Public health officials in Lincoln County say it only took five hours for eligible residents to reserve all of this week’s appointments to get the coronavirus vaccine.
The county is holding a mass vaccination clinic at the Lincoln County Commons in Newport. On Tuesday, they announced that anyone age 75 or older could now get the vaccine, in addition to the people who were already in the Oregon Health Authority's "Phase 1a" group, such as medical workers and first responders.
At 8:30 in the morning, the county opened up 13-hundred appointment slots for the rest of the week. Public health spokesperson Susan Trachsel said by 1:15 in the afternoon, all of the appointments were gone.
“There’s a lot of demand for it, but not enough vaccines," said Trachsel. "So we will keep pushing to get more vaccines, because we’re ready to keep vaccinating people.”
Still, the 1,300 or so vaccines the county received this week was a significant increase over previous weeks.
"Last week we only received 770 doses of the vaccine, and the week before we received 500," said Trachsel. "So this is a pretty significant jump for us."
Trachsel says clinic workers will verify the age or eligibility of people who have appointments. There’s a waitlist in case of cancellations, and Trachsel says a new round of appointments should be available next week.
Meanwhile, health officials in Linn and Benton Counties are joining forces for a mass vaccination event on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 20 and 21, at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center in Albany. The counties say vaccines there are limited to those in Phase 1a, and are available by appointment only.
Benton County also said it's partnering with Samaritan Health Services and Oregon State University for a possible vaccination clinic at Reser Stadium in Corvallis starting Jan. 25.
