Oregon’s Latest Vaccine Rollout Plan Mired In Uncertainty
A plan to put seniors after educators and school staff has drawn scrutiny among officials calling for the state to base its priority decisions on public health data.
A plan to put seniors after educators and school staff has drawn scrutiny among officials calling for the state to base its priority decisions on public health data.
The vaccines have a short shelf life, which forces clinicians to anticipate the exact number of doses they’ll need each day. If they don’t get it right, doses may go to waste.
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The state has only given one or two doses to about one-fifth of the 500,000 people currently eligible, and another 810,000 will be up for a shot starting Jan. 23.
Documents and interviews reveal that managers either haven't taken safety precautions seriously enough to prevent outbreaks or made decisions that have increased the risk of infection.
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced new coronavirus risk levels for counties across the state, shifting three additional counties on the coast and in eastern Oregon to the highest concern level.
Of the more than 6 million people in the U.S. who have received a COVID-19 vaccine shot, about 30 have suffered a severe allergic reaction -- about five times the rate for flu shots.
In Portland and Salem over the weekend, hospital providers held COVID-19 vaccination clinics for thousands of home health care workers and others not affilitated with hospital systems who risk becoming infected.
The outbreak, infecting 49 staff members and patients, started Dec. 20 in a unit that treats patients who need ongoing, intense care for a stroke or brain injury, for example.
Health care providers struggle to boost the current vaccination pace and soon the state could have more than 1 million doses from the federal government.
Legacy and OHSU throw out dozens of coronavirus doses but Patrick Allen, director of the health authority, said his agency knew of no wasted vaccines.