Oregon Vaccinations of Seniors Lag Behind Projections

There’s a big difference in how many seniors have been vaccinated, depending on the county.

Walking in Multnomah Village. (Brian Burk)
By Rachel Monahan

Only two-thirds of Oregonians over age 65 have gotten at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. That's far less than the 80% by March 31 that Oregon Health Authority officials projected when they moved up the date that older Oregonians would become eligible for the shots.

That rate is also below the national average of 73% for one dose. There's a big difference in how many seniors have been vaccinated, depending on the county: 75% of seniors in Multnomah County have gotten at least a first shot while only 67% of seniors in Clackamas County have, as of April 10.

"We have seen a slowing of vaccinations for seniors in some counties as more populations become eligible for the vaccine," says OHA spokesman Tim Heider. "Obviously, we like to see 100% of our seniors to be vaccinated, and we have enough doses to accomplish that. Seniors can access vaccine through the existing sources."

OHA now says it expects close to 3 in 4 older Oregonians to have at least one shot by early April.

Correction: Oregon Health Authority pulled down its county data for more than a week, citing errors in Washington County. As of April 10, 65% of seniors in Clackamas County have at least one shot while 75% of seniors in Multnomah County do. (The previous version of this post had incorrect numbers based on the data that was available before OHA's corrections.) 

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