Age-based vaccinations delayed; phased vaccinations continue in Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam Counties

NCPHD has already held its first mass vaccine event by invitation only at the Fort Dalles Readiness center, the district reported Friday, Jan. 15. Vaccine events are currently planned twice weekly at the Readiness Center and will be limited to Phase 1a groups, which includes medical and dental providers, law enforcement and others, the district reported. They anticipate each event will vaccinate about 50 people, with a stand-by list in case of no-shows.

Those receiving the vaccine are contacted by the district and scheduled in advance. The events are by invitation only.

The health district continues developing list of eligible recipients in Phase 1a. The first event, which was intentionally smaller since it served as a trial run, vaccinated 21 people, the district reported.

Not all Phase 1a individuals eligible for the vaccine have yet been vaccinated due to limited vaccine supplies. The district plans to add educators to the list of persons eligible to receive vaccine starting Jan. 25.

Vaccinations of Phase 1a groups are complete in Sherman County and will be finished late next week in Gilliam County.

Jessica Donnell, who works at The Dalles Dental Care, said she got the vaccine to “keep myself and my patients safe.”

Michelle Greenup, of The Dalles Dental Care, said she got vaccinated “just to keep people protected around me. I have a lot of older family members I don’t want to get sick.” After getting her vaccine, Greenup said, “It wasn’t bad at all. It was delightful for a shot.”

Molly Dodd Martinson, who works at Columbia River Dental in The Dalles, said, “I’m a dental hygienist so it’s been kind of concerning even though we’ve worn full protection. And I’m 50 and I have a medically compromised son.”

Kristen Slatt, vaccine coordinator for NCPHD, said the health district continues to identify the many organizations that fit within the four groups in Phase 1a. Broadly, the groups include all health care personnel, emergency responders, and staff and residents of assisted living facilities and other group homes and treatment facilities.

Progress details

Within the NCPHD district, vaccination of the Phase 1a group is almost finished. This group includes hospitals (given vaccines directly by state), urgent care clinics, skilled nursing and memory care facility workers and residents (given vaccines by pharmacies under a federal program) and emergency medical service providers and other first responders including law enforcement, fire and ambulance crews

Vaccination of Phase 1a groups 2-4 had begun as of Tuesday, Jan. 12. These include:

• Group 1a 2 includes staff and residents in assisted living facilities and other residential facilities and group living/treatment (such as residential substance abuse and psychiatric treatment programs), residents and staff in adult foster homes, age-eligible residents plus all staff in group homes for children or adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, hospice programs, behavioral health mobile crisis care, those in secure transport and individuals working in correctional settings.

• Group 1a 3 includes home health care workers, parents and caregivers of medically fragile children or adults living at home, children who meet age requirement (18 for Moderna vaccine used by NCPHD) or adults who live at home and have a medical condition or disability and non-emergency medical transport staff.

Group 1a 4 includes all other outpatient care staff not in previous groups, including ambulatory surgery outpatient infusion centers, out-patient physical, oral/dental health, addiction, mental health, veterinary care, laboratory, pharmacy, phlebotomy services, chiropractic, naturopathic, massage and acupuncture providers, school nurses, healthcare staff who provide direct COVID services including testing, blood donation staff, direct service providers to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other high-risk populations and death care workers.

According to Health Officer Mimi McDonell, NCPHD has been receiving 100 doses of vaccine a week for the past several weeks.

The Sherman County Medical Clinic received its own supply of the vaccine and was able to proceed through Phase 1a more quickly.

The NCPHD is nearing completion of a comprehensive list of all the entities in its three-county service area that fall within the four groups of Phase 1a, and is offering vaccine clinics to eligible individuals within the four groups of Phase 1, NCPHD reported.