COVID-19 vaccine

How to make an appointment

Call the Sky Lakes Medical Center appointment line at 1-833-606-4370.

Walk in at the Merrill or Bonanza Clinics.

Visit the Albertson's website: https://www.mhealthappointments.com/covidappt.

Visit the Bi-Mart website: https://www.bimart.com/pharmacy/covid-19-vaccine.

Visit the Fred Meyer website: https://www.fredmeyer.com/covidvaccine.

Visit the Walmart website: https://www.walmart.com/cp/1228302.

Klamath Open Door Clinic and Wholesome Family Medicine are each contacting their respective eligible patients.

Klamath Open Door has a waiting list that can be accessed at https://www.klamathopendoor.org/index.php/covid-19-vaccine-information/.

February 4, 2021, Summary of COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee vaccine sequencing recommendations

March 1, 2021, Klamath County update

This week marks the eligibility for those 65 and older to be vaccinated. There are a total of 15,222 people aged 65 and older in Klamath County. It will be weeks, perhaps months, before everyone who would like to be vaccinated will have access to vaccine.

Please be patient. There is not a registry for those who would like to be vaccinated. Individuals must contact the vaccine provider for an appointment and available vaccine.

This week’s shipment of vaccine arrived today. Some of this week’s vaccine provided to Klamath County was Pfizer and sent directly to Sky Lakes Medical Center.

Of the vaccine received at Public Health, 700 second doses were given to Sky Lakes Medical Center.

To schedule an appointment with Sky Lakes Medical Center, call 1-833-606-4370.

Two hundred doses (100 first and second doses) were given to the Bonanza and Merrill Clinics.

Klamath Health Partnership received 200 doses directly from Oregon Health Authority and will be calling its patients to schedule those who are eligible.

Albertsons Pharmacy is able to provide vaccinations as vaccine availability allows. Appointments can be made online. The website is https://www.mhealthappointments.com/covidappt.

Again, doses are limited. Not everyone who wants a vaccine will receive one immediately. Please continue to be patient.

Arrival of Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Klamath County is unknown at this time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is allowing undiluted frozen vials of the Pfizer vaccine to be transported and stored at conventional temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers for a period of up to two weeks. It is unknown at this time if that will change the distribution of vaccine in Klamath County in the coming weeks.

Friday Oregon Health Authority released its plan to vaccinate all Oregonians. Graphics are provided above. The next eligibility is March 29 for those 45 to 64 with some underlying health conditions, seasonal farm workers, agricultural workers, food processing workers and people living in low-income senior housing, senior congregate and independent living facilities.

More information will be provided, as it becomes available.

To subscribe to email vaccine updates, send a message to vaccine@klamathcounty.org. Those without access to email may call the vaccine update number at 541.885.6753. Updates will also be shared with newspaper, radio and television media outlets.

Stopping a pandemic is going to take all our tools: handwashing, masks, social distancing, and vaccines. Taken together, these tools offer the best chance of getting our communities, schools, and health systems back to normal sooner. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on daily life for many people. A COVID-19 vaccine can help you stay healthy, give you peace of mind, and get you back to spending time with family and friends.

Oregon vaccination trends

CDC webpages about the COVID-19 vaccine

Reuters graphics: The journey of COVID-19 vaccines from creation to inoculation

Reuters graphics: Tracking the vaccine race

Reuters graphics: Vaccine boot camp

Early vaccine in Klamath County

Sky Lakes Medical Center and Klamath Tribal Health & Family Services was provided access to vaccine the week of December 21 to serve these agencies' frontline healthcare workers. In Oregon, hospitals and Tribal Health have been made priority vaccination agencies, as each serves its local vulnerable populations. After these institutions are served other healthcare workers will be provided vaccination opportunities, and will be followed by long-term care facilities' employees and residents.