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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As a quick follow-up to Friday’s newsletter, I wanted to make sure you saw the latest from the Oregon Health Authority about scheduling appointments at the Oregon Convention Center now that all seniors in the state (65 and older) are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
If you are a senior with mobility issues, you will continue to be able to access appointments at the Portland Airport Red Economy Parking Lot drive-thru clinic through the chatbot, which I previously covered how to use here.
Most adults who are 65 and older, and most people who are eligible for vaccines in Phase 1A in the Portland metro area, will no longer be directed to the chatbot to schedule appointments at the Oregon Convention Center. Instead, most people should register to sign up for a vaccine through the Get Vaccinated Oregon tool here.
The Oregon Health Authority will transfer your name and information to officials working at the Oregon Convention Center, who will contact you about an appointment.
The change does not impact people who have already scheduled vaccine appointments at the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Airport or the Legacy Woodburn Health Center. Older adults and anyone who needs help better understanding the scheduling options are encouraged to call 211.
Hold times may be long due to the volume of calls, but 211 is working to expand call center capacity. Until then, there is a call back feature that holds your place in line so you do not need to wait on hold. If the daily call capacity is met, the queue will be closed for the day to ensure callbacks can take place within 24 hours. If you are not able to get through, please call back the next day. 211info is available seven days a week.
We also got some good news on the vaccine supply front. The state expects to receive 34,000 doses of the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, as the Associated Press reports here. As The Oregonian reported here, state public health officials hope to have enough vaccines to provide shots to seniors who want them by the end of March.
Lastly, here are links for the retail pharmacies that are offering limited appointments. I know there have been challenges with these systems, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw these options again.
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
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