Deschutes County expands eligibility requirements and speeds ahead with vaccinations, while Oregon still lags behind other states On April 5, frontline workers and their families, people over 16 with underlying health conditions and people living in multigenerational homes become eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon. Deschutes County was one of 23 counties, including Crook and Jefferson, that expanded eligible groups ahead of the state. After gaining approval from the Oregon Health Authority, St. Charles Health System began sending invitations on March 31 to newly eligible Central Oregonians who pre-registered at centraloregoncovidvaccine.com. Last week, 3,000 members of this group—deemed "Phase 1B Group 7" in the state's vaccine rollout—received their first shot at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center.