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Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week, allowing them to begin vaccinating their entire staff this Friday, January 8.
The Moderna vaccine was received from the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday, January 6th by the five Virginia Garcia primary care clinics. Plans to vaccinate front line staff are already in place.
“We are very excited about the recent shipment of vaccines for our staff,” said Sarah Deines, Virginia Garcia Director of Quality. “Our staff has been waiting for the vaccine and we have been ready for a few weeks. We plan to implement as many vaccinations as possible this Friday with the remaining staff receiving vaccines next Friday, January 15th.”
All five Virginia Garcia primary care clinics have been approved as certified vaccination locations. Once all staff has received the vaccine, they will begin to look towards the vaccination of patients – prioritizing those who would be at high risk if they become sick with Covid-19, as well as those who are at high risk for exposure. “We plan to follow public health guidance of prioritization as we begin receiving vaccine doses for our communities,” said Dr Laura Byerly, Virginia Garcia Medical Director. "We are a community health center serving an at-risk population that has been devastated by this virus. The virus exposed the social and health inequities that already existed in our communities. Ensuring our patients have early, and easy, access to the vaccine is top priority for us. Obviously we would like that to begin as soon as possible."
The timeline and availability of the vaccination to Virginia Garcia patients will depend on when the next shipment of vaccine is received, and how many are available. "Currently we do not know when the next shipment of vaccine will be received by Virginia Garcia," said Stephanie Saunders, Vaccine and Lab Program Manager. "OHA has assured us that going forward there will be regular shipments of the vaccine but cannot give specific dates at this time."
More information on the COVID-19 vaccine as well as resources and frequently asked questions are available on the Virginia Garcia website at VirginiaGarcia.org/CovidVaccine2021.