By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
After several weeks of interrupted supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, Lincoln County health officials say new shipments have stabilized and should increase in the coming weeks as vaccines nationwide ramp up.
Currently, Lincoln County Public Health is getting 1,200 to 1,400 first doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine each week. Other providers, such as private pharmacies and Samaritan Health Services in Benton and Linn counties – which are open to Samaritan clients in Lincoln County – are getting their own supplies from the federal government or Oregon Health Authority.
As of last week, health officials said there have been more than 7,900 county residents who have started or completed the vaccination process. That is 28 percent of the 28,000 county residents who will want or can receive the vaccine.
The county said there are more than 11,000 eligible people on its waiting list who do not yet have an appointment scheduled, including remaining health care workers, first responders, educators, and adults age 65 and older who became eligible Sunday. But, the county is essentially a week behind because of a week in February when it did not get vaccines due to winter storms in the Midwest.
“While there are signs our vaccine allocation will be increasing, if we continue to only get 1,200 vaccines a week, it will take eight to nine weeks to vaccinate everyone currently eligible,” the public health agency said in a news release.
The county and its partners have scheduled four larger clinics this week: first dose Moderna vaccines at the Taft station of North Lincoln Fire & Rescue on Tuesday and Friday, and a first dose Pfizer clinic Wednesday and first dose Moderna clinic Thursday at the county fairgrounds in Newport. There are no second-dose clinics this week because it was four weeks ago when the county received no vaccines, said Susan Trachsel, a LCPH spokeswoman.
On Monday, the Oregon Health Authority announed it expects to receive 34,000 doses of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week and that it will work with county public health departments, retail pharmacies and hospital systems to distribute them. The OHA said Monday it anticipates that less of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available in the next few weeks following this week’s initial allocation. OHA said it is planning for strategic deployment of the vaccine to speed up vaccinations in Oregon.
“Having access to a third highly effective COVID-19 vaccine is a game changing development for Oregonians,’ said Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA’s medical director for communicable diseases and immunization. “We believe this vaccine is effective against the virus, and a one-dose regimen will allow us to vaccinate more Oregonians more quickly.”
Florence Pourtal, deputy director of Lincoln County Public Health, said the OHA and health officials across Oregon are discussing the best way to use the new, one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, leaning toward directing it at people who may find it difficult to show up for a second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. This would include the homeless, people in corrections, the homebound and others in those types of situations.
Trachsel said the county is working to open a clinic at the Waldport Community Center, which would be staffed by paramedics from PacWest Ambulance. Pourtal told county commissioners Monday, that depending on vaccine availability, it would likely be open one day a week — but possibly not until near the end of March.
Also, Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital is planning to start Saturday clinics March 13 at its education center in Newport.
So far, only Safeway pharmacies in Lincoln County have been administering the vaccines at the rate of 100 a week. The pharmacies are getting their vaccines through the OHA, but under a special federal allotment. Pourtal told county commissioners Monday that once Walgreens, Rite-Aide, Fred Meyer and other, smaller pharmacies get their allocations it will mean another 1,000 to 1,200 doses a week available for local residents.
Waiting list issues being ironed out
When someone registers on the Public Health department’s waiting list, the agency will email them when there are clinic openings to invite them to sign up for a shot. “It may take some time as the clinics could fill up quickly, but public health will continue to send notices,” the agency said.
The county said its waiting list does not coordinate with other vaccination sites, so it is possible that people on the county’s list have already received the vaccine elsewhere. “The county is working on improving the communication between databases to have a more accurate count in the future,” the agency said in its news release.
Public Health said it knows the sign-up process can be difficult. The county has set up a call center — 541-265-0621 — with five employees to assist people by phone in English and Spanish. There are limited phone lines in the county system, so some callers are experiencing delays or dropped calls. County Commissioner Doug Hunt told the Yachats City Council in a meeting Monday evening that the county is spending $15,000 to $20,000 to install 34 additional phone lines to help resolve the problem.
“We acknowledge the call center had some problems,” Hunt said.
Calls can also be made to the statewide help line at 2-1-1 or to the Samaritan vaccination scheduling assistance line at 855-441-2311.
More information can be found on the county’s website or by emailing the county at LincolnCoCallCenter@co.lincoln.or.us
Public Health officials are also asking that friends, family and neighbors of eligible people help them sign up for the vaccine. Public Health has an outreach video for partners or the public who want to help people sign up for the vaccine. The video is an hour, but has links to topics that may be of interest.
The county-organized clinics are just one opportunity to get a vaccine. Some other options are:
Statewide Vaccine Information to view eligibility requirements and see clinics available around the state;
Linn & Benton County vaccination events through Samaritan Health Services (open to Lincoln County residents);
Safeway Pharmacy – Only open to eligible groups. Located in Newport and Lincoln City;
BiMart Pharmacy – Vaccines coming soon to its Lincoln City store;
Costco Pharmacy – Located in Albany, Aloha, Bend, Central Point, Clackamas, Eugene, Hillsboro, Portland, Roseburg, Salem, Tigard, Warrenton, and Wilsonville;
Salem Health Clinics (State Fairgrounds) – Open to anyone with a MyChart account. If no appointments slots appear on MyChart, that means all available appointments have been filled. Check back on MyChart regularly to see if additional appointments have opened.