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Gov. Kate Brown opened the state June 30 before hitting the benchmark she had established: 70% of adult Oregonians vaccinated. But two days later, the Oregon Health Authority announced the state had indeed hit the 70% benchmark.
OHA declared victory before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had officially tabulated the necessary doses. On July 2, Oregon officially was 2,206 adult doses short of hitting the benchmark, as tabulated by the CDC.
But OHA says that official tally doesn’t include 2,900 doses at pharmacies that have not been reported, and “1,478 first doses administered yesterday.” OHA reported those doses to the federal government on July 2, but they haven’t yet been added to the federal total.
It’s not clear how many of the doses went to children 12-17 and not 18-year-olds (and thus don’t apply to the percentage of adults vaccinated). But OHA says in its press release that “the combination of these additional doses mean Oregon has reached its 70% adult vaccination target.”
If Oregon has indeed reached the 70% threshold, that marks a key milestone for a remarkable public health campaign that saw thousands of people pass through cavernous convention halls and airport parking lots to receive doses of vaccine. It marks a significant step toward combating a virus that sickened 209,000 Oregonians and killed more than 2,800 of them.
“The 70% adult vaccination goal means we have a better chance to sustain a safe reopening,” said Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority. “The safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines continue to drive down new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in our state. Thank you to everyone who’s been vaccinated and everyone who helped administer these lifesaving vaccines.”
“But COVID-19 hasn’t gone away,” he added. “It’s our goal to vaccinate 8 in 10 people across Oregon, particularly adults in communities of color and other undervaccinated groups.”