All Oregonians should be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by July 1, health officials say

PORTLAND, Ore. — Governor Kate Brown and state health officials say that all Oregonians who are able to, meaning those over the age of 16, should be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine no later than July 1.

Leaders held a press conference Friday during which they broke down how many Oregonians have been vaccinated so far, and who is next in the eligibility line.

"The finish line is in sight," said Brown. "Come summer... any Oregonian who wants the vaccine will be eligible to receive it.”

Currently, about 14% of the state's population has received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 7.2% of the population has been fully inoculated. These figures are in line and ahead of the national average, respectively, according to OHA Director Patrick Allen. Additionally, roughly one in four eligible seniors in Oregon has received at least one dose.

You can see the state's vaccination rates and other trends - including a county-by-county map of vaccine distribution - on the state's website.

"We will open vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older on Monday, March 1st. We expect to have been allocated enough vaccines to immunize at least 75% of all seniors by March 29, weeks ahead of our original timelines," said Allen.

READ MORE | New Oregon COVID-19 vaccination appointment system will include invitation to sign up

Health officials project that the number of vaccine doses received will be ramped up in the coming weeks. However, in the immediate future, doses will not keep up with the number of Oregonians who are eligible. The state has received less than one million cumulative first doses, yet 1.3 million people are eligible to get vaccinated.

"For the next week or two, we’ll face shortages, appointments will be hard to get, many seniors won’t get a vaccine right away and many people will be frustrated and unhappy," said Allen. "The landscape changes dramatically for the better in mid-March. Our allocations climb quickly."

This week, Oregon received 111,000 first doses and next week expects 120,000 first doses. Looking ahead at the next 14 weeks, state health officials expect 120,000 doses at a minimum, or between 190,000-205,000 first doses each week "if promised supply surges materialize."

According to details released from the governor's office, by March 29, the following people will become eligible for the vaccine:

• 45 to 64 year-olds with pre-existing conditions
• People in agricultural work like migrant seasonal farmworkers
• Food processing workers
• People who are houseless and those living in low income congregate housing
• People displaced by wildfire
• Wildland firefighters who are gearing up for the next fire season

By May 1, the state expects the following groups will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine:

• CDC’s definition of frontline workers
• People 16-45 with preexisting conditions
• Multi-generational household members

Officials said no later than June 1, most Oregonians over the age of 45 will be eligible. The remaining general population is then expected to become eligible by July 1.

It is possible that this timeline could be further accelerated if vaccine doses stay available. Allen listed the limiting factors in the vaccination forecast as the "adequate and consistent supply" of vaccine doses from the federal government, Oregonians who are willing to get vaccinated, and the capacity of vaccination sites across the state.

Starting next week, a new tool will be available to help vaccination sites with scheduling appointments. Health officials said they are going to use the registrations from the Get Vaccinated Oregon tool as an invitation system for people to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. Those who have registered and who meet eligibility requirements will be contacted directly.

"This way people will not have to wait for three hours clicking in hopes of getting an appointment," said Allen.

Additionally, vaccine providers in Oregon were recently surveyed to see if they could handle more doses.

"Their answer: Yes. Oregon’s vaccine sites can administer more than 3 times the amount of doses they’re currently administering if they have more supply," said Allen. As more vaccines become available, health officials expect to expand distribution sites to more accessible locations such as pharmacy outlets, outpatient clinics and more to "help loosen bottlenecks."

You can watch the full press conference below:

KATU News also spoke with health officials during our Coronavirus: A Path Forward Town Hall on Thursday about coronavirus vaccine supply.

The supply of vaccine in the United States in increasing, and it’s increasing rapidly. And that’s good news because that’s key to our being able to get more people vaccinated more quickly and be able to reopen our economy and get people back to some sense of normal life,” Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said.

Oregon is moving in the right direction, health officials said. However, Allen does have a word of caution to Oregonians as the state begins to ease coronavirus restrictions.

"We really need people to remember that even though they can do some of the things that they have not been able to do in some counties during this last winter period they still need to wear masks they still need to stay socially distant, they still need to not have big group gatherings." Allen said.

This comes as Governor Brown announced Thursday she is extendingOregon's state of emergency through May 2021.

The executive order was set to expire in March, and was extended an additional 60 days, which means this extension is effective through May 2, 2021.

The governor's office says extending the state of emergency will help ensure Oregon is able to fully utilize available federal COVID-19 relief and assistance, including assistance with vaccine distribution.

Updated coronavirus risk levels are now in effect as of Friday.

MORE | Most Oregon counties can reopen, expand indoor dining under new risk levels

For the Portland metro area, Washington and Clackamas both moved to the ‘moderate’ risk level, which increases capacity for indoor restaurants, gyms, and other entertainment businesses.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: During the Friday news conference, OHA mistakenly reported that one in three Oregon seniors had been vaccinated. The correct percentage, officials later said, is 25% or one in four. "OHA regrets this miscalculation."