Public Health: Don't register for vaccine if you're not yet eligible

County Public Health is requesting anyone under 65 to refrain from registering for a COVID-19 vaccine notification, to keep from overwhelming the system.

Those who are eligible for phase 1A or 1B group 1 — mainly health care workers, educators and child care workers — should now email covid@co.yamhill.or.us to register.

People who are 65 or older should continue to use the online form to register for notification when appointments become available. The form is online through the county’s website, at hhs.co.yamhill.or.us/publichealth/page/covid-19-vaccines. The county will call or email eligible recipients who are registered as doses become available.

The county said it anticipates taking a few weeks to vaccinate all those currently eligible.

Each vaccination clinic partner “has their own needs related to how vaccine clinics are scheduled. This is why some clinics will be scheduled through phone calls and others through emailed sign up links,” the county said in its weekly press release. It said there is concern email links are being shared with non-registered, non-eligible people, so calling individuals is a better option at this time.

Health and Human Services Director Lindsey Manfrin said people should read the county’s press releases and weekly newsletter for more information, or call the county at 503-474-4100.

Yamhill County today drops from the “High” to “Moderate” risk category, meaning restaurants and bars and recreation and entertainment facilities can now host up to 50% capacity in most cases, an increase from 25%.

According to the state, there were 104 cases reported in the county from Feb. 21 to March 6, just under the 100 cases per 100,000 population mark that qualifies for moderate risk.

The county reported one new case of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing it to a total of 3,842 cases to date. There have been 69 deaths in the county from the virus.

Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority reported 367 new cases and 11 deaths on Thursday. There have been 2,316 deaths statewide from the virus, and 158,644 cases.

The OHA reported that, for the week of March 1, new cases fell 35% from the previous week, despite a 7% increase in testing, and the percentage of positive tests also decreased, from 3.7% to 2.8%. Hospitalizations also decreased, “reaching the lowest number in five months,” the OHA said.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, the county had vaccinated 18,543 people, with at least one dose of vaccine, as of Thursday.

People also may look online for appointments at local pharmacies, or through the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, which has opened its clinics to the general public on occasions when it has extra doses available after vaccinating tribal members. The Confederated Tribes, which are a sovereign nation not subject to state rules on eligibility, have made their public clinics open to anyone 18 or older.

Five pharmacy chains in Oregon are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program and receive COVID-19 vaccines at 175 locations around the state, according to the OHA. 

“Participating pharmacies use their own scheduling systems, which require people to be eligible under Oregon’s vaccine eligibility guidance. Appointments for vaccinations are provided as vaccines are available. Demand for vaccinations in Oregon continues to exceed available vaccine doses,” the OHA said.

Appointment information is available through the following links:

- Costco: costco.com/covid-vaccine.html.

- Health Mart: healthmartcovidvaccine.com.

- Safeway/Albertsons:  safeway.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html.

- Walgreens: walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19.

- Rite-Aid: oregon.gov/oha/covid19/Pages/vaccine-information-by-county.aspx.

Some eligible people may be able to obtain vaccines from their doctors, but that has varied widely by provider.

The county received 200 doses of the recently-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week. Because the number was so small, it said, it decided to use the doses to vaccinate homebound people, rather than distributing them to pharmacies.

Providence Newberg hospital is administering the doses.

The county also received 1,400 of its regular doses of the Moderna vaccine, and said it expected to administer all of them by the end of the day today, through local providers and a vaccine clinic staffed by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, which has been helping the county with many of its vaccine clinics.