Oregon will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination on Monday for all Oregonians 16 years and older. While this means that more people hoping to be immunized are given the chance to do so, it also means that thousands of residents of the state will now be competing for an ever-limited amount of doses.
Each time the suitability expanded, a new group of people encountered obstacles. The first day’s crashing reliably crashed scheduling sites. Even after servers recover, it can be difficult to make an appointment to corps of community volunteers came up to help others through the process.
One of those volunteers, Rachel Bell of the local publishing company Overcup Press, compiled a list of tips and resources. The document obtained by the community is constantly being rewritten as processes change. We have republished a version of this.
– The Oregonian / OregonLive
Pro tips
- If the zip code you are using to search for appointments does not return any results, then try a nearby zip code. There are reports that some newer zip codes are not always recognized in the scheduling databases.
- Many schedule sites have a timer and only hold an appointment for a specific time. If the time is over, you will lose your place, I promise. Do not waste time. Book it, post soon!
- Treat this process as if you are looking for an elusive / exclusive ticket for the event. (Think Super Bowl, Blazers playoffs, Timbers opening day, Radiohead or Beyonce tickets).
- My best success with booking is to book the earliest date for a particular day. However, try to avoid the end-of-day bookings minimally if you get the option. If the vaccine receives fewer doses than they expected, you have a better chance of getting a vaccine that day. If you arrive and the doses are not, ask them to reschedule your appointment for the earliest available time on another day.
- I found the best time to start my search for appointments early in the morning, around 08:00 or mid / late afternoon. See specific locations below for more information. Your mileage may vary.
- Be flexible. Let it be stated that it will be easy to plan several people within a short period of time, at the nearest place and / or for a specific vaccine brand.
- Did you get a vaccine? Big. Please do not laminate your vaccination card. Experts suggest placing it in a protective sleeve to store it.
- Are you trying to make an appointment for qualified Oregonians under the age of 18? One commenter suggests looking for Pfizer appointments (available for 16 and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are 18 and older.)
- A few additional technically-smart tips from The Wall Street Journal to make an appointment.
- Comment on this document if you experience any issues, and I will follow up. I would love to help if I can.
- Do you only need to book a second survey? Fred Meyer / QVC and CVS appear to be the strongest options and have online systems that can accommodate them. Do you still have problems? Call 211.
Before you begin:
- Breathe! Take a bite and sit down. You may need to repeat this on several days / at different times, so keep all the notes so that each person can save time.
- Be prepared to accept any of the three vaccines. Even if you book a Modern Survey, the person you are planning for can show up and learn that they are going to get J&J, etc. (It happened to me.)
- For each person you plan to have, you must have the name: full name, date of birth, address and zip code, and any dates / times that it is definitely not available, before you start each time.
- Grab a notebook / pen so you can take notes. I suggest a separate notes doc. for each person.
- If the person already has an online account at pharmacies such as Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc., you will want to collect the login information and keep it on hand. Some pharmacies require this and / or ask you to create an account. With the person’s permission, you may need to log in or create an account on their behalf.
- Do you have a friend or family member who can also help? This is great – you can split the work and focus on specific locations.
- Ideally, you have two computers and a smartphone to use during scheduling. It can work with just one of these devices using multiple browsers, but things move fast when opening appointments. I used two browsers each on two separate computers and my phone at one point.
- Some portals do ask for information about the insurance. This is usually not a required field online, so skip it if you can to save time and secure the appointment quickly. Insurance information can be provided during the appointment. You do not need any health insurance to get a chance. The clinic / pharmacy can try to charge your insurance.
Some links to find appointments
Bookmark this or create a vaccination file to make it easy to visit again! Do this for each browser you plan to use.
- Salem Health (available in Salem the weekend of April 16)
- Dr. B (for remaining vaccinations. They send an SMS and you must be ready to act)
- Vaccination Clinics in Oregon
- Vaccination pot
- PDX airports run through (appointments are released daily between 09:00 and 09:10.)
- Oregon Convention Center
State / Province Links
Pharmacies
Many of these pharmacies tend to place appointments several times during the week.
- Albertsons *
- Bi-Mart
- Costco
- CVS / Target
- Fred Meyer * (Each location uploads and releases new appointments separately.)
- Health Mart (a group of locally owned pharmacies. See which one is in your area and call to see if they have a waiting list. Some of them have.)
- Hall School Pharmacy (Molalla): NOTE: It is unclear if they still provide vaccines or how to schedule. No information available on other locations in the Hi-School pharmacy.
- QFC *
- Rite Aid
- Safeway *
- Walgreens *
- Wal-Mart
* Reports are that the availability of appointment is regularly refreshed throughout the day. Check back often.
Yes, you or your loved one has an appointment. What’s next?
- Once you plan an appointment, make sure the person you have scheduled for checks emails for the forms they need to fill out, etc. Of course, take any forms after the appointment.
- Get up a little early, especially when driving through a clinic, Costco or Oregon Convention Center. Pharmacies seem to be best equipped to meet very specific appointment times.
- Most experts recommend that you do not ‘pre-register’ before your survey. Ask your doctor or pharmacist first.
- Be prepared to wait in line. Show fed. Bring a fully charged cell phone.
- Show mercy and patience to the people who work at the vaccine. These people work so hard. Thank you and general courtesy is appreciated (and for free)!
You or your loved one is vaccinated. Now what?
- It takes a while to be fully vaccinated after the last shot. Ask your pharmacist for more information.
- Continue to follow state and local guidelines for mask wear, hand washing, etc. To follow
- Consider helping others plan an appointment!
Other resources
- Reddit: There are several discussion boards where people discuss vaccinations. Search for “Portland COVID Vaccine” and “Oregon COVID Vaccine”.
- Nextdoor: I’m not a Nextdoor user, but for this purpose it’s good to see if neighbors talk about how they just planned (and where), and if there are vaccination clinics near you.
- Follow hashtags, vaccination-find-bots, Twitter handles (@ohaoregon, @provhealth, @riteaid, etc.)
- Someone suggested setting up Google Alerts. I did not, but it seems to be helpful.
- Facebook: Although I heard some mentions from private FB groups, I did not try it personally.
Rachel Bell is the co-founder of the local publishing company Overcup Press.