How do I register to receive a COVID-19 vaccine?

Oregon began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines on Monday to people aged 80 and older. This is the first step in the rollout of Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly. Over the next four weeks, the number of people eligible to be vaccinated will more than double, as people 65 and over become eligible, one age group at a time. How each person gets vaccinated will depend on where they live – the process will be very different in each county. Oregon Health Authority officials anticipate “chaos” as new systems are tested.

The Oregon Health Authority announced a number of new changes to its website last week. During the first phase of the vaccine rollout, some groups – such as health workers who are not affiliated with a large system or home caregivers – were overlooked or had difficulty getting vaccinated.

OHA is deploying a number of new tools to help fill these gaps. aimed at targeting some of the cracks exposed during the initial phases of reopening. But these tools, and those already in place, have yet to be tested with such a large group of people. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from this pandemic, it’s that any website, well-designed or not, can be confusing and crash if it’s overloaded.

“I don’t think anyone has an illusion that the things we put in place will create an immediate and seamless experience for every senior,” said Robb Cowie, OHA communications director, “And we know, in particular for the senior population, technology is not always easy. ”

To try and make things a little less confusing, here is a list of resources that includes frequently asked questions, troubleshooting tips, and tips for those who are not yet eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Oregon Health Authority determines who is eligible to be vaccinated and decides how many vaccines from weekly state shipments will be sent to each county. The details of the distribution of each county’s share are at the discretion of the local public health authorities. The best way to get people vaccinated

Related: Oregon’s Plan to Beat COVID-19, An Illustrated Guide

the Portland area will be very different from the best way to get vaccines for the people of Harney County, so the deployments will be very different in each of the counties in Oregon.

Some counties have already used their vaccine allocations to target groups that have gone through gaps in other parts of the rollout. Some counties will also go faster than others: Some counties already started vaccinating people 80 and older last week, when they finished vaccinating people who were already eligible and wanted the vaccine.

This week vaccinations are only available for people 80 and over and those already eligible. Here’s what we know about the next step. Other seniors may be able to schedule vaccinations for future dates starting today, but that will vary from county to county.

• February 15 – People aged 75 and over become eligible
• February 22 – People 70 and over become eligible
• March 1 – People 65 and over become eligible

This represents almost 800,000 more people, and there are still people in group 1a who have not yet received the vaccine. Oregon is expected to receive about 75,000 first doses of vaccine each week, although that number may increase as new vaccines become available. The Oregon Health Authority estimates that at this rate, 75% of eligible seniors will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by early April.

After 75% of seniors, teachers and members of Phase 1a receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Oregon Health Authority will begin making the vaccines available to other groups.

If you’re 80 or older, there’s a good chance you can get the COVID-19 vaccine pretty quickly. People 75 and over might also find it easier.

But the number of people who become eligible increases as the age limit for seniors decreases. Demand for vaccines will quickly outstrip supply, OHA data shows.

“The gap between who is eligible and the number of vaccines is pretty wide at the start, and it’s only going to widen for a while,” said OHA director Patrick Allen.

Many people will not be able to get an appointment for their first vaccination until the end of March. If the appointments are full when you try to register, try again later.

There are currently two tools available to help people determine if they are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and to help them connect them to dates.

The first system is a chatbot on the OHA website that tells you if you are eligible and helps people make appointments. It only works in English and Spanish. The second is a Google tool, called Get Vaccinated Oregon, which will connect people with vaccination events in their area. It will be available in 12 languages. It will be available on the OHA COVID-19 vaccination page.

Go to the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 vaccination website, covidvaccine.oregon.gov. Scroll down to about halfway (it’s a very large page) and look for the link that says ‘vaccine eligibility’. Then click on “Let’s get started”. A chatbot – which is really just an interactive survey – will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Follow the chatbot’s instructions. It will direct you to a page to make your appointment.

Step 1 is always to refresh the page and start over. If you accidentally exit the page, the bot will (usually) remember the information you entered previously.

This can be a problem if you make a mistake, but the bot includes a “start over” button that clears your previous conversation. Some users have reported that this button does not work. If this happens, try clearing your browser’s cookies before reloading the page.

Deleting cookies is easy, but you do it differently in each browser. Google “how to clear cookies” and the name of your browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and the operating system you were using (like Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.)

OHA maintains a page that links you to immunization information in different counties. You may be able to find more information there, but you may also need to wait for new appointments to open and try again.

The Oregon Health Authority has partnered with Google to create a new vaccine registration tool. It can’t to have an appointment, but they’ll tell you if you’re eligible for the vaccine and send you updates on eligibility and events.

To register, go to getvaccinated.oregon.gov. There are two buttons on the screen, one that says “Login” and one that says “Check Eligibility”. If this is your first time using the website and creating an account, click “Check Eligibility”.

You will receive a brief survey on your age, occupation and other factors that affect your eligibility. If you qualify, you will be taken to a page to complete your profile. If you are not eligible, you can still complete your profile and sign up to receive alerts when you become eligible.

People currently eligible for the vaccine can sign up to receive alerts about local vaccination events.

Your best bet is to try again at a less busy time. The hours before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. are generally less busy. But vaccination points are assigned on a first come, first served basis, so appointments may also be full if you wait too long to register.

The state maintains a COVID-19 helpline, accessible by calling 211. The line has experienced long wait times, so Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced on Friday she would mobilize 30 troops. additional National Guard to help staff the line.

But the line may still be full.

As the line may be busy, a text line is also available to assist you. You can also send an SMS to ORCOVID at 898211 to receive this information.

The Oregon Health Authority offers vaccines to the elderly, one age group at a time, to prevent congestion. But some are still inevitable.

While people over 80 can book appointments, Allen of the OHA has asked people under 80 to wait a bit before signing up. If you’re someone who can stay home easily and are unlikely to get sick, you can help more at-risk people get vaccinated by waiting a few weeks – even after your group is eligible to make appointments. you.

“We want to ask the elderly to stay a little tight to allow the 80+ people to access the system,” Allen said.

Once the initial flow of people slows down, the technical difficulties and delays should start to slow down.

You can also help by using the chatbot or texting ORCOVID to 898221 (see above) before trying the 211 helpline. If you are unable to answer a question this way, call 211 last resort.

You will be given information on how to schedule a second dose after you have received your first dose.

Spanish is supported on the OHA website and its chatbot. Spanish speakers are also available on the 211 hotline. Translations can also be provided by the Oregon Health Authority, by contacting the Health Information Center at 1-971-673-2411

Most OHA websites can be accessed using Google Translate, although the translations are not completely accurate. You can do that by downloading this app.

211info.org/COVID also contains resources in several languages.

Large text and Braille versions of OHA documents are also available. To access, contact the Health Information Center at 1-971-673-2411 The 211 website, 211info.org/COVID, has information on accessing health resources for deaf people. or hearing impaired, as well as TTY numbers. for the agencies concerned.

To contact the Health Information Center by TTY, dial 711 before calling 1-971-673-2411.