COVID vaccine demand dropping across Washington County May 18 2021
Vaccine providers have a plan to close gaps in vaccination rates among racial and ethnic groups, officials say.
Washington County Public Health and local healthcare providers plan to increase vaccine clinics and events targeted at specific groups and communities to address ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates.
The move comes as officials plan to close the region s mass vaccination sites in June and most Oregon counties, including Washington County, experience declining vaccine demand. We re shifting to a more local approach, said Mary Sawyers, a spokesperson for Washington County Public Health. The community clinics are not filling as fast as they were.
Washington County looks to vaccine event for homeless in May April 27 2021
County officials say logistical problems and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause have hindered vaccinations for homeless.
A lack of adequate supply of COVID-19 vaccines and the pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have stifled efforts to vaccinate homeless people in Washington County, officials say.
It has been nearly a month since Oregon s vaccine eligibility guidelines expanded to include homeless people, specifically. Some were eligible previously due to having a medical condition or disability.
A small number of homeless Washington County residents have already received doses either through addiction recovery services or transitional housing programs, said Tyler Slattery, a senior program coordinator with the county s COVID-19 response team.
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Vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have said their vaccines should be effective against the B.1.1.7 variant.
About 300 cases of the variant have been detected nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two Oregonians who previously tested positive for the variant, a University of Portland staff member and a Yamhill County resident, didn t have a known travel history outside the country.
Public health officials say the emergence of the new variant of COVID-19 in Oregon is a reminder of the need to practice preventative safety measures. This may be the (third) case detected, but it is likely the variant is already circulating much more widely throughout our county and the state, said Mary Sawyers, spokesperson for Washington County Public Health. This means people should assume that they may come in contact with a much more contagious variant of COVID-19 and they need to continue to wear masks, socially distance and