SALEM, Ore. Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority officials convened a press conference Friday morning to discuss the current status of Oregon with coronavirus, noting an increase in cases, even if the state is closer to full vaccination for all adults. .
Brown stressed that all Oregonians 16 years and older are eligible Monday, urging people to come up with a plan to be vaccinated. As of Friday, Brown said nearly one in four Oregonians has been fully vaccinated.
“If you have not yet had a chance to be vaccinated, then make a plan to do so,” Brown said. “Tell your loved ones and neighbors that you are planning to be vaccinated, and share your reason why. And if you have already signed up for an appointment, help a friend sign up as well.”
Although the state has maintained its rate of vaccine admission, the nationwide disruption of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination means that availability has taken a sudden and unexpected turn. Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, has indicated that new shipments of vaccine doses will be largely flat in the coming weeks without the benefit of a third vaccine.
The ability of vaccination sites to administer doses has continued to rise throughout the state, but the supply of vaccines is likely to hamper the availability of appointments, Allen said. Nevertheless, Allen said he expects anyone 16 and older who wants the vaccine to receive it “before the summer.”
More than 1.5 million Oregonians received at least the first dose of the vaccine, with nearly 1 million fully vaccinated. Allen indicated that more than 70 percent of the elderly received the vaccine.
However, eligible vaccine expansion is accompanied by an increasing increase in new COVID-19 cases. State epidemiologist dr. Dean Sidelinger said the “recent data is disturbing”, with cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
This week, Oregon achieved the highest two-day total in new cases since early February. Cases have increased by more than 20 percent for three weeks in a row over the past week, and hospitalizations have increased rapidly after declines in January and February.
Sidelinger cites the CDC, which says that B.1.1.7 – the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK – is now the “dominant strain” in the US
Allen said government officials are addressing ongoing issues with vaccine equity, acknowledging that race and income are the key predictors of vaccine access. He said that under-vaccination is common, especially in Latino communities.
“Vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself from serious illness and death due to COVID-19,” Governor Brown said. “It’s the best way to protect yourself from variants. And it’s the key to unlocking the constraints that this pandemic has imposed on us so that we can return to the things we love and the people we miss. “