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COVID-19 | Vaccines
Chaos possible with senior eligibility next week
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
The gap between COVID-19
vaccine eligibility and availabil-
ity will make for a chaotic start
to age-based inoculations next
week.
Beginning Monday, Oregon
residents 80 and older are eli-
gible to receive their first dose
of the two-shot Moderna or
Pfizer vaccines. People over 80
have accounted for just over
half of the 2,002 deaths from
COVID-19 in Oregon.
But Gov. Kate Brown and
Oregon Health Authority Di-
rector Pat Allen said demand
vastly outstrips current sup-
ply. Allen told a House panel
earlier this week that there
are an estimated 168,000 peo-
ple 80 and older in Oregon,
which is currently receiving
about 40,000 first-shot doses
of the vaccine per week. This
includes doses for those in ear-
lier priority groups who hav-
en’t been inoculated yet. The
required second doses are in a
separate count.
It all translates to a building
wave of frustration and disap-
pointment among those who
have waited for their time in
line for the vaccine.
“If you watched the senior
category roll out everywhere
else in the country, it was really
chaotic — it’s going be chaotic
here too,” Allen said.
The age limit will drop five
years every week until those
65 and older can receive shots
March 1. But with 800,000
people in Oregon over the age
of 65, eligibility will overwhelm
availability well into spring.
County health agencies will
be the front lines for telling
those eligible where and when
they might be able to be vac-
cinated.
See Vaccines / A9
DESCHUTES COUNTY
OSU-CASCADES
Campus closet helps
students dress for success
Switch to online service sparks interest in Benny’s Closet, which gives free clothing to students
Administrator
Tom Anderson
plans to retire
in September
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
Tom Anderson, the county administrator
for Deschutes County recognized by col-
leagues for steady and consistent leadership
during dynamic times, will retire at the end
of September.
Anderson, 59, put in his notice to retire
to the Deschutes County Commission in
January after serving roughly eight years as
county administrator. Anderson’s departure
will prompt a county administrator search
for the first time in nearly a decade.
The decision to retire boils down to tim-
ing, Anderson said. His wife recently retired,
and he hopes to spend more time with her.
Anderson also figured that with a new com-
mission sworn in earlier this year, the tim-
ing would be good to leave and let them de-
cide their own leadership.
See Anderson / A9
Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for
awhile,” Tom Anderson said of his retirement.
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
OSU-Cascades students Melissa Swearingen, left, and Megan Bolt collect items of clothing for a fellow student while volunteering at Benny’s Closet.
Jefferson County
presses state for
its vaccine doses
BY JACKSON HOGAN • The Bulletin
M
elissa Swearingen needed some professional clothes. The Oregon State
University-Cascades sophomore was applying for office jobs in January, and
wanted a professional look suitable for an interview. So Swearingen signed up
for Benny’s Closet — an OSU-Cascades service that gives free professional clothes to students.
BY SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
Swearingen was so pleased with the service, that she volunteers for it, helping fill orders.
The state’s decision to divert COVID-19
vaccines from counties that were ahead of
the vaccination schedule isn’t sitting well
with Jefferson County Commission.
In a letter sent Thursday to the Oregon
Health Authority, the county said it wanted
to remind the state that a uniform approach
to vaccine distribution doesn’t work for
small counties.
Submitted photo
“I really loved the pieces that I
got,” she said. “Benny’s Closet was
able to help me appear more pro-
fessional.”
Benny’s Closet — originally
founded by an OSU student in
2016 in Corvallis — started at the
Cascades campus as a little-used
in-person service. In December,
a student and university staffer
revamped it into an online-first,
survey-based service, similar to
the popular online clothing sub-
scription service Stitch Fix.
After students fill out a Benny’s
Closet survey, staff fill up a box of
clothing based on that student’s
described style and needs, and
place it in the student’s campus
mailbox.
See Closet / A6
“I really loved the pieces that I
got. Benny’s Closet was able to
help me appear more profes-
sional,” said Melissa Swearingen,
an OSU-Cascades student, wear-
ing an outfit she received from
the service.
See Doses / A6
Super Bowl parties could lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases
In a normal football season, the
Hideaway Tavern would be standing
room only on Super Bowl Sunday.
Eager football fans would stake a
claim on their seats and settle in for
TODAY’S
WEATHER
hours of football fun.
But this year is not normal by any
stretch. In fact, health officials are
warning football fans to stay home.
Gather small. Avoid commingling
germs.
Super Bowl Sunday has all the hall-
A shower
High 47, Low 32
Page A10
INDEX
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A7-8
B7-8
B4-5
marks of a superspreader event. Since
the pandemic came to Central Or-
egon nearly a year ago with the first
positive case, typically two weeks after
a holiday, cases surge.
“On Super Bowl Sunday, please
skip the parties that could lead to in-
Dear Abby
Editorial
Horoscope
A8
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A8
Local/State
Lottery
Obituaries
A2-3
B2
A6
Puzzles
Sports
creased spread of COVID-19 and
find ways to celebrate safely,” said Dr.
George Conway, Deschutes County
Health Services director. “In the past
few weeks, we’ve seen case counts de-
clining.”
On Thursday, Deschutes County
B5
B1-3, 7
recorded 17 positive test results of
COVID-19, down from a high of 129
cases on Dec. 4.
The Hideaway, a bar off Third
Street is taking orders for takeout
food.
See Super Bowl / A9
The Bulletin
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Vol. 119, No. 32, 18 pages, 2 sections
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BY SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
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