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Going forward, COVID-19 vaccines will be more easily available in Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said today, as the state moved formally to disentangle its vaccination guidelines from those of the federal health agencies that have been reshaped by vaccine-skeptic U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“If you want to get vaccinated before respiratory virus season, you can in Oregon,” Kotek said in a written statement. “The confusion created by the Trump administration for simple vaccine administration in states across the country puts people at risk. Staying safe shouldn’t be hard or expensive—these actions today mean Oregonians seeking a vaccine can do so easily and affordably.”
In recent weeks, getting the COVID-19 vaccines has, for many Oregonians, been a challenging and confusing process. While, in Washington state, people could fairly easily get a vaccine at a pharmacy, confusion reigned in Oregon, where the new COVID-19 vaccine was, for a period, unavailable at pharmacies to those without a prescription.
No longer, the state says. “Effective Wednesday, September 17, pharmacists in Oregon will have the authority to continue to administer COVID vaccines without a prescription,” said Dean Sidelinger of the Oregon Health Authority, in a video press conference.
The earlier hangups, Oregon officials said, reflected rules tying state guidelines to those of the federal government. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued COVID-19 vaccine eligibility guidelines in late August that were narrower than those backed by other mainstream health authorities. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body responsible for issuing vaccine recommendations has delayed doing so—and thus failed to produce the formal guidelines for the new seasonal COVID-19 vaccine on which the Oregon Board of Pharmacy has historically relied.
Wednesday brought key new developments, however. In the morning, the recently formed West Coast Health Alliance issued new vaccine guidelines, including broader recommendations for who should get the COVID-19 vaccine than those that the feds had issued.
Hours later, the Oregon Pharmacy Board held a previously scheduled special meeting to consider the adoption of temporary rules concerning the COVID-19 and other vaccines. Then, at 4:30 pm, the Oregon governor’s office issued another announcement.
“Oregon licensed pharmacists are permitted to prescribe and administer COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV vaccines in accordance with board-approved protocols,” incorporating the West Coast Health Alliance recommendation, the statement said.
It added that Oregon physicians and physician associates and nurses may administer and prescribe vaccines in accordance with West Coast Health Alliance recommendations, without fear of disciplinary action.
Then there was the insurance side. The Oregon Health Authority issued guidance requiring that state Medicaid insurers cover of all West Coast Health Alliance covered vaccines.
As for other insurers, the state says it has moved to make sure as many people are covered as possible. It put out a bulletin that “reiterates the expectations that all health benefit plans in Oregon must provide coverage for FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines without cost sharing (such as co-pay, co-insurance, or deductible).”
It remains unclear what guidelines the federal government’s vaccine committee will adopt at its next scheduled meeting later this week. But earlier, the FDA had separately recommended that only people 65 and older and with certain health conditions get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Citing the guidance of groups like American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, the West Coast Health Alliance recommended the vaccine to that group and more, including “all who choose protection.” It doesn’t, however, recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6 months old.
