Thread by @OHAOregon

OHA Director Pat Allen speaking at today's media briefing: "We wanted to give you an update on where we stand in our #COVID19 vaccination effort and the steps we're taking achieve @OregonGovBrown's goal of 12,000 vaccinations per day within the next two weeks."

"Our pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is on par with other states, but there's more we can do to accelerate progress. According to CDC data, Oregon currently ranks 36th in the nation in vaccine distribution, with more than 1.2% of our pop. having been vaccinated as of yesterday."

"WA is just ahead at 1.3 percent and CA has also vaccinated 1.2 percent. We've outperformed nearly all other states in containing the #COVID19 virus and preventing COVID-19 deaths."

"Now we need to outperform other states in getting our state residents vaccinated. This isn't about our state ranking as a point of pride. Because so few Oregonians have contracted COVID-19, our state remains particularly vulnerable to the virus."

"The #COVID19 vaccines are safe and extremely effective. We need a critical mass of Oregonians to get vaccinated to protect ourselves, our families and our communities and return to our normal way of life."

"In the first 19 days of #COVID19 vaccinations, we’ve learned some key lessons we’ll use to speed our vaccination efforts. Every flu season, Oregon vaccinates approximately 1.5 million people in about 4 months. However, the COVID-19 vaccines are different."

"We’re adjusting to the unique distribution, storage and prioritization requirements we’ve experienced in the first 2+ weeks of this process."

"So far, Oregon has been good at getting vaccinations into the arms of people assigned to a specific location – like a hospital worker or a resident at a skilled nursing facility. Now we need to up our game for people outside those locations."

"We’re taking specific steps to adjust the prioritization process in Oregon. We’ve run the first 500 yards of a marathon. But what we’ve learned in this time will help us run faster toward the finish line of ending the pandemic in Oregon through our vaccination effort."

"Last week, Oregon received: 34,125 doses of Pfizer vaccines, for a total of 93,600 doses of Pfizer vaccines and 24,800 doses of Moderna vaccines, for a total of 96,900 doses of Moderna vaccines that have been delivered to vaccination sites as of January 3rd."

"Of those doses,167,100 were delivered to hospitals and other sites to vaccinate health care workers and other front-line staff. 23,400 were delivered directly to pharmacies to vaccinate staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities."

"We’re currently in Phase 1A of our vaccination effort. In this first phase, we’re starting with: Health care workers and residents and staff in nursing homes and other Long-Term Care Facilities."

"We’re currently in Group 1, which includes staff who work in: hospitals, urgent care settings, skilled nursing and memory care facilities (and residents), tribal health programs, EMS providers and other first responders, among others."

"People eligible in Phase 1A vaccinations are divided into 3 addt'l. groups, which include those who work in: Congregate care sites, outpatient providers who serve specific high-risk groups, all other outpatient providers, home health providers and public health programs."

"As of the week that ended Sunday, Jan. 3, 51,264 doses of vaccine had been administered in Oregon. That includes 31,480 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 19,789 doses of the Moderna vaccine."

"Approximately 1 in 4 doses of vaccines that have been sent to health care facilities, or to pharmacies for use in skilled nursing facilities, have been administered – exactly the same percentage as in WA and CA."

"As of today, 326 people have received their 2nd doses of the Pfizer vaccine. This number will continue to increase as 2nd dose shipments are processed at local hospitals."

"We have not received any reports of spoilage from sites that are administering the vaccine, and that is something we keep track of. Vaccines are being handled and administered in a proper and timely way."

"As @OregonGovBrown stated, our target has been to ramp up to 12,000 doses per day and we fully expect to reach that goal by the end of next week. Yesterday we added an additional 2,818 doses administered, which brings Oregon’s total to 55,239."