Bi-Mart closing its pharmacies is affecting more than just local prescriptions.

According to officials from Umatilla County Public Health, the outflow of patients from Bi-Mart to other local pharmacies has hurt their ability to administer one of their key services during the pandemic: the COVID-19 vaccine.

Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said Bi-Mart pharmacies weren’t just reliable vaccinators, but also good partners that would work the department to offer off-site vaccination clinics.When Bi-Mart decided to shutter all of its pharmacies in the area, the chain put pressure on other local pharmacies just as the state is rolling out booster shots for adults and vaccines for children as young as 5.

Fiumara said he heard reports Safeway temporarily stopped offering vaccines in Pendleton as it dealt with an influx of new patients from Bi-Mart. He added it seems like the store has since resumed vaccine surfaces.

Fiumara said providers’ capacity struggles can’t be entirely attributed to Bi-Mart dropping its pharmacies. He said Pendleton Family Medicine suspended vaccinations after dealing with staffing shortages while the Rite-Aid in Hermiston has struggled with the demand for pharmacy services in general.

But even if the effects of the Bi-Mart pharmacy closures are temporary, Pendleton and Hermiston will have to endure the rest of the pandemic with one less vaccination site. In Pendleton, Bi-Mart’s narrowing its scope of services means there are only three commercial pharmacies left in the area. St. Anthony Hospital’s pharmacy only serves inpatients while Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center only provides medication to Yellowhawk-eligible patients, which are restricted to people with American Indian blood or Native descent.

In a county where less than half of residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the public health department has largely ceded vaccination duties to pharmacies and other medical providers after organizing mass vaccination drives early in the year. Umatilla County Public Health briefly revived the format late last week to distribute booster shots, but Fiumara said the goal was to provide some relief to medical providers preparing to deal with newly eligible vaccine recipients.

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended expanding the Pfizer vaccine’s eligibility to 5 to 11-year-olds. The Oregon Health Authority announced that the state could follow with its own orders as soon as Wednesday, Nov. 3. In Umatilla County, Fiumara said he expects most school-aged children to get their vaccines in a pediatric setting after parents discuss their options with a doctor.

Fiumara doesn’t anticipate vaccinating children in a drive thru clinic like the county has several times before for adults.

“It would be slow and messy,” he said.

Even with the vaccine drives mostly over, Umatilla County Public Health has been vaccinating students at Pendleton High School and Sunridge Middle School through its school-based health center program. At a presentation to the Pendleton School Board, Alisha Lundgren, public health’s deputy director, presented modest COVID-19 vaccination numbers so far — 21 at Sunridge and 15 at the high school.

Despite the vaccine eligibility expansion, Fiumara said Umatilla County Public Health is incapable of offering vaccines to elementary school students on a daily basis due to funding. Instead, the department is reaching out to schools to set up by-appointment clinics at certain dates and times in the future. Fiumara didn’t think there will be the same level of pent-up demand there was when the vaccine first debuted for adults.

“I think it’s going to be more of a slow burn,” he said.

Not every medical provider is capable of providing vaccines to children either. Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children younger than 18, and Emily Smith, a spokesperson for St. Anthony, wrote in an email that the hospital only carries Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is taking a different tack. Aaron Hines, the interim CEO of Yellowhawk, said the clinic tentatively plans to hold a vaccination drive Nov. 13 specifically for 5 to 12-year-olds. Hines said Yellowhawk wanted to do the drive to get ahead of the holiday season, when families from different households tend to gather.

Hines said the initial plan is to only offer the COVID-19 vaccine to tribal members, but if supply exceeds demand, Yellowhawk may open eligibility to other groups.