State officials are still planning to vaccinate 12,000 Oregonians a day by the end of next week and will deploy troops to help Oregon reach its goal, starting with the Salem Fairgrounds, Gov. Kate Brown said Friday.
Oregon has come under increasing criticism due to the slow implementation of its coronavirus vaccination program and a lack of clarity about who will be vaccinated and when. According to federal health data, Oregon’s vaccination rate as of Jan. 8 is behind 39 other states.
The governor and her leading health lieutenant, Patrick Allen, have offered a range of steps the state is taking to ensure more people get the coronavirus vaccine quickly, while warning that the pandemic could turn even worse, especially after the recent winter holidays.
“We are still waiting to see the impact of our actions during the holidays and New Year, and whether a second, and possibly worse, winter speed is on our way,” Brown said during a news conference.
The first phase of the state’s vaccination program is expected to get a boost on Tuesday when the Oregon National Guard joins Salem Health’s multi-day vaccination event at the Salem Fairgrounds.
The guards will help get as many as 250 people vaccinated per hour, Brown said. Per Salem Health, all Marion County residents who are currently eligible for a shot can be vaccinated.
As of Thursday, 73,286 Oregonians had received at least one shot.
About 500,000 Oregonians, such as hospital nurses and nursing home caregivers, fall into the state’s priority list for vaccinations, state officials said. If Oregon reaches its daily vaccination goal by the end of next week, it will take about a month for the entire group to be vaccinated.
What could be an even more important development for parental care homes, the pharmacies contracted to vaccinate long-term care residents will soon pack about 75,000 residents and workers in assisted living, foster care and independent residences and other congregations. institutions.
The focus up to this point, apart from health workers, was only on the smaller segment of nursing homes and memory care facilities.
The most important of Brown’s recent decisions has been to allow schools to reopen at their own discretion and to give preference to educators who receive vaccinations once the core group of health workers and community care and residents have been vaccinated.
“For the future of Oregon, we all need to be focused on how we can get our kids back to the classroom safely as quickly as possible,” Brown said.
Government officials are expected to announce new safety guidelines this month that schools will have to follow to reopen.
The Oregon Health Authority will eventually decide to qualify for vaccinations. But in reality, the decisions will be influenced, if not determined, by the governor and a specially constituted advisory committee aimed at getting vaccines to historically marginalized groups affected disproportionately by the pandemic.
In particular, Oregon apparently rejected a federal recommendation that people 75 years and older be one of the first. Just when the Oregonians can get in line, it will probably, at least in part, be determined by Oregon’s vaccination advisory committee.
Washington, for example, said people 70 and older will be eligible later this month, along with people 50 and older living in multi-generational households.
“Look,” Brown said when pressed on her decision to prioritize educators. ‘These are really very difficult decisions. And the harsh reality is that we do not have enough vaccines to vaccinate everyone at once. ”
– Fedor Zarkhin; [email protected]; 503-294-7674