SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown held a press briefing Friday morning to talk about the state's ongoing response to COVID-19, including the vaccine rollout. She was joined by Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen and state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger.
During Friday's press briefing, Allen said more than 700,000 Oregonians will become eligible to get vaccinated in the next four weeks as seniors and adults in custody become eligible. By early April, the state expects to have enough vaccines to administer the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 75% of all eligible groups of people in Oregon, including seniors, Allen said. He added that the state will be in a position to start vaccinating people in other Phase 1b groups in early April.
This is due to more allotment of first vaccine doses from the federal government and Oregon's capacity to administer shots.
"That date is about one month earlier than we initially projected," Allen said.
Allen cautioned that next week, when everyone over 80 years old becomes eligible to get a shot, the state expects to see some chaos. "We will fall short (next week)," he said.
In the past few weeks, the state's handling of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has come under fire because of Brown's decision to prioritize educators over the state's older population.
Oregonians age 80 or older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Feb. 8. But many have expressed frustration that they were placed in a priority group behind teachers. Others say they're upset that the state has provided little help or information about how to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine as the eligibility date nears.
On Friday, Allen outlined the different ways seniors can get information about how to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine. He warned that "vaccine providers won't be able to schedule an appointment right away."
Older adults can get the vaccine at public mass vaccination clinics, local public health authorities, long-term care facilities and participating retail pharmacies. Eligible residents can visit covidvaccine.oregon.gov for more information, though as KGW has reported, adults 80 years or older won't be able to schedule appointments online until Monday. People can also call 211, text ORCOVID to 898211 or email ORCOVID@211info.org for more information on where to get the vaccine.
Gov. Brown said the state is using more National Guard troops to man the phone lines, which she anticipates will be flooded with calls.
Here's a look at the dates of eligibility for different age groups for older Oregonians:
- Feb. 8: 80 years or older
- Feb. 15: 75 years or older
- Feb. 22: 70 years or older
- March 1: 65 years or older
On Thursday, KGW's Cristin Severance reported that despite Brown's claim last week that all seniors in assisted living facilities had been vaccinated, many are still waiting to get their first dose. Charles Boyle, a spokesman for the governor, said Brown misspoke during the interview.
Brown has defended the state's rollout of the vaccine. As of Thursday, more than 378,000 Oregonians had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state dashboard. And according to an article in the New York Times, Oregon has administered a total of 471,983 doses, 67% of the 706,575 doses the state has received. Brown tweeted a link to that article Thursday.
"No state's rollout has been perfect, but I'm proud we're working together and making steady progress on the vaccine front," Brown wrote.
On Friday Brown said Oregon was 12th in the nation for getting shots into people's arms. That number includes just first doses as well as first and second doses.
