Salem Health began a Covid vaccine clinic at the state fairgrounds on Jan. 7 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Update: This article was corrected on Jan. 22 at 5:50 p.m. after the Oregon Health Authority said a slide showen during its Friday news conference had incorrect dates for some vaccines phases.
Most Oregonians 65 and older won’t be eligible for a Covid vaccine until at least mid-February, and it will take until May to get three-quarters of the state’s seniors vaccinated.
That’s according to a timeline laid out Friday by Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority officials during a press conference defending the state’s decision to vaccinate educators before many older Oregonians.
“I am asking the seniors to hold tight and stay safe for just a few more weeks. I know so many Oregon grandparents are happy to do that, in an effort to help get their grandchildren back into the classroom as quickly and as safely as possible,” Brown said.
While teachers are eligible to be vaccinated in over a dozen other states, only Oregon and Idaho have prioritized them over expanding the vaccine to older residents.
Teachers, school employees, child care providers and preschool workers become eligible for the vaccine Jan. 25, though Marion County began those vaccinations early this week. That group includes about 150,000 Oregonians.
That decision is out of step with federal recommendations for using limited vaccine doses. Seniors, particularly those over 80, account for the largest share of Covid deaths in Oregon and nationwide by far. In Oregon, 926 people over 80 have died with Covid – 52% of all state deaths.
Older Oregonians living in nursing homes and other care facilities are currently eligible for a vaccine. Brown said the state this week completed a first dose of the two-dose vaccine for all residents of long-term care facilities who wanted one.
Under Oregon’s current plan, people 80 and older will become eligible for a vaccine on Feb. 7. On Feb. 14, those 75 and older would be eligible, then people 70 or older on Feb. 21, and finally those 65 and older on Feb. 28.
“Our timelines depend on the doses we receive from the federal government. If we receive more, we can move faster. If we receive less, we’ll have no choice,” said Dave Baden, Oregon Health Authority’s chief financial officer.
He said by May 2, 78% of the state’s seniors and educators would be vaccinated.
Oregon has to date vaccinated 218,413 people against Covid. Of those, about 31,000 have received both doses of the vaccine.
Oregon hospitals, who are administering a majority of the state’s vaccines, expressed doubts about the feasibility of the timeline.
“We are deeply concerned that the governor, by expanding eligibility to teachers and other school employees in addition to seniors aged 65 and older, is increasing demand for the vaccine far beyond available supply in some regions. Since the state does not control the vaccine supply, Oregonians are being asked to take it on faith that the state can keep to the Governor’s timeline,” said Becky Hultberg, President and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals & Health Systems, in a statement.
Hultberg said Oregonians need to understand there may not be enough vaccines available for them even once they are eligible to receive one.
“Our hospitals and community partners have made great strides in creating vaccine programs from scratch with virtually no state or federal help, including funding. We are concerned that the current plans will add stress and potential chaos to these efforts as facilities are inundated with anxious residents seeking the vaccine,” she said in the statement.
In Salem, the vaccination clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds is on hold until Wednesday, Jan. 27, when Salem Health expects to receive more doses of vaccine, the hospital said on its website.
Salem Health’s clinic in Polk County on the Western Oregon University campus is operating Friday and will then close until Jan. 27.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
