Jan. 15, 2021
Governor Kate Brown held a press conference today to update Oregonians on the status of COVID-19 vaccinations in Oregon. The Governor was joined by officials including Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen.
Earlier this week, OHA updated its vaccination plan after being informed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that the federal government would be releasing its entire supply of COVID-19 vaccines to states.
Yesterday, Oregon received the news that the federal reserve of vaccines that Oregon and other states expected to receive does not exist. OHA is updating Oregon’s vaccination plan considering this new information.
"Let me assure you that Oregon’s priorities, and my priorities, have not changed,” Governor Brown said. “I remain committed to vaccinating our seniors quickly. But this latest news will unfortunately cause a two-week delay in beginning vaccinations for seniors.”
The new plan depends on Oregon receiving a reliable supply of doses from the federal government. The current plan is:
- Starting the week of Jan. 25, begin vaccinating teachers and childcare providers.
- Starting Feb. 8. Begin vaccinating the first of four “waves” of seniors.
- Wave 1: Seniors 80 and older.
- Wave 2: Seniors who are 75 and older would follow.
- Wave 3: Seniors who are 70 and older would follow next.
- Wave 4: Eligibility to all Oregonians 65 and older would follow in the weeks after.
In addition, it’s not just important to offer more options to get vaccinated, we want you to know when, where and how you can get immunized. Today on our website, you will find a new personalized, interactive guide that tells you:
- If you’re eligible to get a vaccine, based on your age and occupation.
- Where you can get information about a vaccine, based on your local county resources.
- Where you can get the facts about vaccines and answers to your vaccination questions.
Watch a recording of the press conference.
Many people in Oregon celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service. During the COVID-19 pandemic it may feel challenging to find a way to volunteer. We asked Dale Kunce, American Red Cross Cascades Region CEO, about one way of volunteering this Martin Luther King Jr. Day – donating blood.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time for all of us to be of service to one another. How is donating blood an act of service?
For many, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity to give back to their community. Donating blood lives up to that mission by sharing a potential lifesaving gift. In addition, January is National Blood Donor Month, a time to celebrate the generosity of blood and platelet donors. It has been celebrated each January for nearly 50 years.
Why is donating blood important?
Approximately every two seconds, a patient in the United States needs a blood transfusion. On average, the Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations every day for patients in about 2,500 hospitals, including many here in Oregon. Blood is a perishable product with a shelf life of only 42 days, and platelets only have a shelf life of five days, so the blood supply must constantly be replenished.
COVID-19 survivors are also needed to donate their plasma, which can help patients currently battling the virus. With each donation, COVID-19 survivors have a unique ability to help up to four patients recover from the virus.
Is it safe to donate blood during the pandemic?
Safety is a priority for everyone including the Red Cross. Each blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control. To ensure the health of staff and donors, we have implemented COVID-19 safety protocols including temperature checks for both staff and donors, requiring face masks for everyone, hand sanitizer throughout the process, and physical distancing wherever possible.
We urge donors to schedule a donation appointment to help ensure we can manage the flow of donors. If you are eligible and feeling well, please make an appointment today to give by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-RED-CROSS.
If donating blood isn’t an option for you, there are several websites that can help you find a way to be of service. Here are a few links to get you started:
There are 21 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,758, OHA reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA also reported 1,037 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 131,258.
Vaccinations in Oregon: Today, the Oregon Health Authority reported that 26,936 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 10,618 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 14 and 16,318 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 14.
Based on updated totals, OHA is meeting Governor Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.
Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 173,073 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).
To date, 326,300 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data.
COVID-19 hospitalizations: The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 387, which is 28 fewer than yesterday. There are 97 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four fewer than yesterday. The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity. More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (21), Clackamas (54), Clatsop (4), Columbia (11), Coos (3), Crook (4), Curry (1), Deschutes (43), Douglas (21), Grant (31), Harney (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (52), Jefferson (14), Josephine (48), Klamath (14), Lake (1), Lane (86), Lincoln (5), Linn (16), Malheur (5), Marion (95), Morrow (5), Multnomah (155), Polk (23), Umatilla (111), Union (7), Wallowa (2), Wasco (14), Washington (141) and Yamhill (43).
NOTE: Death details are being reviewed and will be posted in an updated version of this press release, which will be posted here.
Mental and emotional resources for difficult times:
- Mental and emotional health resources are available on OHA's Safe + Strong website.
- Or call the Safe + Strong Helpline at 800-923-4357 (800-923-HELP). The line offers free, 24-7 emotional support and resource referral to anyone who needs it — not only those experiencing a mental health crisis.
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