Oregon teachers, school staff and other education-related workers should be next in line – after nursing staff and nursing homes and workers – to get the coronavirus vaccine, government Kate Brown said Tuesday.
Brown’s statement comes when tens of thousands of vaccine doses arrive in Oregon and tens of thousands more are expected in the coming days.
DETAILED SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON MAP AND DATA
Approximately 350,000 people in the priority categories have not yet been vaccinated before officials move on to teachers and other priority groups, such as frontline workers in other areas and people aged 75 and over. The Oregon Health Authority plans to decide in mid-February exactly which groups will be prioritized next, a state spokesman said.
Since vaccinations in Oregon began on December 16, at least 7,200 have received the first of two COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Although it may take some time for vaccines to get to them, Brown teachers concluded must come next.
“I do this because I think it is important that our teachers, our teachers, our school staff – whether it is people who work in the lunch rooms or do the transport – are protected and that we do this while we work to get our children back. into the classroom, ”Brown said.
It is unclear whether frontline workers and the elderly will come next as the state is still working to create its vaccine advisory committee, which will advise the governor and others on how to distribute vaccinations. Government officials say they are working to put together a committee whose members represent communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Orgon Rural Hospital will soon benefit from the newly approved Moderna vaccine, which is easier to store and transport than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because it does not require extremely cold temperatures.
The state will have received 72,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of the week, along with 25,000 next week, said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen.
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