to handle the current call volumes. If unable to email, you may call and we will take your information and add you to the master list.
Please know that we are required to vaccinate individuals as directed by the Oregon Health Authority and the Vaccine Advisory Committee guidelines. At this time, the prior groups are health care workers, Long Term Care Facility residents, education systems, first responders, and individuals aged 65 and older (with highest priority given to those who are oldest in this group). We will continue to work diligently at vaccinating individuals as we received additional doses. We will refer to the wait list to determine eligibility based upon current approved groups.
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, the GCHD will schedule vaccinations in groups of 11. 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. 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.
