The Oregon Health Authority announces several ways to make an appointment, but warns of chaos.
As part of Oregon s Phase 1B in the COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan, people 80 years and older now are eligible to get vaccinated but the Oregon Health Authority is warning that this latest phase could be chaotic.
The Health Authority says the biggest challenge is the scarcity of the vaccine. While they can t give every older adult an appointment as soon as they want one, they can give them different ways to get linked to vaccine information and events.
Recently, KOIN 6 reported that 211 is swamped. While the amount of staff is being increased, they ll always be outnumbered if tens of thousands of calls are coming in. The best way to not overwhelm the system? The Health Authority is launching a new tool on its website that will allow people to get email alerts or text notifications about vaccine events in your area.
Only one death was reported Monday and state health officials will update the increase later.
The Oregon Health Authority reported 23 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, Feb. 2, a huge increase over recent days the agency said is being reviewed and will be updated in a later press release.
In comparison, the OHA reported only one new death on Monday, Feb. 1. The addition deaths increased the state total to 1,981.
The OHA also reported the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Oregon at 262, nine fewer than the day before. There were 61 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, three fewer than on Feb. 1.
Local health officials request higher vaccine allocation
Crook County residents ages 65 and older should be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine soon
As vaccinations continue and more time passes since the holiday season, COVID cases are again on the decline.
However, local case totals have yet to drop to a point where Crook County will move to a lower risk category and enable more businesses to open to indoor patronage. I think that we are past that surge that we had over Christmas and New Year s, said Vicky Ryan, the local emergency preparedness coordinator with Crook County Health Department.
When January began, the number of new and presumptive cases reported statewide averaged about 1,150 per day. During the second week of the month, that average dropped to about 1,093, according to Oregon Health Authority data. The final day of January where new and presumptive case totals exceeded 1,000 was Jan. 16, and since that date, the daily average has dropped to around 7