PORTLAND, Ore — Health care workers received some of the first COVID-19 vaccines in Oregon this week. State health officials say more shipments of the vaccine are on the way.
Health care workers and nursing home residents and staff members are first in line to be vaccinated, followed by workers in essential and critical industries, and people over 65 and those at high risk of severe COVID illness due to underlying conditions.
According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), thousands of Oregon health care workers could receive their first doses of the vaccine by the end of this week.
The state expects to receive a total of 35,100 doses this week. The first shipments from that batch, a total of 4,875 doses, arrived Monday and Tuesday, the OHA said. When they arrive, the remaining doses will be sent to other health facilities around the state and pharmacies serving skilled nursing facilities.
Here’s when the OHA is expecting more doses of the vaccine to arrive in Oregon:
Week of Dec. 20
The OHA says it expects to receive 25,350 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during the week of Dec. 20. The allocation is a reduction from the original amount of 40,950 doses. Federal officials notified the OHA about the change on Wednesday.
Oregon is also expecting a shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna, which is expected to receive FDA emergency use authorization this week. The OHA is expecting about 71,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine to arrive during the week of Dec. 20, but said that number is subject to change.
Week of Dec. 27
Approximately 48,750 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are expected to arrive during the week of Dec. 27.
Assuming it receives FDA emergency approval, Oregon should also receive 31,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine, the OHA said.
If the estimated doses of both vaccines arrive as scheduled, Oregon will have enough to provide first doses to more than 100,000 health care workers and long term care facility residents by the end of the month.
