HEPPNER â Fewer than 250 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 this week in the first two of eight clinics scheduled in Morrow County this month, raising concerns as officials push to use more than 2,000 doses in April.
Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said officials are hoping to use 400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at each of the eight clinics. She said itâs unclear what might have led to the low initial turnout, but said populations now eligible may be more skeptical about the shot.
Lindsay said that, with cases rising across much of Oregon and nationwide, it is especially important that people get vaccinated.
Oregonians over the age of 16, who have not qualified for the COVID-19 vaccine in any of the phases of the vaccine rollout, will be eligible for a shot as of Monday, April 19.
After moving through all of the specialized groups â most recently, essential workers and those with underlying conditions â the state had planned to make the vaccine available to everyone over the age of 16 on May 1. But on Tuesday, April 6, Gov. Kate Brown announced the new date will be April 19.
âWe are locked in a race between vaccine distribution and the rapid spread of COVID-19 variants,â Brown wrote in a news release. âToday, Oregon will pass the threshold of 2 million vaccine doses administered. And yet, in communities across Oregon, COVID-19 is spreading at concerning rates. We must move as quickly as possible to get more shots in arms.â
The Morrow County Public Health Department is partnering with state and federal officials to hold several COVID-19 vaccine clinics in the coming weeks.
Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said that the county is expecting to receive more than 2,000 doses for the clinics.Â
Officials with the Oregon Health Authority and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are assisting the health department in providing free Johnson & Johnson vaccines to those who live or work in Morrow County at the clinics, according to a press release. No health insurance is required.
Those eligible for the vaccine in Oregon include frontline workers as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people from multigenerational households, people over age 16 with an underlying health condition that places them at risk, as well as all people previously eligible for the vaccine.
SALEM â Morrow County has been lowered from the moderate coronavirus risk category to lower risk, allowing restaurants, fitness and entertainment facilities to open at greater capacities, according to a press release from Gov. Kate Brownâs office on Tuesday, March 9.
The move comes as the county continues to see relatively low case counts, with 33 confirmed and presumptive cases reported between Feb. 14 and 27, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. The state looks at a countyâs case count or testing positivity rate over a recent two-week period to determine what its risk level should be.
âWeâre just really excited to see our numbers get down to the point where we can celebrate the hard work that all the citizens have done,â Morrow County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said.