Oregon Hits COVID-19 Vaccination Milestone

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon has hit a COVID-19 vaccination milestone.

The Oregon Health Authority reports that 80 % of Oregonians 18 and older have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, Oregon has now fully vaccinated 63 percent all residents. That’s ranks 12th in the nation.

However, the OHA says the state is still under the needed vaccination rate to reach herd immunity.

“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.”

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