PORTLAND, Ore. — Twenty-three Oregon counties have been approved to expand COVID-19 vaccinations a few days ahead of the state’s timeline. On Wednesday, 20 counties were approved by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to expand vaccinations. Three more counties were approved Thursday.
Here are the 23 counties that can expand vaccinations: Baker, Benton, Coos, Clatsop, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Wheeler.
Each county submitted attestation letters to the state, signaling their readiness to immediately offer the coronavirus vaccine to people in the next group of eligibility, Group 7 of Phase 1B. That group is made up of the following people:
- Front-line workers, as defined by the CDC (see page 2 of the document below for a full list)
- People living in multi-generational households.
- People aged 16-44 with one or more health conditions with increased risk.
“Moving up vaccination in these counties will enable us to vaccinate our front-line workers more quickly while enabling counties with adequate supply to fully utilize their allotment of COVID-19 vaccine,” said OHA director Patrick Allen.
Group 7 of Phase 1B will be eligible for the vaccine statewide starting Monday, April 5.
All Oregonians over the age of 16 will become eligible for vaccination no later than May 1. Counties can apply with the state to make everyone eligible a little earlier on April 26.
More than 1.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Oregon out of the 2.3 million that have been delivered across the state, according to OHA. About 701,000 Oregonians are fully vaccinated, while another 486,000 Oregonians have received one dose of the vaccine.
