With 9,625 vaccines, Lane County Public Health begins vaccinating residents 75 and older

Lane County Public Health was allocated 9,625 vaccine doses this week — 2,400 vaccines of which are set aside for people 75 and older, 525 more vaccines for K-12 and childcare workers and 6,700 booster doses bound for people who already have received their first vaccine.

As of Monday, people in Oregon who are 75 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is the second wave of senior eligibility. Last week, the county distributed 5,500 vaccines to residents 80 and older, starting the vaccine process for over a third of the estimated 15,000 seniors who were eligible.

Previous coverage: Oregon reports four COVID-19 cases in fully vaccinated residents; 2 in Lane County

A portion of eligible seniors already are vaccinated through the federal pharmacy program because they live in long-term care facilities. Seniors who were eligible last week who haven't had an appointment shouldn't be concerned, said Jason Davis, spokesperson for Lane County Public Health, at Tuesday's news conference.

"Eighty-plus individuals who have not already received their vaccine you are still very much eligible," Davis said.

There will be several vaccination clinics at different sites this weekend. Last week, Davis announced that the county would receive a more regular allotment from the state to keep up with the growing group of eligible residents.

More: Lane County likely to see more steady vaccines, more mass clinics

On Tuesday, Davis announced that the county is expecting to receive 6,400 doses of vaccine for the next four weeks starting next week.

"That is based upon our senior population. It's also based upon our capacity, that we've demonstrated, to vaccinate folks," Davis said. "So a significant increase that we see on the horizon."

Federal pharmacy vaccine partners also will begin vaccinating eligible residents as early as this week. Providers such as Costco, Albertsons and Health Mart will receive an estimated 100 doses a week directly from the federal supply, not the county's allotments.

Seniors are the third major group of people added to the list of who are eligible to get the vaccine in Oregon, and it is the first group made up of the general population based on age instead of front-line jobs.

How to preregister for the COVID-19 vaccine in Lane County

While LCPH managed to vaccinate many over the weekend, the large vaccination event encountered several challenges, Davis said. Some residents arrived at the event hours before their appointment, congesting the clinic that operates using scheduled appointments.

"These clinics are not first-come first-serve," Davis said. "It's very important that when you receive your vaccine appointment, you adhere to the time that you signed up for."

Many residents attended the clinic without an appointment, with some believing an email confirming they had preregistered was an appointment. Some event attendees tried to skip the line by getting out of their vehicles and walking up to the line that is meant to be a drive-thru. In an effort to combat the confusion, Davis reiterated the process for getting a vaccine appointment with the county.

Preregister for the vaccine by filling out an online form for the county's database. The form is available at https://lanecounty.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=3585881&pageId=17261881. The county has a number people can call for help, but Davis urged those having difficulty or without internet access to reach out to someone close who could help them first to keep wait times down. The number is 541-682-1380. Check for an email confirming preregistration; the email may be in a spam folder. Those who preregister over the phone will not receive an email confirmation, but a verbal one immediately upon registering. Mistakes on the form can be fixed by emailing COVIDvaccine@lanecounty.gov. Once registered, residents' information will be added to a database that is shared with county health care provider partners who are assisting with the vaccination effort. When a person is eligible and there is adequate supply, either Lane County or a local health care provider will contact them to schedule an appointment via the contact information listed on the preregistration form. Each week, the county will send an email with updates about who they are vaccinating.

There are 14,689 residents fully vaccinated, 3.85% of Lane County's population, with 57,772 first and second doses administered.

COVID-19 in Lane County

News of increased vaccine supply comes as Lane County Public Health reported nine confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19, raising the countywide case count to 9,891.

Hospitalizations jumped 41% in one day, increasing to 24 from Monday's 17. Four were in intensive care beds, and no one was on a ventilator.

The death toll remained at 121 for the fifth consecutive day. There are 204 people considered infectious, down 17% from Monday's 245.

Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-521-7512, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: With 9,625 vaccines, Lane County Public Health begins vaccinating residents 75 and older

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