How to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon
As of Feb. 15, everyone in Phase 1A and groups one, two and three of Phase 1B is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon. That includes:
- Health care workers and first responders
- Long-term care residents
- K-12 educators and school staff
- Childcare providers
- People 75 and older
Oregon introduced an online tool that allows eligible residents of Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion and Columbia counties to sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The eligibility tool is open to everyone in Oregon to use and ask questions.
Another helpful resource is 211. People can call 211 and ask to be transferred to the reservation call center. Operators will determine eligibility, then book a time to receive the vaccination. People can also text ORCOVID to 898211 to get text/SMS updates or email ORCOVID@211info.org.
Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Portland booked in 90 minutes
As the greater Portland area woke up to frozen neighborhoods, broken trees and slick roads Monday morning, thousands of seniors made the virtual sprint to get one of the relatively few COVID-19 vaccination shots offered at the Oregon Convention Center or Portland International Airport.
In the first 90 minutes, 5,100 appointments for vaccinations at the convention center were sold out. In just 30 minutes, 2,550 appointments for Oregon Health and Science University's drive-thru clinic at the airport were gone.
Oregon reports 184 new COVID-19 cases, zero new deaths
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on Monday reported just 184 new COVID-19 cases and zero new deaths due to the virus.
OHA said case and lab result counts are lower than expected due to the winter storm and hazardous travel conditions.
Oregon also saw a reduced number of vaccinations added to the state registry due to the winter weather. Many vaccination sites were closed over the weekend due to snow and ice.
The OHA said as of Monday, 683,887 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given in Oregon. 885,250 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
More than 1,000 adult care homes in Oregon still waiting on the COVID vaccine
There are more than 1,300 adult care homes in Oregon licensed with the state. These are smaller facilities run out of people’s homes.
According to guidance from the Oregon Health Authority, these facilities are in the state’s 1A vaccination group, meaning they should have gone first.
But while the adult care homes are supposed to get the vaccine through a federal program, only 170 of the 1,300 homes have registered so far.
Here's the plan for vaccine appointments in the Portland area after snow forces cancellations
The winter storm that hammered the Portland area also slammed shut COVID-19 vaccination efforts at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland International Airport and the Clark County Fairgrounds in Vancouver.
On Sunday, organizers of the vaccination clinic at the convention center announced that opening time Monday morning will be delayed until 9 a.m. Anyone who has a Monday appointment between 7 - 9 a.m. will be rescheduled later in the day on Monday. Sunday appointments were canceled because of the weather. The Vancouver event is being rescheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. until noon.
WHO approves AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
The World Health Organization has granted an emergency authorization to the coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, a move that should allow the company's partners to ship millions of doses to countries worldwide as part of a U.N.-backed program to tame the pandemic.
In a statement Monday, the U.N. health agency said it was authorizing the AstraZeneca vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India and South Korea’s AstraZeneca-SKBio.
CDC: More than 50 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said over the weekend that more than 50 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. The vaccine doses tally covers both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the CDC said on its online COVID Data Tracker. Both Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines require two-doses.
VERIFY: Are people being tested for COVID-19 before they receive vaccines?
Medical experts say the vaccine takes weeks to become fully effective, meaning that some people may contract the disease caused by the novel coronavirus shortly after getting a shot. Do not go to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment if you have symptoms of the virus, including a fever, sudden loss of taste and smell, a cough or difficulty breathing and fatigue. Get a test instead.
