State to double vaccine eligibility despite shortage

By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau — Over 1 million more people will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines in the next two upcoming eligibility phases, state officials said Tuesday.

The groups to be added on March 29 and May 1 will nearly double the number of people eligible for vaccination. Like most states, Oregon is already struggling with the gap between vaccine eligibility and availability.

To date, there has only been enough vaccine available to inoculate less than half of the approximately 1.36 million Oregonians already eligible. There are an estimated 2.8 million adults in Oregon out of a population of just under 4.3 million. 

The numbers for the next eligibility groups have not been announced, but were provided by OHA in response to a query by EO Media Group. OHA Director Pat Allen is scheduled to testify on the status of the state’s vaccination program on Wednesday before the House Subcommittee on COVID-19.

The last change to the eligibility list was March 1, when everyone age 65 and older was approved to get vaccinated.

On March 29, eligibility will be extended to an estimated 530,000 more people, according to OHA. The group includes those 45 and older with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness or death, pregnant women 16 and older and homeless people.

On May 1, an estimated 550,000 more people will be eligible. The minimum age for those with medical conditions will be extended to those 16 and older. It also includes essential workers as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and members of multi-generational households. 

The final two groups are everyone else 45 and older on June 1 and everyone 16 and older on July 1.

President Joe Biden has set May 1 as the date when states should open eligibility to all those 16 and older. But Gov. Kate Brown said the state would stick with its current priority system until there is a firm commitment from federal health authorities of a major increase in vaccine being sent to the state.

Oregon health officials felt burned in January when they announced eligibility for everyone over 65 based on what turned out to be an erroneous statement by federal health officials in the Trump administration. Brown had to reverse the order and restore a tiered priority system.

Since the arrival of the first vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna in December, about 1.36 million people in Oregon are in the nine priority groups already eligible.

But the state reports total shots to date at 1,346,090. The vast majority of the shots are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two shots spaced about a month apart.

That translates into just under 674,000 two-shot inoculations, enough for less than half of those eligible. The gap between eligibility and availability has resulted in widespread frustration over trying to book appointments with county health authorities, pharmacies or other medical providers. 

Recently, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that requires just one shot has arrived in Oregon. 

Through March 15, a total of 1,642,505 doses of vaccines have been delivered to Oregon. 

Oregon has averaged about 24,000 shots per day, putting it in the middle of states nationwide.

Because of Brown’s decision to prioritize educators over seniors in January, the state is below the national average for seniors who have been inoculated. Though vaccine is provided through the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control has a suggested prioritization list, states ultimately have authority to decide who gets inoculated at what point.

Oregon has been one of the safest places in the country during the pandemic. The state has the fourth lowest number of COVID-19 cases per capita among all states, according to an ongoing count by the New York Times. Only Hawaii, Vermont and Maine have performed better since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Washington on Jan. 21, 2020.

Over the past week, Oregon has the second lowest number of cases per capita, with only Hawaii reporting fewer infections.

Oregon has the fifth lowest per capita fatality rate since the pandemic began, with Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska and Maine reporting lower.

Over the past week, Oregon has the third lowest per capita fatality rate, with only Alaska and Hawaii scoring lower.

OHA reported Tuesday that Oregon has had 160,050 cases of COVID-19 and 2,346 deaths since February 2020.

Nationwide, there have been 29.54 million COVID-19 cases nationwide, with 536,826 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Worldwide, there have been over 120 million cases and 2.67 million deaths.

VACCINE ELIGIBILITY

Phase 1A (Dec. 2020): 400,000

Medical and health care workers, people and staff in nursing homes, home care workers, disabled receiving care at home

Phase  1B (Jan. 25) – Educators: 153,000

Teachers, schools staff, day care workers

Phase IB (Feb. 8 – March 1) – Over 65: 795,000

Rolling eligibility that began with those 80 and older on Feb. 8 and dropped five years each week until everyone 65 and over was eligible.

Court order for corrections facilities (Feb. 10): 15,000

A federal court order added inmates and staff at correctional institutions to be retroactively added to Phase 1A eligibility.

Phase 1B, Group 6 (March 29): 530,000

Adults 45–64 with health conditions that put them at increased risk of severe illness or death from infection. People 16 and older who are pregnant. Homeless people. Many food processing workers and farmworkers. Many senior housing residents not previously covered. People displaced by wildfires and wildland firefighters.

Phase 1B, Group 7 (May 1): 550,000

People age 16–44 with underlying health conditions at risk of severe illness or death from infection. Frontline workers as defined by CDC. Multigenerational household members. 

Phase 2, Group 1 (June 1) – Number not yet released

Everyone 45 and older

Phase 2, Group 2 (July 1) – Number not yet released

Everyone 16 and older: TBD

Future group: Children – No date or number yet released

There are currently no vaccines approved for those under 16, though Moderna has begun trials on a version of its vaccine.