80% of Oregonians vaccinated against COVID-19
State reaches important milestone as vaccination effort continues – PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday that 80% of Oregonians 18 and older have had at least one does in their vaccination series against COVID-19. That’s 2,681,267 people in Oregon, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who are now more protected against the coronavirus and one step closer to the critical threshold of immunity. The CDC’s number and percentage of adults who’ve received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is slightly higher than the number and percentage reported on Oregon’s vaccination dashboard. The CDC’s data include vaccinations delivered through federal installations and facilities, such as the Veteran’s Administration. Overall, Oregon has delivered at least on dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 68 percent of all residents (children below 12 remain ineligible for a vaccine). The state ranks 20th in the nation for the percentage of residents who have received at least one shot. Oregon has fully vaccinated 63 percent of all residents and ranks 12th in the nation for the percentage of residents who are fully protected. State health officials are encouraged that Oregon has reached the threshold of 80 percent of adults who’ve received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. But health experts estimate that Oregon and other states remain below the level of “herd immunity” required to extinguish viral transmission. Health experts continue to urge people who are unvaccinated to get immunized. “Reaching 80 percent is an important milestone because it loosens COVID-19’s grip on our state. Vaccines work and we know they save lives. We strongly encourage everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so at their earliest opportunity. Getting vaccinated is – quite simply – our state’s best way out of this pandemic,” said Rachael Banks, OHA’s Public Health Director. “We’ve made significant progress in closing the vaccination gap, among people of color and rural communities. But Oregon is still below the 80% threshold of those vaccinated for these groups. We can do more to ensure everyone in Oregon has a fair and equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine.” To reach more people in communities of color, OHA has conducted intensive outreach across the state through its Community Partner Outreach Program and Community Engagement Team to engage more than 170 community-based organizations. These partnerships led to the co-production of outreach materials in 11 languages and dozens of community-specific vaccine events. “We are working with leaders in communities of color and faith communities to redress the lack of fair access to vaccines,” Banks added. “We are committed to making sure our health care system and our vaccination efforts do a better job at eliminating long held health injustices. We also are working with organizers to incorporate child-friendly services wherever possible, knowing that very soon children ages 5-11 will be authorized to receive the vaccine as well.” “While we celebrate this milestone, our hope is that the 80% vaccination rate only continues to rise to include every Oregonian.”
Oregon reports 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 24 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,358, Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Oregon Health Authority reported 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total to 363,648.
OHA releases new COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough report
OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 72.1% of the 7,723 reported COVID-19 cases between Oct. 17 through Oct. 23, occurred in people who were unvaccinated. There were 2,156 breakthrough cases, accounting for 27.9% of all cases. The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 48. Sixty-nine breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 91 cases in people ages 12 to 17. To date, there have been 35,424 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases is 48. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties. Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is currently four times higher than in vaccinated people. To date, 4.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 1% have died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 80. Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The number of vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon remains very small when compared to the more than 2.8 million Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pediatric weekly dashboard update
Thursday, OHA published its latest weekly dashboard report of pediatric COVID-19 case data in Oregon. The pediatric age groups in this report have been adjusted to align with the expanded vaccine eligibility for children aged 5 to 11 anticipated in November. In the most recent full week’s data, case rates were highest among people aged 5 to11, followed by people aged 12 to 17. Pediatric case rates remain highest among people who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Pacific Islander or Black. American Indian/Alaska Native pediatric case rates are now the highest overall. For the most recent week, pediatric case rates were 3.6 times higher among people who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native compared to people who identify as white.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 518, which is 36 fewer than Wednesday. There are 123 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is three fewer than Wednesday. There are 52 available adult ICU beds out of 697 total (7% availability) and 272 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,139 (7% 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 responding to the current surge in COVID-19. 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
Thursday, OHA reported that 22,564 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Oct. 27. Of this total, 12,132 were administered on Oct. 27: 1,249 were initial doses; 904 were second doses and 9,926 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 10,432 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Oct. 27. Oregon has now administered 3,273,879 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 1,971,906 doses of Moderna and 226,564 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of Thursday, 2,810,730 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,606,947 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 Thursday.
Mobile Vaccination Unit provides access, information and support
It may look like just another tour bus, but to those awaiting it, the big yellow rig is a ray of brightness in a world that sometimes seems to have run amok. The FEMA Mobile Vaccination Unit (MVU) has been making the rounds throughout the state bringing vaccines free of charge to everyone who is eligible. During a recent visit to Jackson County, more than 100 people were vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is not an easy choice for everyone. Some have been frightened by misinformation; some are uncertain which of the three vaccines is best for them and some are scared of needles. “We’ve certainly seen a lot of folks who are scared of needles,” said Chris Rushing, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) field operations manager and FEMA liaison. “I had one lady who asked, ‘Hey, will you hold my hand while I get the vaccination?’ So, I held her hand. It went great. There are a lot of stories like that. And, we certainly have a lot of instances of people wanting to get the information, then going home to think about it and coming back on another day. That’s really what we want — for people to make educated decisions about what is right for them.”