Agnes Tsai draws up a dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Oregonians 70 to 74 will become eligible for Covid vaccines on Monday, Feb. 22, adding to the number of people seeking a shot at the arm at a time when supplies remain scarce.
“Nothing that’s happened in the past week will slow down our schedule,” said Pat Allen, Oregon Health Authority director, during a press conference Friday.
Allen was referring to a chaotic week where multiple vaccination clinics were canceled due to icy weather and power outages and 67,000 vaccine doses the state was scheduled to receive have yet to arrive because of poor weather. That forced the cancelation of some local vaccine clinics, including scheduled doses at Salem Health’s Polk County clinic.
“There is going to be a little bit of a traffic jam,” Allen said of the vaccination effort ahead.
In the Salem area, vaccines for the week of Feb. 22 are slated for Salem Health, Santiam Hospital, local pharmacies, Woodburn Ambulance, Salud Medical Center, Lancaster Family Medical Center and county public health departments.
Marion County providers were allocated 5,850 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, most of which are destined for Salem Health clinics, and 1,000 first doses of Moderna vaccine, according to documents from OHA.
Polk County will receive 700 first doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Marion County health officials said earlier this week they hope to reopen a drive-through vaccination clinic in Woodburn next week.
Appointments remain scarce, but those eligible can check https://www.salemhealth.org/covid-19/covid-vaccine for information about scheduling a shot through Salem Health in either Marion or Polk County and the Marion County Health Department website for a list of other providers.
Local Safeway pharmacies also expect to offer Covid vaccinations, but will not open up appointment slots until vaccines have arrived, a company spokeswoman said. More information about scheduling is on the Safeway website.
-Rachel Alexander
