Oregonian health care workers on Wednesday were among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer that still remains in short supply.
The historic event was part of a press briefing hosted by Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen as medical personnel from around the state received their vaccinations live on camera.
Health care workers are the first to receive the vaccine under Phase 1 of Oregon’s vaccination plan followed by nursing home residents and staff members who will be inoculated onsite.
Frontline health care workers like Ansu Drammeh at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Hospital said the vaccine was long overdue.
“The last 10 months for me and my family has been exhausting, mentally, emotionally, and physically here on the front lines of the ICU,” Drammeh said. “It has been absolutely a nightmare and a long journey. It’s been a long-awaited ten months, almost a year.”
Allen said during the briefing that the state had 5,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on hand as of Wednesday at four different locations: Legacy Health, OHSU, and Saint Alphonsus in Ontario, near the Idaho border.
The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at sub-zero temperatures and shipments must be used up in 20 days.
When asked by reporters why Vancouver, Washington’s PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center alone received 4,000 doses, Allen said Oregon’s first batch of doses was distributed based on federal guidelines and adult population.
The governor said some weeks ago that 76,050 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive in the state before Christmas.
Those initial doses could be followed by 71,900 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week.
Pfizer reported last month it anticipates shipping 50 million doses nationwide while 20 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine are expected. More doses are due by the second and third quarters of 2021.
On Wednesday, Brown said there is still no word from the federal government on when more shipments are expected past December.
The vaccine from Pfizer is reported by the company to be 95% effective and requires two doses administered three weeks apart. It is hoped it will provide protection for as long as a year.
Moderna reports its vaccine is 94% effective based on its latest human trials. It requires two doses taken 28 days apart and is hoped to offer similar protection.
Common side effects for both vaccines include fever, headaches, tiredness, joint pain, and soreness.
The healthcare workers vaccinated on Wednesday will have several days off to recover from any side effects they may experience, officials said.
Respiratory therapist Jeremy Howard at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital was among those vaccinated on Wednesday and shard his confidence in the process.
“I feel fantastic,” Howard said. “It was easy. Just like the flu vaccine.”
Wednesday’s briefing also drew sobering words from minority medical workers.
“I’m taking this vaccine for my family and also for my community,” said Mira Gomez, an ICU nurse at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. “As a Hispanic nurse, this [virus] is disproportionately affecting people of color, and I want to lead by example.”
OHA data shows that patients who identified as Hispanic make up around 30% of all reported COVID-19 cases despite making up just 13% of the state population.
According to Allen, people with underlying medical conditions, those older than 65, and essential workers will be next in line to receive the vaccine.
Brown said she will convene a vaccine advisory committee to decide who those essential workers are.
Moderna is seeking approval for emergency distribution of the vaccine for adults ages 18. The FDA is slated to vote on the vaccine by Thursday.
