A map from a June 21, 2021 Oregon Health Authority report shows employees and resident vaccination rates by region at Oregon long-term care facilities.
Just 54% of employees at long-term care facilities in the mid-Willamette Valley are fully vaccinated against Covid, according to an Oregon Health Authority report released Monday.
That’s compared to 87% of long-term care facility residents in the health authority’s region 2, which includes Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.
The report covers vaccination data through May 9 and is the first statewide look at vaccination rates among long-term care facilities.
A large share of Covid-related deaths in Oregon and across the U.S. have been in long-term care facilities, where residents are typically older and more vulnerable to the virus. In Marion County, 49% of all Covid deaths since the pandemic began have been tied to outbreaks in long-term care facilities, according to the county’s most recent report.
Statewide, 62% of care facility employees and 87% of residents were fully vaccinated against Covid as of May 9, with the highest percentages in the Portland metro area. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their final dose of Covid vaccine.
The report notes long-term care facility employees have typically recorded lower rates of vaccination against influenza compared to other health care workers. Long-term care facility residents and employees were among the first Oregonians to become eligible for a Covid vaccine last December.
The data rely on voluntary reporting from long-term care facilities. Data for region 2 is based on reports from 90 facilities, about 70% of the total operating in the region.
-Rachel Alexander
