State officials still plan to vaccinate 12,000 Oregon residents a day by the end of next week and will send troops to help Oregon achieve that goal, starting with Salem Fairgrounds, Governor Kate Brown said on Friday.
Oregon has faced growing criticism for the slow implementation of its coronavirus vaccination program and the lack of clarity about who will be vaccinated and when. Oregon’s vaccination rate on January 8 is behind 39 other states, according to federal health data.
The governor and his main health lieutenant, Patrick Allen, have put forward a series of measures the state is taking to ensure that more people receive an injection of the coronavirus vaccine quickly, warning that the pandemic may still get worse, especially after the recent vacation winter.
“We are still waiting to see the impact of our actions on the holidays and the New Year, and if a second winter wave, possibly worse, is coming our way,” Brown said during a news conference.
The first phase of the state’s vaccination program is expected to get a boost on Tuesday, when the Oregon National Guard comes together to help with Salem Health’s multi-day vaccination event at Salem Fairgrounds.
Guards will help vaccinate 250 people an hour, Brown said. Through Salem Health, all residents of Marion County who are currently eligible for an injection may be vaccinated.
As of Thursday, 73,286 Oregon residents have received at least one shot.
About 500,000 Oregon residents, such as hospital nurses and nursing home caregivers, make the state’s priority list for vaccinations, state officials said. If Oregon reaches its daily vaccination target by the end of next week, it would take about a month to vaccinate the entire group.
In what could be an even more significant development for nursing homes, pharmacies contracted to vaccinate residents and long-term care workers will soon be able to serve approximately 75,000 residents and workers in nursing homes, foster and independent homes and other congregants. settings.
The focus to this point, in addition to health professionals, had only been on the smaller segment of nursing homes and memory care facilities.
Among Brown’s most recent decisions has been to allow schools to reopen at their own discretion and to prioritize educators receiving vaccines once the core group of health professionals and unit residents and staff are vaccinated.
“For the future of Oregon, we must all be focused on how we can get our kids back to the classroom safely as quickly as possible,” said Brown.
State officials are expected to release new security guidelines this month, which schools will have to follow to reopen.
The Oregon Health Authority will ultimately decide the order of eligibility for vaccines. But in reality, these decisions will be influenced, if not determined, by the governor and an advisory committee specially convened to provide vaccines to historically marginalized groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Notably, Oregon has apparently neglected the federal recommendation that people 75 and older be the first to get a chance. The exact time when Oregon residents can get in line is likely to be determined, at least in part, by the Oregon Vaccine Advisory Committee.
Washington, for example, said people aged 70 and over would be eligible later this month, along with people aged 50 and over who live in multi-generational families.
“Look,” said Brown when pressed about his decision to prioritize educators. “These are very, very difficult decisions. And the harsh reality is that we don’t have enough vaccines to vaccinate everyone at once. “
– Fedor Zarkhin; [email protected]; 503-294-7674