Syringes of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The Oregon Health Authority is increasing its vaccine allocation for the Salem area, doubling the number of people who can receive shots in Marion County the week of Feb. 15.
Figures released by Oregon Health Authority Thursday afternoon show Salem Health is slated to receive 3,900 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and Santiam Hospital 975 doses. The Marion County Health Department will receive 400 first doses of the Moderna vaccine, bringing the county’s total allocation to 5,275 doses.
Polk County will receive a total of 1,100 first doses of Moderna vaccine: 900 for West Valley Hospital, and 200 for the public health department.
On Feb. 15, Oregon will begin vaccinating people 75 and older. The higher allocation means more appointments will be available for seniors in the Salem area.
The news comes after two weeks where Salem Health was allocated no fresh vaccine doses by the state, forcing the hospital to stop offering shots to new recipients at the state fairgrounds.
This week, Marion County received a total of just 2,600 first doses of vaccine as Oregon expanded eligibility to people 80 and older. The news prompted anger from local health providers, who pointed to the county’s high rate of Covid cases.
Covid vaccines require two doses spaced three or four weeks apart, and second doses are allocated separately to ensure people can get fully vaccinated.
Oregonians eligible to receive a vaccine can schedule a vaccine appointment using the chat tool in the bottom right corner of the screen at https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/.
-Rachel Alexander
