News & Stories for Oregonians
On March 22, the Oregon Health Authority began announcing the names of the counties that had submitted attestation letters signaling their intention to immediately offer COVID-19 vaccinations to expanded eligibility groups. 21 counties have submitted such letters to date. The counties are: Baker, Benton, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, […]
Joanna Ball, a home health aide (included in Phase 1A) in Beaverton, shared her vaccine experience: For me it was important to get vaccinated because I am a two-time stroke survivor that used to be a paraplegic but made a full recovery. I got vaccinated because of my work with seniors and people with disabilities, […]
Luisa Zaragoza is the artistic and managing director at Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Alegre in Medford. A project that started as a high school club in the ’90s has grown into a dance academy for children and youth in the Medford area. Luisa, originally from Mexico, takes great pride in providing opportunities for cultural movement and […]
Nicole R. Butler-Hooton, Oregon’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, is a second-grade teacher at Irving Elementary. Butler-Hooten’s story on Oregon’s Teacher of the Year webpage says that her “teaching style goes beyond instruction and serves to build lasting relationships with students and families.” As a teacher and a Siletz and Apache tribal member, Butler-Hooton felt it was important to […]
Enrique Garcia, a community health care worker in Keizer, wrote: My first vaccine was the best experience; after the second shot got chills and little bit of headaches along with body temperature change, but all within the first 24 hours. I am Latino and always trying to lead by example. We have our Latino population around […]
Avamere at Bethany, an independent living, assisted living and memory care community in Portland, held its first COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Jan. 11, 2021. They shared the vaccine story of David Rohrback, a senior resident, on their blog. Almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, our “shot” out of it brings hope to many […]
Governor Kate Brown was joined by OHA Director Patrick Allen and Public Health Director Rachael Banks in a Feb. 26 press conference on COVID-19 vaccination. The Governor announced plans to vaccinate new eligibility groups including frontline workers and people with underlying health conditions, in the coming weeks. “By summer, provided supplies from the federal government […]
OHA responds to President Biden’s vaccine eligibility announcement At a news conference on March 12, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen addressed President Biden’s March 11 exciting announcement directing states to open vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1. “We appreciate the administration’s commitment to delivering enough vaccine to meet the President’s goal,” […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $110 million in federal funding to assist OHA and partners in operating dozens of COVID-19 vaccination centers throughout the state. The FEMA-supported vaccination centers will be able to administer more than two million vaccines during the 90-day operational period. Timelines are still under review. Grants for emergency protective measures […]
OHA has adjusted how it reports race and ethnicity data on its COVID-19 dashboards for persons entered in the state’s immunization registry, also known as ALERT Immunization Information System (ALERT IIS). The change became effective in late February. The system previously counted race and ethnicity data for persons who have received a COVID-19 vaccine as […]
