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At some point in the next few days, Oregon is expected to reach a milestone: half of its seniors will have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Thursday, 46% of Oregonians 65 and older – or more than 356,000 residents – had received at least one dose. Just three weeks ago, that figure stood at 19%, with Oregon ranking in the bottom three of 31 states that publicly shared the data.
Many states are still far ahead of Oregon. The Biden administration reported Thursday that 63% of Americans 65 and older had received the first doses – meaning more than 126,000 Oregon seniors would already be vaccinated with a single dose if the state met the average national.
The Oregon Health Authority has recognized the upcoming milestone of reaching half of all seniors with a vaccine.
“We are making clear progress towards our stated goal shared on February 26, to ensure that all willing and eligible Oregonians in currently eligible populations can be fully immunized by the end of March,” the spokesperson said. Rudy Owens in an email.
Nationwide, 32% of older people received a second dose. The Oregon Health Authority could not provide statistics on the percentage of Oregon seniors who received a second dose.
Meanwhile, some states have already offered vaccinations to the vast majority of their seniors, prompting them to switch to other groups. Alaska, with 90% of its seniors vaccinated, became the first state to start offering vaccines this week to residents 16 and older.
Oregon is so far behind in part because it has prioritized teachers over seniors, becoming the last state in the country to begin immunizing its oldest populations of residents by age group. Governor Kate Brown gave the green light on Feb. 8 for Oregonians aged 80 and over to start dating. The governor granted eligibility to the youngest elders – aged 65 to 69 – March 1.
Since then, the state has stepped up its efforts. Data analyzed by The Oregonian / OregonLive shows that about three out of four first-dose injections given in the past 10 days went to people 65 years of age and older.
Owens said the state expects to have offered the first doses to 80% of seniors by the end of March, if the federal government accepts the promised vaccine shipments. But this week, in a written question-and-answer session, health authority director Patrick Allen admitted to state lawmakers that his agency was encountering a complication in determining exactly when it would hit that threshold: the jump in line.
Like many other states, Oregon does not require members of the public to prove they are eligible. State officials say checking IDs and paperwork would slow down the vaccination process and force health care providers to act as enforcers.
“(W) e know that there have been many people in Oregon who were not in any of the eligible population categories who received vaccinations,” Allen wrote.
Meanwhile, the vaccination schedule for young Oregonians appears to be changing. State officials had said they plan to open a new wave on March 29 for people aged 45 and over with underlying illnesses, homeless people and workers in industries such as l agriculture and food processing that put them at high risk of exposure.
Oregon had said all Oregonians aged 16 and over would be eligible by July 1. But on Thursday, the Biden administration announced the president’s plan to open up eligibility to all states by May 1, two months ahead of Oregon’s schedule.
Brown’s office did not respond to questions Thursday on whether Oregon would adopt Biden’s schedule. But a spokesperson pointed to a tweet from the governor, which read in part, “Oregon’s plan has always been to increase distribution when we see federal vaccine shipments increase. But while our timelines may change, my priorities for equitable vaccine distribution have not been. “
Oregon’s first vaccine shipments arrived on December 14, with the governor designating them for healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, but also an assortment of others, including prison and prison staff, police officers and the veterinary clinic. workers.
On January 25, the governor allowed daycare, preschool and K-12 workers to begin getting vaccinated – making Oregon one of only two states in the country to prioritize educators over children. the elderly. The move drew widespread condemnation from seniors, who noted that Oregon people aged 65 and over accounted for 84% of deaths from COVID-19, even though they only make up 18% of the population.
When seniors became eligible in February and early March, many Portland area residents faced fierce online competition, overcrowded phone lines, slow websites, and many issues that got bogged down. the planning process. Many still try to get dates, to no avail.
But a new registry and lottery system for the Oregon Convention Center, unveiled on March 1, is now drawing rave reviews from some lucky enough to be selected.
Pat Brooks, a 67-year-old resident of Portland’s Linnton neighborhood, said he signed up for the register on day one and received an email a week later telling him he was chosen.
He made an appointment, which took place on Thursday morning. Brooks was impressed with everything from the reservation to the inoculation.
“There were a lot of volunteers there, they were pretty professional,” Brooks said. “Obviously they had a lot of practice, and it showed. They were doing a great job. … I couldn’t ask for more, quite honestly.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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