Change comes at a time when the state transfers doses to Portland area health workers
BEND, Pray. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Health Authority will not send any first dose of COVID-19 vaccines to Deschutes County next week, as some intended shipments are being transferred to the Portland area, where thousands of Phase 1a health workers are still waiting to be vaccinated.
As a result, appointments for the first dose of the vaccine are fully booked at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, officials announced on Friday, and registrations will be closed until the state allocates the first additional doses to Deschutes County.
Individuals eligible for the second dose of the vaccine may receive the vaccine as scheduled. Appointments are scheduled when individuals receive their first vaccine and OHA is committed to sending second doses.
“At the end of each week, we learned about our Oregon Health Authority vaccine distribution for the following week,” said Dr. George Conway, director of Deschutes County Health Services. “Next week, we will know if we can expect more vaccine supplies for the following week and we will keep our communities up to date.”
Deschutes County Health Services and the St. Charles Health System will resume scheduling vaccine appointments for eligible individuals when additional first dose vaccines are received.
Deschutes County Health Services has launched an online platform that allows residents to apply to be notified when they are eligible to be vaccinated. More information is available at www.deschutes.org/covid19vaccine.
Oregonian / Oregon Live reported that the Portland area is receiving more than 17,000 doses next week for Phase 1a workers, and nearly 14,000 of them represent new doses, for a total of 32,000 doses next week. This is due to the increase of 10,000 doses of Moderna, as well as the reduction of doses for the municipalities that completed the vaccination of populations 1a.
Friday’s news came a day after Portland area health officials said tens of thousands of health workers could wait weeks or months to get a vaccine when some areas, like Deschutes County, completed the Phase 1a vaccinations and began offering Phase 1b vaccines to all residents aged 75 and over.