NHHS updates COVID vaccine status
As of Monday evening, Newport Hospital & Health Services has given out 891 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, hospital officials said.
All told the hospital has given 246 second doses of the Pfizer version and have another 139 doses of the Moderna vaccine scheduled between Feb. 12-15. The Newport hospital has 390 second doses on hand and will continue ordering them to accommodate upcoming second dose vaccine clinics, Jenny Smith, NHHS public information officer, said.
"NHHS has exhausted all first dose vaccine supply as of Feb. 8 and does not expect to receive any for 2-3 weeks," said Smith, referencing an update from the Washington State Department of Health. "We have been told that the state is trying to accommodate all second dose needs right now. Washington's vaccine supply is expected to increase in March."
The hospital has added an online vaccination registration form for those in Phase 1A and 1B of Washington state's Tier 1.
Smith said the hospital's COVID hotline — 509-447-6332 — is open for those who qualify to leave messages if they fall under current phase guidance and want to be placed on its list.
"People should only leave one message and must leave their first name, last name, date of birth and phone number with area code if they want to be placed on our vaccination list," Smith said. "As it can be difficult to understand some of our callers, we are asking that they speak slowly and clearly."
Those who qualifies under current phase guidance will be placed on the hospital COVID vaccine list in the order that they called or registered online. Individuals will be called when NHHS has vaccines available for scheduling clinics, Smith said.
"As we are not a mass vaccination site, we are vaccinating both Washington and Idaho residents," she added.
In a separate press release, Smith said that through the hard work of its supply chain team in collaboration with 3M and the Washington State Hospital Association, the Newport hospital learned it may have masks labeled as 3M N95 respirators that were not manufactured by 3M.
"Washington State Hospital Association notified us on Saturday that we may have received counterfeit 3M N95 masks through the WSHA mask exchange," Smith said. "These masks were obtained from a vetted supplier, packaged in what appeared to be a 3M box, looked and felt like regular 3M masks, and were accompanied by what appeared to be official documentation."
However, the hospital confirmed Monday that it has 1,560 masks that fall under the reported counterfeit mask lot numbers.
"While we received these masks, we are relieved to say we have yet to deploy them in our facility," Smith said. "The masks are marked and stored away from normal supplies in the event we are asked to relinquish them to support the investigation."
Unfortunately, Smith said they've learned from 3M that the company believes the counterfeit masks are circulating in many hospitals and health care systems across the country. The counterfeit masks are being investigated by Department of Homeland Security and the 3M Fraud Division.
"As we continue to learn more about this situation, we will keep [the public] informed," Smith said. "In the interim, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We are working closely with WSHA and other hospital systems around the state that are similarly being impacted by this event."