March 24, 2021
Good news: More than 1 million Oregonians have now gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the Oregon Health Authority announced today.
Eligible residents in every county have been vaccinated, as Oregon continues to make steady progress in ensuring all Oregonians who wish to be vaccinated have that opportunity. Here are some key statistics:
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The counties showing the highest vaccination rates as of today are Baker and Wheeler counties, which have recorded 4,999 and 3,595 vaccinations per 10,000 residents respectively.
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Data show that 210,194 residents in Multnomah County and 130,021 in Washington County have received at least one vaccine dose.
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The highest number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on a single day was Feb. 26, with 35,582 doses administered.
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As of today, 1,245 providers are enrolled with the state to receive and administer COVID-19 vaccines, though not every enrolled provider has received or administered COVID-19 vaccine doses to date.
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OHA reports more than 62% of Oregonians age 65 and older have now been vaccinated.
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The state is on track to vaccinate more than seven out of 10 Oregonians who are 65 and older by March 29, which is the next date that new groups become eligible statewide.
As Oregon continues its vaccine rollout, please keep taking protective measures to help keep yourselves, your families, coworkers, loved ones, friends and communities safe and healthy.
 
As you know, Oregon is doing vaccinations in phases. Many new groups of people become eligible no later than March 29.
One of these is people aged 45-64 who have one or more of the underlying health conditions listed on the graphic below.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with these conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Oregon has made two changes to the CDC list: The state is not including smoking (but is including smoking-related illnesses) and has added HIV.
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What to know when you go for your vaccination:
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You will not need to show proof of an underlying condition.
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People 45-64 with any kind of cancer are eligible no later than March 29. If your cancer is in remission (and you aren’t eligible under any other category) you’ll be able to get vaccinated starting no later than May 1.
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Check eligibility dates in your county. Some counties have started vaccinating people with underlying conditions before March 29.
By March 29 at the latest, pregnant people 16 and older in Oregon will eligible to be vaccinated. This is because, although overall risk is low, pregnant people are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and people who get COVID-19 during pregnancy may be at more risk of preterm birth.
Here’s what you need to know about pregnancy and the vaccine:
- We don’t yet have much data about the safety of the three authorized vaccines for people who are pregnant. But based on how the vaccines work, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a specific risk to people who are pregnant.
- Pregnant people haven’t reported different side effects from non-pregnant people. If you get a fever after vaccination, you can take acetaminophen because fever during pregnancy has been linked to negative outcomes.
- Vaccines have not been studied in people who are breastfeeding. However, experts think that the COVID-19 vaccines are not a risk for them or for their babies.
- There is no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems. You can get a COVID-19 vaccine if you are trying to get pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future.
- And of course, if you have questions, it can help to talk through your decision with your doctor.
Learn more about pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccination here.
On March 22, OHA’s partners at All4Oregon sent an email invitation to schedule vaccination appointments at the Oregon Convention Center to approximately 11,000 people who won’t become eligible to receive a vaccine until April 19. This was based on erroneous information supplied by OHA.
We sincerely apologize for our mistake and the confusion it has caused.
Since February, the Get Vaccinated Oregon team at OHA has given All4Oregon the contact information of eligible people in the Portland area to coordinate scheduling at the Oregon Convention Center. On March 21, OHA included the 11,000 additional people on an eligibility list shared with All4Oregon.
Our partners at All4Oregon have committed to honoring appointments offered and made as part of our error. We at OHA understand how stressful the past year has been, as well as how eager we all are to get vaccinated.
OHA will continue providing All4Oregon with the contact information of eligible people in the Portland area for scheduling at the Oregon Convention Center. People in the Portland area who become eligible for a vaccine over the coming weeks can expect to receive a scheduling link from All4Oregon if they have not already received one.
Today, OHA announced that 21 Oregon counties have now submitted attestation letters signaling their intention to immediately offer COVID-19 vaccinations to expanded eligibility groups. Lane County is the newly added county.
The counties are: Baker, Benton, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Polk, Sherman, Umatilla, Union and Yamhill.
By attesting, these counties can now begin vaccinating all individuals listed in Phase 1B, Group 6, ahead of the previously designated statewide start date of March 29.
There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,368, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA also reported 379 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 162,384.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (11), Clackamas (41), Clatsop (9), Columbia (8), Coos (12), Curry (1), Deschutes (23), Douglas (5), Grant (3), Hood River (1), Jackson (45), Jefferson (1), Josephine (16), Lane (26), Lincoln (5), Linn (9), Malheur (3), Marion (36), Multnomah (63), Polk (5), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (7), Union (3), Washington (30) and Yamhill (5).
Oregon’s 2,368th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Jan. 17 and died on Feb. 15 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 102, which is seven fewer than yesterday. There are 19 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is three more 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.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.
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