State says any Oregonian who wants COVID-19 vaccine can get it

All Oregonians seeking the COVID-19 vaccine can receive it without concerns about cost, or liability for nurses, pharmacists or doctors administering the vaccine, under guidance from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and five state agencies.

The announcement Wednesday, Sept. 17, comes nearly two weeks after Kotek and the governors of California, Washington and Hawaii formed the West Coast Health Alliance in early September. Previously on Wednesday, the four-state alliance had recommended that all adults and children concerned about the respiratory illness season can receive the COVID-19 vaccine and other common inoculations, such as the flu vaccine.

State agencies that license pharmacists, nurses and doctors and regulate insurers vowed in a joint press release alongside Kotek to make sure the vaccine was covered by insurance and available to those who wanted it.

“At a time when Washington, D.C., is undermining our most basic public health safeguards, Oregon is charting a different course: affirming that public health is about protecting people, not playing politics, and ensuring every family who wants protection this respiratory virus season can get it — simply, safely and affordably,” said Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority, in a statement.

Kotek described Oregon’s response as a “coordinated approach to reduce disruption to COVID-19 vaccine access caused by the Trump administration.”

“If you want to get vaccinated before respiratory virus season, you can in Oregon. The confusion created by the Trump administration for simple vaccine administration in states across the country puts people at risk,” she said in a statement. “Staying safe shouldn’t be hard or expensive — these actions today mean Oregonians seeking a vaccine can do so easily and affordably.”

The updated guidance Oregon and other allied Western states offered is a rebuke of the June overhaul of the Centers for Disease Controls’ vaccine advisory committee by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The announcement came shortly before the Oregon Board of Pharmacy unanimously approved a carveout allowing patients aged 7 or older to receive the COVID vaccine at a pharmacy in alignment with the coalition’s guidance.

As recently as Monday, Kennedy appointed five new members to the panel, some of whom have a history of questioning the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. The West Coast states’ newly announced standards rely upon guidance from national organizations, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Kotek, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a joint statement that they were putting safety before politics. 

“Our states are united in putting science, safety and transparency first — and in protecting families with clear, credible vaccine guidance,” the governors said.

When it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, the states recommend  that any adult ages 18 to 64 who wants protection from COVID is eligible for the vaccine, specifically identifying those “who are in close contact with others with risk factors.”

All children from ages 6 months through to 2 years of age are recommended to receive the shot, as well as those from ages 2 to 18 who choose to receive the shot or haven’t received the vaccine before. The guidelines also include information about influenza and RSV vaccinations. 

Oregon had emerged as a hotspot for questions around vaccine access over the past two weeks since the alliance was initially announced, with critics questioning why the state failed to issue standing orders ensuring COVID-19 vaccine access or deferring to mainstream medical groups sooner.

Without guidance from the CDC, tighter restrictions announced by the Food & Drug Administration in late August limited the vaccine to people aged 65 or older or those with an underlying health condition that would risk severe illness. Pharmacists across Oregon have turned away patients without a prescription.