Dear patients and friends,

If you've been following the news, you've likely seen that the federal government has changed course and released the full reserve of vaccines. The CDC has also changed guidance to advise vaccination of all those 65 and over in the first wave. This does not automatically impact the state-level distribution sequence, but we do hope to see additional vaccines becoming available soon to a wider audience.

In the mean time, Vaccines are currently being given to the individuals who fall into "Phase 1A," as defined by the Oregon Health Authority. This generally includes health care workers and long term care facility residents. To give you an idea of where that puts us in the process, OHA expects to vaccinate between 300,000 to 400,000 Oregonians in this phase. To date, just over 100,000 Oregonians have been vaccinated.

If that sounds like a drop in the ocean, you're not wrong. We are off to a slow start. Logistical challenges, storage concerns, and Covid distancing protocols have all been hurdles in distribution efforts. The good news? Pressure is mounting and pretty much every health care system in Oregon is on the task of improving this system. We expect to see the rate of vaccination increase over the next few weeks. We also expect to see more vaccination clinics open to eligible groups in the near future.

If you are included in phase 1A and are not able to be vaccinated through your place of employment, we are aware of one open vaccine clinic located in Salem at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Here are instructions and eligibility information. Notably, this event was shared with us by a patient. As usual, we recognize that we have a broad and diverse group of patients with an equally broad array of connections. If you hear of a resource that we have not yet shared please reach out to us so we can spread the word.

What does this mean for you, your friends, your family? At this point Oregon Health Authority plans to work through group1A and then carry on with additional groups 1B, 1C, and beyond. These include critical workers, older adults, people in group living situations, and those with underlying conditions.

I hope this update finds you well. Stay tuned for information as we learn more.

Sincerely,