Syringes of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem Health’s Covid vaccine clinic at the state fairgrounds in Salem will be open this week for people to receive a second dose of the vaccine only.
The hospital won’t be giving first doses of the Covid vaccine in Salem because the Oregon Health Authority didn’t allocate doses to do so, the hospital said on its website.
That comes after Oregon Health Authority leaders said last week they would reallocate vaccines to allow counties behind in vaccinating health care workers to catch up.
Thirteen Oregon counties, including Polk, are receiving more doses this week to finish those vaccinations, according to documents from OHA, with a majority going to Multnomah County. Eighteen, including Marion, are receiving fewer.
Anyone who received a first dose of Covid vaccine at the fairgrounds in Salem should return there for a second dose 21 days later, even if they weren’t eligible to receive the vaccine under state guidelines when they got their first dose, the hospital has said.
The clinic is open Monday, Feb. 1 through Saturday, Feb. 6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for second doses.
The hospital is encouraging people to schedule an appointment for a second dose in advance on MyChart, its online health records system, though those who don’t have a MyChart account can show up when the clinic is open.
Salem Health is administering first and second doses of the Moderna Covid vaccine to eligible Polk County residents this week at its clinic on the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth. The clinic is open to people who live in Polk County and are health care workers, first responders, teachers and child care workers. More information about clinic hours and eligibility is available on the hospital website.
Oregon is not yet vaccinating people based on age, but expects to begin vaccinations for those 80 and older next week.
-Rachel Alexander
