More than 1 million Oregonians have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the Oregon Health Authority announced Wednesday.
State officials also reported 379 new coronavirus cases and one death.
The vaccination milestone comes about three months after the first inoculations began Dec. 16 in Oregon.
“This would not have been possible without the dedication of our local public health employees, health care workers and other vaccinators around Oregon,” Patrick Allen, the health authority director, said in a statement. “I would also like to thank everyone who has made the effort to get a vaccine. I know in many cases it has not been easy, but you are helping to stop this disease from spreading any further.”
By surpassing the 1-million person mark, Oregon is closing in on nearly 25% of the population having received at least one dose. Oregon ranks 35th nationally among 50 states by that metric, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccine supply is expected to significantly ramp up, with every Oregonian 16 and older set to become eligible May 1.
State officials have said about 2.5 million more Oregonians 16 and older could receive at least a first dose by the first week of June. But that would require administering far more doses each day.
Allen previously said the goal is to administer 50,000 doses a day, which would include 33,000 first doses, including the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
But to date, Oregon’s best day, Feb. 26, had just 35,582 total doses administered.
Vaccines: Oregon reported 28,655 newly administered doses, which includes 17,914 Tuesday and the remainder from previous days.
Where the new cases are by county: Baker (6), Benton (11), Clackamas (41), Clatsop (9), Columbia (8), Coos (12), Curry (1), Deschutes (23), Douglas (5), Grant (3), Hood River (1), Jackson (45), Jefferson (1), Josephine (16), Lane (26), Lincoln (5), Linn (9), Malheur (3), Marion (36), Multnomah (63), Polk (5), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (7), Union (3), Washington (30) and Yamhill (5).
Who died: Oregon’s 2,368th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Jan. 17 and died on Feb. 15 at her residence. She had underlying health conditions.
Hospitalizations: 102 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, including 19 in intensive care.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 162,384 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,368 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 1,577,638 vaccine doses administered.
To see more coronavirus data and trends, visit projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/
-- Brad Schmidt; [email protected]; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
