Many of those who were in phases 1A and 1B during Oregon's rollout of the coronavirus vaccine are eligable to recieve a booster shot, health officials said during a press conference Tuesday.
"Boosters offer an extra layer of protection — and that is really important for individuals at higher risk of exposure or illness — but you are still fully vaccinated with the two doses," Governor Brown said.
OHA Public Health Director Rachael Banks said that the FDA and CDC recommends the Pfizer coronavirus booster shots be offered to people age 65 and older, living in a long-term care facility, and those age 50-64 and with underlying medical conditions six moths after completing the vaccine series.
The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup expanded on the federal recommendations, supporting the Pfizer booster for people 18-64 who have underlying medical conditions, and who are in occupational or institutional settings that put them at higher risk of COVID-19.
That includes health care workers, those who work in educational settings, food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers, corrections workers, postal service workers, public transit workers, and grocery store workers.
“In short, people who were in phases 1A and 1B during Oregon’s roll-out of primary coronavirus vaccinations last December and earlier this year are now eligible to receive the Pfizer booster if they want it, and they received their immunization at least 6 months ago,” Banks said.
Officials estimate 300,000 people are currently eligible for a Pfizer booster.
If you have received a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, health officials say there is no need to worry. Data shows that all of the available vaccines provide excellent protection against illness and death from coronavirus.
"We need everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so at their earliest opportunity. Getting vaccinated, along with continuing to wear masks, keeping our distance from others and avoiding gatherings, is – quite simply – our state’s ticket out of this pandemic," said Banks
More than 2.7 million Oregonians have had at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 2.5 million have completed a vaccine series, officials said.
OHA Deputy State Health Officer, Dr. Tom Jeanne said the coronavirus pandemic in Oregon appears to have reached its peak, adding that daily infections and hospitalizations are slowly receding from the record highs that we experienced earlier in the month.
As of Monday, the 7-day average of daily coronavirus cases in Oregon was 1,646. The same average on Sept. 1 was 2,200.
Dr. Jeanne said even though trends are going in the right direction, we cannot let our guard down yet.
“We cannot drop our guard and risk a resurgence that could overwhelm our health care system—our health care workers and resources have been severely strained for far too long," said Dr. Jeanne.
You can watch the full press conference below:
The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,606 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 between Friday, September 24 and Sunday, September 26.
Health officials say there have been a total of 324,571 COVID-19 cases in Oregon since the pandemic began.
Officials also reported 27 coronavirus-related deaths over the 3-day period, bringing the state’s death toll to 3,709.
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 866, and 243 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, according ot the Oregon Health Authority.