Now, everyone in Oregon who is 16 and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. If you’re 16 or 17, or the parent/guardian of someone who is, here’s what you need to know:
- Pfizer is the only vaccine that is authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by people under the age of 18.
- Sixteen and 17-year-old people should look for appointments in locations that have access to the Pfizer vaccine.
- Not all vaccine websites tell you what kind of vaccine is available. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is working to increase information about the type of vaccine that’s available. VaccineFinder.org does allow you to search for locations that provide the Pfizer vaccine.
- There are some areas of the state where the Pfizer vaccine is not readily available. OHA is working to expand the availability of Pfizer throughout the state.
- Under Oregon law, minors 15 and older may give consent to medical treatment, including vaccinations, provided by a physician, physician assistant, naturopath, nurse practitioner, dentist or optometrist, or others operating under the license of these providers, without the consent of a parent or guardian.
- It is OHA’s understanding that most locations where COVID-19 vaccinations are provided have oversight by a medical provider who would meet the definition of the provider types listed above, and therefore consent of a parent or guardian should not be required for a 16- or 17-year-old who wishes to get the Pfizer vaccine. Providers administering COVID-19 vaccinations to 16- or 17-year-old people should make it clear at the time a vaccine appointment is made whether consent from a parent or guardian will be required.
- The vaccine is free. You do not need to have insurance to use it. If you do have insurance, you may be asked for an insurance card so that an administration fee can be billed to the insurance company.
- You do not need to bring proof of eligibility, identification, social security number or health insurance. Vaccine providers may ask if you live in Oregon or what kind of work you do.
For more information on vaccination for 16 and 17-year-old people, see the FAQ on OHA’s webpage.
Important milestone reached as 1,500,000 vaccinated with at least one dose
This past week, we crossed a significant milestone: More than 1.5 million people in Oregon are now vaccinated with one or more doses of #COVID19 vaccine. Every vaccine administered saves lives and brings us one step closer to ending the pandemic and returning to normal life.
To learn how to schedule a vaccine appointment visit How to Find a COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon.
Your vaccine questions answered during OHA’s Facebook Live event
OHA experts answered your vaccination questions on Facebook Live last week. You can view the video in Spanish or English. Below are time stamps for the questions:
13:23 – My son turns 16 in May. Can he get vaccinated before his exact birthday?
14:03 – Will it be easier to find and book an appointment after eligibility opens to all Oregonians on April 19th? I’m struggling to find an appointment for a medically-fragile senior citizen.
15:04 – What happens if I get COVID-19 between my first and second dose?
16:14 – The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can cause blood clots. If I’m more susceptible to having blood clots, should I get a different vaccine?
17:29 – I live in a rural community that does not have the Pfizer vaccine available. That’s a problem because that’s the only vaccine for people 16-17 years old. How do I find a vaccine for my kids?
18:16 – How many people have symptoms after the first dose of the Moderna vaccine?
19:27 – Why are there so many doses of vaccine that have not been given? Are the extra doses being saved for second doses?
20:30 – Can you please speak about the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement, or ADE? What is the research with this issue in relation to the COVID-19 vaccines?
21:17 – I finally got my first appointment this morning through OHSU. Should I still stay in the lottery queue under Get Vaccinated Oregon?
22:11 – Can I get the vaccine outside of my home county?
22:51 – Can I get a vaccine if I’m breastfeeding or pregnant?
24:25 – After the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, I developed an intensely itchy rash all over my body – five days after taking the vaccine. What do I do if a third booster is needed?
25:39 – I’ve had COVID-19 twice now. Why should I get vaccinated?
26:36 – I was so excited two weeks ago when I got my last vaccine so I’m finally fully vaccinated, but now I’m reading that the vaccines don’t protect against the B.1.351 variant.
28:03 – When do we expect that everyone can be vaccinated?
29:46 – My boyfriend got multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Should he get the vaccine?
30:53 – Do I still have to quarantine if I get vaccinated?
OHA publishes two data dashboards on COVID-19 vaccination
OHA has launched two new dashboards on its public Tableau site which highlight the state’s progress on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The first dashboard, Tracking the COVID-19 Vaccination Effort, shows the percent of people living in Oregon who have been vaccinated at both the state and county level. The dashboard also shows how many people still have to receive another dose of vaccine to be fully vaccinated and how many have completed their vaccination series.
This information is broken down by age group at the state and county level, as well as by race and ethnicity at the state level. Future versions of this dashboard will include race and ethnicity at a regional level. For people who received either a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, the dashboard shows the percentage of people who completed the series by the number of weeks between their first and second doses.
As of today, 37% of people in Oregon have received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine, while 13.1% are in progress to be completely vaccinated and 23.9% are fully vaccinated.
Lincoln, Hood River, Benton and Deschutes counties are leading the way in the vaccination effort. Vaccination estimates for these counties show that more than 40% of their population have received at least one dose.
The second dashboard is the Daily COVID-19 Vaccine Update, which is helpful for state planning purposes because it provides a snapshot each morning of vaccine administration, allocation and delivery data. This information has previously been distributed by email each morning and will continue to be available in Tableau format. Please be aware that COVID-19 vaccine deliveries are commonly re-distributed throughout the state between locations and do not reflect future inventory at each location.
Oregon reports 473 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 0 new deaths, Monday April 19th
There are no new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, so the state’s death toll remains at 2,460, the Oregon Health Authority reported Monday, April 19, 2021.
Oregon Health Authority reported 473 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 175,592.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported are in the following counties: Baker (3), Clackamas (63), Clatsop (4), Columbia (6), Coos (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (44), Douglas (2), Hood River (2), Jackson (15), Jefferson (3), Josephine (3), Lane (65), Lincoln (3), Linn (15), Marion (65), Multnomah (135), Polk (16), Tillamook (1), Wasco (8), Washington (1) and Yamhill (15).
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 25,474 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 17,649 doses were administered on April 18 and 7,825 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 18. Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize.
The 7-day running average is now 35,522 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered a total of 1,333,009 doses of Pfizer, 1,126,590 doses of Moderna and 88,547 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,033,175 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,600,343 who have had at least one dose.
To date,1,535,625 doses of Pfizer,1,318,100 doses of Moderna and 215,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change.
OHA‘s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 243, which is 28 more than yesterday. There are 57 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine more than yesterday.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.
