Officials say Lane County is close-- but still has not met the state’s vaccination metric to move to Low Risk for restrictions.
By the end of May, 64.1% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Lane County Public Health did the math.
“We were 2,853 shots short of the 65% goal that would get us to permanent Low risk status,” said spokesperson Devon Ashbridge. She added that Lane County has reached or exceeded state levels for vaccinating younger age groups. For example, one third of all 12 to 15 year olds have had their first dose-- compared with 27% of that same age group statewide.
Ashbridge encouraged those who have put off getting the vaccine to get it done. Coronavirus continues to circulate in Lane County, with 20 to 30 new cases reported daily. There were two deaths from COVID-19 over the Memorial Day weekend bringing the county’s death toll to 154.
Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Opportunities in Lane County
Public Health officials join Governor Kate Brown in saying vaccination is the surest path to reaching community immunity. Statewide, Oregon must reach 70-percent of the population- 16 and older- with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. At that point, most health and safety restrictions imposed by county Risk Levels will be lifted.
In an effort to accommodate residents who work weekends, Lane County Public Health is holding mass vax clinics at Autzen Stadium Tuesday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm.
The Autzen clinics will continue to operate Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Walk-ins are welcome and encouraged.
More than 30 smaller vaccination clinics will also be held throughout the county this week. Find a list of small clinics here
