PORTLAND, Ore — The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on Tuesday announced it has expanded the list of people who can administer COVID-19 vaccines. The expansion is permitted under the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.
The PREP Act increases the pool of vaccinators who may not be currently authorized to vaccinate under state law. They are subject to training and supervision requirements.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort nationally and in Oregon to ensure we are safely vaccinating all eligible adults who wish to receive a vaccine,” said OHA Director Patrick Allen. “The federal directive and my authorization greatly expand the number of professionals who can support this historic public health effort.
"We continue to expand our efforts to schedule and vaccinate Oregonians throughout the state as quickly as we can with the supplies provided to us by the federal government and vaccine manufacturers.”
Allen gave his authorization Monday.
The newly eligible people who can now administer COVID-19 vaccines include the following health professionals who are currently licensed, certified or registered or had an active license, certification or registration within the last five years:
- Certified nursing assistants (CNA)
- Dentists
- Direct entry midwives
- Emergency medical services providers (EMT, AEMT, EMT Intermediate or Paramedic)
- Naturopathic physicians (ND)
- Nurses
- Advanced practice registered nurses (APRN, includes nurse midwives)
- Registered nurses (RN)
- Licensed practical nurses (LPN)
- Optometrists
- Pharmacists, pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians
- Phlebotomists
- Physicians (MDs and DOs)
- Physician assistants
- Podiatrists
- Respiratory therapists
- Traditional health workers
- Veterinarians
Healthcare students (in these fields of study)
- Dental
- Emergency medical services providers (EMT, AEMT, EMT Intermediate or Paramedic)
- Medical
- Midwifery
- Naturopathic medicine
- Nursing (including CNA programs)
- Optometry
- Pharmacy and pharmacy intern
- Physician assistant
- Podiatry
- Respiratory therapy
- Veterinary