Oregon Gov. Kate Brown tweeted Friday morning, Jan. 15, that the state won’t be receiving an “increased shipment of vaccines” next week from the national stockpile as it anticipated earlier this week, potentially putting a damper on plans to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and educators.

That shouldn’t — at least initially — have a major impact on getting inoculations into the arms of those in the next phase early next week.

Wallowa Memorial Hospital Communications Director Brooke Pace said Friday there are more than 400 doses of the Moderna vaccine on-hand in the county, which will cover all of the vaccinations scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 19, and most of the vaccinations set for Friday, Jan. 22. Those vaccinations are to finish off first-dose shots for Phase 1A qualifiers and begin the process of Phase 1B inoculations.

“(We) will be able to conduct all of the appointments currently scheduled for January 19 at the Cloverleaf Hall and most of the appointments that are scheduled on January 22,” Pace said in an email to the Chieftain. “If we do not receive 100 additional doses next week we will need to reschedule some of the appointments made for January 22.”

A press conference by the governor has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday to discuss more details.

The governor’s office and Oregon Health Authority said late Tuesday it had received word the state would be receiving additional doses of the vaccine to further the rollout, and that next weekend it would be able to begin inoculations for educators and those 65 and older.

That seems, at the state level, possibly put on hold after the news Brown tweeted Friday, which she said in the tweet was confirmed by General Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed.

The stall in receiving additional vaccine doses won’t interfere with plans to begin second-dose shots next week in Wallowa County. Pace on Friday hospital received confirmation that its expected shipment of second doses for next week will indeed arrive.

Currently, there are 500 people signed up to receive first-dose shots next week, Pace said. An additional 420 people are on a waiting list to receive a vaccination once more arrives in the county.

All the first-round inoculating shots next week will be administered at Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise.