Gov. Kate Brown's office made a big announcement regarding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in Oregon Wednesday (March 17).
All adults in the state will be eligible to receive the vaccine by May 1, a deadline set by President Joe Biden's administration, according to KATU. The Gov. Brown's office released this statement to the news station:
"It is welcome news for all Oregonians that the Biden-Harris administration has secured the vaccine production agreements needed for everyone 16 and over in the United States to be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. We look forward to partnering with the federal government to ensure that Oregon and our local health partners have the vaccine supplies and federal support necessary to implement this directive. We are following up with the administration for more specifics about when vaccine shipments to states will increase, but in a briefing with governors earlier this week, it was clear the White House has worked hard to secure additional vaccine supplies for states in the coming weeks. We will continue to center equity in all of our vaccine distribution efforts, whether that means ensuring that seniors, people with underlying conditions, frontline workers, and the Oregonians most vulnerable to COVID-19 have the opportunity for vaccinations prior to May 1––or after May 1, working with local health partners to ensure these priority groups continue to have access to appointments."
Pat Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director, said the federal government's commitment means the agency can explore moving up the eligibility timeline for frontline workers and younger people with underlying health conditions. They were cautious about moving up the timeline before because it depended on vaccine supply.
"We've been clear: We want to advance our timelines and we can move them up if we receive enough doses from the federal government. However, we need to know when more vaccine vials will actually arrive in Oregon as promised, before we can tell a frontline worker, or anyone else, we are adjusting our timelines," Allen said on Friday (March 12).
OHA said the next round of people who will be eligible for vaccinations include migrant and seafood workers, wildland firefighters, homeless populations, people over 45 with underlying health conditions and others. March 29 is the planned date for this, according to the agency.
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