Umatilla County Public Health (UCo Health) announced today that it will again not receive the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine shipment that had been expected, and as a result all upcoming drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination events have been canceled.
Drive-thru vaccination events had been scheduled for Jan. 21-22, but the health department was notified today that “we have not been allocated COVID-19 vaccine for the coming week and will not receive the anticipated vaccine shipment,” the health department said in a press release. “No vaccination sites in Umatilla County will be receiving first-dose COVID-19 vaccine for the week of Jan. 18.”
(SEE ALSO: COUNTY REPORTS 2 MORE COVID DEATHS)
This is the second consecutive week that UCo Health has not received sufficient COVID-19 vaccine to hold mass vaccination events.
UCo Health is prepared to hold mass drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination events weekly, pending vaccine allocation. Vaccine sites are typically notified weekly of vaccine allocations.
Health officials said Umatilla County residents should anticipate an extended timeline for vaccination due to changes in Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccine prioritization and continued vaccine allocation delays.
“It is deeply disappointing that vaccinations for our Phase 1a residents, including those in long-term care facilities will continue to be delayed,” said UCo Health Director Joseph Fiumara. “We are committed to continuing planning efforts to ensure that our community is ready to quickly administer any amount of vaccine that arrives in coming weeks.”
County health officials are asking Umatilla County residents to visit the health department’s website, social media and Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 vaccination webpage for information on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and availability.
Residents who prefer to receive this information by phone are asked to call 211.
What about second shots will they have those.
Why in the hell is one of the highest-infection-rate counties in the state not getting prioritized shipments of these vaccines?
According to a TV show that my wife saw while in California, it’s up to the governor to order it. Unless it’s changed in the last week, there are millions of doses available. Of course if they all go out, more will be needed, but the quantity available, if I’m not mistaken, was in the tens of millions. So what’s the hold up? Is it a distribution issue or a governor issue?
The Trump administration didn’t hold any vaccine in reserve. We have to wait for it. This will impact the second dose, and the first dose for any of us seniors who qualify on Saturday.
Please in reporting clarify that County Public Health has not received the vaccine- while the hospitals in Umatilla might have received some
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