Health care workers began receiving COVID vaccine doses on December 16 at Legacy Emanuel, St. Alphonsus Ontario, and OHSU, and hospitals have remained major distributors across the state. Space does not allow for a listing of all the outstanding organizational efforts and collaborations, but here are just some:
The Portland area's four largest hospital systems teamed up on the metro region's first mass vaccination site at the Oregon Convention Center. Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Providence Health, Legacy Health, and OSHU are working together to administer about 2,000 doses per day for Oregonians in Phase 1a. Leaders say they could do more if supplies were available. "This isn't a short term event, we'll have it open for months," said Wendy Watson, Kaiser Permanente COO.
OHSU is also operating a drive through vaccination clinic at Portland International Airport, assisted by volunteers from the American Red Cross.
Another early large-scale effort was put on by Salem Health at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Members of the Oregon National Guard helped administer the shots.
"Salem Health stood this up in very short order," said Gov. Kate Brown. “It's truly an extraordinary effort."
A few days after the first doses were administered, the vaccine effort ramped up in a big way in Lane County. Some 400 health care workers were vaccinated on December 21 at McKenzie Willamette and at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Riverbend.
There was another large vaccination event in southern Oregon. From January 21-25, Asante and its partners, Jackson County Public Health, Josephine County Public Health, the National Guard and Providence Medford Medical Center, vaccinated more than 10,000 people. This included people in Phase 1a and 1b. "It was an incredible success and widely appreciated in our community," said Lauren Van Sickle of Asante's communications department.
St. Alphonsus has vaccination clinics scheduled through April at the conference center in Ontario. Right now the health department is notifying employers of eligible people and sharing the hospital's scheduling link.
Many of Oregon's rural hospitals are also well into their vaccination efforts. At Harney District Hospital in Burns, leaders report they have begun vaccinating teachers and residents aged 75 and over. At the Samaritan hospitals in Lincoln County, the effort has now includes educators and others from the Phase 1a population.
There are many efforts to highlight. We are incredibly grateful to all who have shown they will do whatever it takes to take care of those who have fallen ill with COVID, and to get the vaccine to our fellow Oregonians.