CDC advisory panel recommends Moderna and Pfizer Comirnaty COVID-19 booster doses for everyone 18 years of age and older
Booster doses were expected to be available in Oregon this past weekend for anyone 18 years of age and older. Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel, recommended Moderna and Pfizer Comirnaty COVID-19 booster doses for all those 18 years and older. This is the next step forward as Oregon Health Authority (OHA), public health workers, health care providers and communities across the state continue to battle the COVID-19 virus. People in Oregon age 18 and older may be eligible for booster doses as early as Saturday, Nov. 20. The committee voted unanimously to recommend administering boosters to everyone 18 years and older six months after the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine or two months after a Johnson & Johnson vaccination, as outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorizations. As the next step in the approval process, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which includes Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada, will assess the recommendation this evening. Once it makes its recommendation, OHA will issue guidance for the administration of booster doses across the state as early as Saturday. A booster is a vaccine dose given to someone whose immune response from the primary vaccine series has waned over time. Nearly 1.25 million people across Oregon are now eligible to get this dose. “Vaccinations are still our most effective tool against COVID-19. With everyone 18 years and older eligible, now is the time to get that extra layer of protection. This is particularly important for those ages 50 and up, adults who live in long-term care settings, as well as people 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months ago or more,” said Rachael Banks, OHA Public Health Director. “At the same time, we ask for patience as vaccine providers ramp up to administer boosters. Please know the primary series of vaccines still provides strong protection against the virus.” The booster dose can be the Moderna, Pfizer Comirnaty or Johnson & Johnson brand. It does not have to be the same as your original series. The Pfizer vaccine recently became available to children ages five through 11 years old. With the arrival of boosters for everyone 18 years and older, OHA recommends making an appointment with your health care provider, pharmacy or local vaccination event to get your dose. Visit GetVaccinated.Oregon.gov or call 211 to find a nearby vaccine provider.
Oregon reports 1,090 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 28 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 28 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,914, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Friday. OHA reported 1,090 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing the state total to 384,062.
OHA resolves high positivity rate issue
OHA has resolved a technical issue that resulted in a 14% positivity rate for COVID-19 tests being reported Nov. 16. Due to server issues on Nov. 15, 3,094 test results were automatically mislabeled, causing them to be counted as positive test results and included in the percent positivity calculation. These 3,094 test results have now been assigned the appropriate status, and they will be removed from the testing counts and percent positivity on OHA’s data dashboards with today’s data refresh. The agency is now reporting 2,095 positive tests and a 6.2% positivity for Nov. 15.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 407, which is 12 fewer than Thursday. There are 94 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 10 fewer than Thursday. There are 62 available adult ICU beds out of 699 total (9% availability) and 261 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,059 (6% availability). 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. Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms. Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.
Vaccinations in Oregon
Friday, OHA reported that 25,359 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Nov. 18. Of that total, 2,896 were initial doses, 667 were second doses and 8,483 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 13,242 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Nov. 18. The seven-day running average is now 18,181 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,435,266 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 43,104 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,168,679 doses of Moderna and 238,090 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 2,902,606 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,642,003 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. These data are preliminary and subject to change. Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated Friday.
COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Friday are in the following counties: Baker (13), Benton (17), Clackamas (79), Clatsop (2), Columbia (17), Coos (21), Crook (21), Curry (1), Deschutes (97), Douglas (60), Grant (6), Harney (2), Hood River (11), Jackson (49), Jefferson (21), Josephine (30), Klamath (33), Lake (1), Lane (83), Lincoln (16), Linn (64), Malheur (6), Marion (97), Morrow (6), Multnomah (140), Polk (22), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (23), Union (6), Wasco (3), Washington (111), Wheeler (1), and Yamhill (26).