St. Charles is expecting his first COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.Detailed overview

(Update: Add video, details)

A caregiver is not required, but vaccination is recommended

Bend, Oregon (KTVZ) – Nearly 1,000 of the 4,500 caregivers of the St. Charles Health System will receive the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine starting next week and the second dose three weeks later, officials said. Logistics related to priorities on Tuesday.

As in other areas, priorities are key persons to maintain hospital capacity, and / or from doctors and nurses to other medical and support staff such as meal delivery and housekeeping, COVID- 19 Focus on those who are in direct contact with the patient. Tuesday.

Dr. Cynthia Marie, an infectious disease specialist in St. Charles Bend, told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon. The 975 doses are expected to arrive Thursday and will be given starting next Thursday under the priorities set by the CDC and the Oregon Department of Health.

Due to the expected higher doses soon, the first shipment of 975 will be sent to that number of caregivers, called the “first wave” of vaccination. A second dose will be required within 3 weeks. For logistical reasons, all vaccinations are done in St. Charles, and some workers move from other hospitals to Bend for vaccination.

The first Pfizer vaccine requires ultra-cold storage at -70 degrees Celsius, so St. Charles is looking for a second freezer from the Oregon Department of Health. The vaccine should be thawed for 2-3 hours and used within 72 hours.

“Phase 1A” vaccinations as defined in the CDC guidelines include healthcare professionals, patients, and care facility staff. Under the priority of the Oregon Department of Health, St. Charles has COVID-, from employees who are critical to maintaining hospital capacity, to doctors and nurses to therapists, those who provide food and “environmental services.” 19 Focus on different caregivers who have direct contact with the patient. (Housekeeper / cleaning staff).

The next stage of vaccination is directed to “essential workers”-although not yet fully defined, it can range from police and firefighters to food and agricultural workers. Phase 1C will then be conducted to vaccinate adults at high risk and the elderly aged 65 and over.

At this point, authorities expect the vaccine to be generally available by late spring or early summer.

St. Charles examined a total of 350 COVID-19 patients this year, said Dr. Jeff Absalon, Chief Doctor Executive. This includes 32 in the hospital, 4 in the ICU and 3 on the ventilator as of Tuesday morning.

“Our hospital is quite full,” Absalon said. “In fact, a few hours ago, our ICU was full.”

Approximately 1,400 people from four hospitals (and more than 200 external providers) included in the high-priority “first wave” of vaccination will need to ship next if they are willing to take a shot There is a possibility of becoming. Of the Moderna vaccine (which does not require ultra-cold storage and releases logistics) to cover the first dose of that first group.

According to Marie, this can take more than two weeks, and it can take two months to provide two doses of vaccine to everyone in a community health facility.

According to a survey, more than half of St. Charles’ caregivers want to be sure they will be vaccinated, “the middle group is still uncertain and trying to make a decision,” she said. They will be the focus of education and information. Second, there are 10 to 15 percent of people who are absolutely uninterested in vaccination for a variety of concerns and reasons.

She said it was very similar to “general concerns among people in the community-not well known, it hasn’t been there long enough.” So the message, she said, is that “very safe technology” is not new. Still, some people do not want or believe in vaccines. Others refuse to get the flu shot. “A group that is difficult to reach,” says Marie.

However, officials said in a study that more than 90% of the 800 medical staff, from doctors to nurse practitioners to doctor assistants, intend to vaccinate.

Vaccinated caregivers are required to use the post-vaccination health checker V-Safe to record symptoms and other problems.

“We will be able to adjust future vaccinations based on the data they collect,” Marie said.

The community workgroup, which has been working on testing issues, has expanded to vaccine programs that include an Incident Command System that runs logistics. The next few days’ meeting will discuss the best way to allocate vaccines, the order in which various clinics (approved by the Oregon Department of Health) and providers will participate.

Phase 1B “key workers” have not yet been defined, but Dr. George Conway, director of health services in Deschutes County, said whether teachers and school staff would be included in the higher priority categories to reopen school. I was asked. .. He called it “a very good question. It’s a consideration.”

When asked if caregivers who refuse the vaccine may have limited duties with COVID-19 patients, Marie said at this point, “we haven’t addressed that concern yet.”

Also, even after vaccination, the vaccine does not immediately eliminate the threat of exposure, so hospital staff still need to wear appropriate protective equipment.

Still, Absalon said, “I would like to share my excitement for this next step. The prospect of one, and in some cases two, very effective and very safe vaccines is very exciting. I think it’s the beginning of our step, to finally reach the end of this pandemic. “

However, with more than 3,000 cases in Deschutes County so far, Conway emphasized: By the time everyone is vaccinated, it will be spring, perhaps summer. ”

Until then, he said, the steps outlined since the pandemic began were very important. “I don’t want to be a person infected with COVID just before vaccination.”

(The video of the press conference is posted on St. Charles Facebook Page.. )

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Bend, Oregon (KTVZ)-St. Charles Health System plans to ship 975 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the first time on Thursday and uses state guidance to determine who will be vaccinated first. I will. President and CEO Joe Sulka said on Tuesday.

“I’m confident I’m wondering what this means for us in Central Oregon,” following the news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine late Friday. Sluka states in the latest information on the community.

“Information on vaccines and distribution plans is evolving rapidly, but what’s going on as of Tuesday,” Sulka added.

• St. Charles will receive the first shipment of 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine on Thursday, December 17th.
• The Oregon Department of Health has outlined a step-by-step approach to vaccination. That is, healthcare professionals, caregiver residents, and emergency responders are at the top of the list.
• The state works with commercial pharmacies to distribute vaccines to long-term care facilities. That is, St. Charles is not responsible for this part of the vaccine distribution.
• We are working on a plan to vaccinate caregivers in St. Charles, based on the Oregon Department of Health’s prioritization guidance. This is important for maintaining the hospital’s ability to serve the largest number of patients and means the staff with the most direct exposure COVID-19 is first vaccinated.
• Caregivers in St. Charles do not need to be vaccinated, but we encourage them to be vaccinated.
• All staff need to be masked and distanced until a high immunization rate is achieved across the general population.
• We do not yet know when sufficient vaccine will be available to start vaccination of high-risk patients in Central Oregon, but we anticipate that it may take several months.

Sluka shared this video to see inside about how St. Charles received the first vaccine dose at the required ultra-low temperature and is preparing to store it:

“Pfizer vaccine approval, and the possibility of moderna vaccine approval this week, is a very exciting step in our quest to fight COVID-19 and return to a more normal lifestyle,” Sluka wrote. I am.

“But we haven’t left the forest yet,” he added. “We continue to see high positive cases daily in the three counties, and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients remains high.” (As of Tuesday, the hospital had 32 COVID-19 patients. Patients were reported, 4 of whom were in the ICU and 3 were on ventilator.)

“We need your help to distance, mask and continue to wash our hands to give the vaccine the opportunity to reduce our numbers in a meaningful way,” wrote a hospital official.

“Once again, thank you for staying there during these difficult months,” Surka said. “Your support continues to be of great significance to our front-line healthcare heroes.”