Government Kate Brown visited Salem Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Wednesday.
Brown saw Juan Carlos Rojas, a member of the National Guard, from Salem administer the Pfizer vaccine to Jason Mayberry, who lives in Portland and works in Salem.
In a brief statement, Brown said he hopes similar clinics can be repeated in the other major cities in Oregon.
‘Salem Health put it very briefly. They vaccinate anywhere from hundreds to 3,000 people a day. It is truly an extraordinary effort, “Brown said.
Brown has activated 40 guards to help with the clinic from Tuesday.
Salem Health President Cheryl Wolfe said the hospital has given 11,000 vaccines since the clinic opened a week ago.
“Our plan is to stay open until Oregon is vaccinated,” Wolfe said.
Brown announced Tuesday that the state will soon open vaccines to anyone 65 and older, following new federal guidance.
Vaccinations have so far been limited to health workers and long-term caregivers, with teachers and school staff in line.
The federal leadership is also asking to give the vaccine to people aged 18 to 65 with health conditions that could make them more susceptible to COVID-19. But Oregon will not include the population yet, Brown said Wednesday.
At present, the state receives about 50,000 vaccinations per week, while there are about 800,000 Oregonians who are 65 years or older, or school staff, she said.
“We’re going to work hard to get people vaccinated as quickly and efficiently as possible, and then we’ll include Oregonians between the ages of 65 and 18 in the pool,” Brown said.
Charles Boyle, Brown’s spokesman, later said there were about 1.6 million Oregonians who could possibly be considered an underlying health condition.
‘At this stage there are not nearly enough vaccines available for a large number of people, but we will work with stakeholders to develop outreach and distribution plans so that we will be ready to vaccinate Oregonians with underlying health conditions as there are more vaccines. is. become available, ”Boyle said.
Brown concluded her visit by talking to nurses and members of the National Guard who gave vaccinations to patients in the clinic.
–Tracy Loew / The Salem Statesman Journal