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As of Monday, Oregon will allow blanket vaccination for people aged 80 and over.
Oregon is one of the last states in the country to move towards vaccinating the elderly, a fact reported by The Oregonian / OregonLive for weeks. Oregon, however, has one of the lowest infection rates in the country.
State health officials and Governor Kate Brown on Friday warned that next week could be marked by “chaos” and that the state still suffers from an insufficient supply of vaccines to meet what will be. increased demand as older people become eligible.
Oregon does not vaccinate all seniors at the same time, but rather takes a phased approach over several weeks. Here’s what you need to know to try to navigate the chaos.
Who is eligible on Monday?
People aged 80 and over can be vaccinated from Monday. The following week (February 15), Oregonians aged 75 and over will be eligible, followed by those aged 70 and over (February 22) and those aged 65 and over (March 1).
How long can I get an appointment? Same day? One week?
This is a difficult question. It can take several weeks to make an appointment, let alone get the vaccine. Others may be luckier. A lot will depend on where you live, how many other seniors qualify at the same time, and how quickly you navigate the online system.
Why are some of my older friends already vaccinated?
Either because they lived in less populated counties that moved quickly through population and educators 1a and made them eligible, because they live in collective care or have skilled jobs, because they had connections and were able to play with the system or because they were able to show up to a vaccination clinic at the end of the day and land a shot before they got lost.
OK, where should I get the shot when it’s time?
If you are in the Portland metro area, chances are the meeting point is at the Oregon Convention Center, the central facility mass clinic run by Oregon Health & Science University, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy. Health and Providence. Other counties have mass clinics as well (See installing Salem Health at the State Fairgrounds or other statewide events. It depends, again, on where you live.)
What about my doctor’s office or my pharmacy? These are the places I trust. Can I possibly go there?
Again, it depends on where you live, and only time will tell when it’s doable. Governor Brown said on Friday that Douglas County health officials were working with primary care providers to arrange appointments there. This is not the case in other countries. Pharmacies will eventually receive doses in Oregon, including next week. Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen said on Friday the state would receive 13,000 doses next week to 133 different pharmacies. That’s about all we know at the moment.
OK, how can I try to schedule my appointment?
Head over to covidvaccine.oregon.gov on Monday to try to make an appointment if you’re eligible (you can try earlier if you want). In the center of the page, there is a link that says “Vaccine Eligibility and FAQs” with a “Let’s Get Started” button. This option invites a chat service that can help you determine if you are eligible and be redirected to a meeting page if so.
I do not have a computer. How can I do it differently?
You can call 2-1-1 for more information on the vaccination process and how to make an appointment.
What about SMS?
Seniors can also text ORCOVID to the number “898211” to start a conversation about scheduling an appointment.
What about email?
People can also email [email protected].
I’m not eligible on Monday, but can I be put on a waitlist or something like that?
The state announced Friday that it will launch a new tool on its website covidvaccine.oregon.gov next week that allows users to sign up to receive email alerts or SMS notifications about vaccination events. in their region.
How long will it take to vaccinate all these elderly people?
This is an excellent question. According to census records, there are approximately 767,000 Oregonians aged 65 and over. It will take several weeks to get through all the Oregonians who want a date. State officials on Friday said they estimate that 75% of all seniors, teachers and eligible people in Oregon who want to be vaccinated will have received their first dose by April.
– Andrew Theen; [email protected]; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
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