On Thursday, Lane County Public Health had some good news to share regarding COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Spokesperson Jason Davis had this to say: “I am happy to announce that our pleas to have the National Guard assist us have been answered and the National Guard will be arriving in Lane County at 7:30am on Saturday. They will be helping us administer all 7,400 doses that Lane County Public Health has received.”
Davis said 2,800 of the doses have been *earmarked by the state to go to Group A2, disabled individuals and their caregivers. The rest will be administered to at-risk populations in Group A3 during mass vax clinics this weekend.
Because of a lack of vaccine supply, the 65 and older population will be vaccinated in waves starting with the oldest residents on February 8th. Educators are slated to begin receiving shots on January 25th.
But, Davis warned counties must “sign-off” saying they’ve vaccinated the critical care groups in A-1 before moving on to educators and seniors in group B-1. He added, “We’re trying but we are not there yet.”
Oregon’s vaccination plan prioritizes critical groups of people involved in the pandemic response and those at the highest risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
Last week, Oregon’s vaccination plan was scrambled when it was realized there were no stockpiles of vaccine as anticipated. Governor Kate Brown pushed back the vax date for educators to January 25th. And the 65 and older population will be vaccinated starting with the eldest residents (80 years and older) beginning on February 8th. Some seniors might not be be vaccinated until March.
Davis said residents are encouraged to sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccination Newsletter registry. It can be found on the Lane County Public Healthwebsite, or to sign up click here
