Clackamas County received 1,000 doses of the Moderna-produced Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday, which it says will be administered to front-line health care workers and first responders.
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1,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in #ClackCo today. We’ll administer these vaccines to frontline health care workers and first responders. We’re glad this vaccine is here, however please keep up the good work of limiting the spread of COVID-19! pic.twitter.com/hCDTUBSPjB
The Canby Current has learned that the vaccine will be made available to personnel with the Canby Police Department and Canby Fire District on Monday, for those who choose to receive it.
Canby Fire Chief Jim Davis and Police Chief Bret Smith will be among those to take the vaccine, Davis said, and plan to receive their shots at the same time if they can make the schedules work.
The Moderna vaccine was the second to be approved for emergency distribution in Oregon, after an immunization developed by Pfizer and the German BioNTech.
Top scientists and public health officials have declared both vaccines safe and effective, including a four-state scientific review panel that includes Oregon, California, Washington and Nevada.
Both vaccines require two shots for full efficacy — about three weeks apart.
The main advantage possessed by the Moderna treatment is that it does not require ultra-cold storage (the Pfizer vaccine must be kept at temperatures between -112 and -76 degrees Fahrenheit), which is not available in all areas.
As of Wednesday, more than 31,300 Oregonians had received their first dose of one or the other vaccination — with front-line health care workers as well as vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities being the first in line. Those numbers include more than 2,800 Clackamas Countians.
An estimated 70% of the population must be immunized to reach the baseline of herd immunity, according to public health officials.
State leaders have acknowledged they face an uphill battle in encouraging Oregonians to embrace the vaccine — which is the first messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccine to be approved for use and was the fastest vaccination ever to be developed for a new virus.