STATE
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
A7
Oregon needs massive infusion of COVID-19 vaccine to meet Biden’s goal
Current priority
groups wouldn’t match
presidential deadline
until July 1
By Gary A. Warner
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon would need up to double
the doses of COVID-19 vaccine it cur-
rently receives to fulfill President Joe
Biden’s seven-week sprint to allow all
adults to be offered inoculation, Ore-
gon health officials said Friday.
Gov. Kate Brown and top state
medical experts held a press call Fri-
day to say they hoped to meet Biden’s
timeline, but would move cautiously.
Brown said she welcomed Biden’s
“audacious announcement.”
“I will do everything I can to make
it happen,” Brown said.
Oregon’s current staggered priority
groups wouldn’t match Biden’s dead-
line until July 1.
States have the central authority
over public health, and Brown said the
present plan would stay in place until
there was a guaranteed supply before
she would unleash additional demand
onto the already strained system.
Oregon officials were only recently
told they would receive 200,000 doses
per month, up from the previous
120,000 doses.
Asked how much more vaccine
Oregon would need to meet Biden’s
EOMG file photo
Kerry Gillette, a physician assistant with Mosaic Medical, fills syringes with
the Moderna vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Bethlehem Inn
in Bend on Feb. 19.
schedule, Allen said it would “require
a doubling of those doses.”
“It would need to be an increase on
that kind of order of magnitude,” Allen
said. “Maybe 300,000.”
Part of the math problem has to do
with the vaccines themselves. Until
recently, Oregon was only receiv-
ing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines,
each of which requires two shots given
about a month apart.
The state has received the initial
shipments of a new vaccine from John-
son & Johnson that requires a single
shot.
Brown and Allen both said their
caution came from not wanting to set
off the kind of policy whiplash that hit
Oregonians in mid-January.
When the Trump Administration
announced the immediate release of
a large stockpile of additional doses,
Brown dropped her carefully crafted
priority tier policy. She announced
everyone in Oregon age 65 and over
would be eligible for shots.
Trump officials said within 48
hours that there was no stockpile of
new doses.
“This is a deception on a national
scale,” Brown said at the time.
The governor had to reverse herself
and put eligibility restrictions back in
place.
Biden said Thursday that he wanted
the nation far enough along in its vacci-
nation program to allow for small cele-
brations of July 4.
“If we all do our part, this country
will be vaccinated soon, our economy
will be on the mend, our kids will be
back in school, and we’ll have proven
once again that this country can do
anything,” Biden said.
Though Oregon officials have a
much higher level of confidence in
Biden’s streamlined transport system
and increased manufacturing of vac-
cine, Allen said supply needed to be on
the way first.
“We know the previous administra-
tion made previous announcements it
was unable to fill,” Allen said.
Oregon is currently limiting shots
to health workers, residents of nursing
homes, educators and daycare workers
and, most recently, all residents age 65
and older as of March 1.
The next eligible group can seek
shots March 29. It’s a long list that
includes adults age 45 and older with
specific medical issues, agricultural
and other food processing workers,
homeless people, residents of low-in-
come housing, those displaced by
last year’s wildfires and wildland
firefighters.
Pregnant women age 16 and over
were recently added to the group.
OHA has not been able to give
estimates on how many people will
become eligible on March 29.
May 1 — the date that Biden wants
eligibility to be offered to all adults
nationwide — is currently listed as
adding front-line workers (those who
deal daily with the public), those living
in multigenerational households and
those age 16-44 with certain medical
conditions.
Brown’s plan calls for everyone age
45 and older to be eligible on June 1.
On July 1, all adults would be able to
seek shots.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state’s
top infectious expert, said officials
were looking at studies from around
the country about school reopenings.
Some indicate Oregon’s mandate for
students to be spaced 6 feet apart when
they return to the classroom could be
cut to 3 feet. No policy change is cur-
rently in the pipeline, despite requests
to Brown from school districts.
Allen said the vaccination effort
involving seniors was going well state-
wide, though he noted some counties
— such as Deschutes — were ahead
of the goal to have 75% percent of eli-
gible seniors inoculated, while other
counties lagged behind.
Brown praised the support of Ore-
gon’s congressional delegation for
Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus legisla-
tion, which includes $1,400 direct pay-
ments to Americans, aid for COVID-
19 distribution, unemployment aid and
funds to buttress state and local bud-
gets strained by the pandemic.
Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, joined
all House Republicans in opposing
the bill, saying it was too expensive
and included too much non-pandemic
related spending. The rest of Oregon’s
congressional delegation — all Demo-
crats — supported the bill.
All Oregon Democrats join to back Biden pandemic plan
President Joe Biden signed
his $1.9 trillion pandemic
recovery plan, which won final
approval on Wednesday with
the support of Oregon’s four
Democrats and opposition from
its lone Republican in the U.S.
House.
In descending order, the
largest shares go toward eco-
nomic stimulus payments to
individuals, aid to state and
local governments, extensions
of unemployment benefits,
childcare and other aid to fam-
ilies, reopening schools and
COVID-19 vaccinations and
other health care.
Biden signed the bill on
Thursday, ahead of a nationally
televised speech on the anniver-
sary of the pandemic.
Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader
of Canby, one of only two Dem-
ocrats to oppose the initial ver-
sion on Feb. 27, joined all but
one Democrat to support it on
the final 220-211 vote.
Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of
Beaverton, Earl Blumenauer of
Portland and Peter DeFazio of
Springfield voted yes on both
versions of HR 1913. Republi-
can Rep. Cliff Bentz of Ontario
voted no.
U.S. Rep.
Cliff Bentz
Bonamici
was outspo-
ken in her
support of the
$39 billion
that the bills
sets aside for
childcare sub-
sidies to fam-
ilies and sup-
port to providers.
Her statement:
“The American Rescue
Plan will help the people of
northwest Oregon, including
many who have reached out
to me during this past year. It
will help the senior citizen in
Seaside who needs a vaccine
but doesn’t have access to the
Internet. It will help the new
mom and her husband, both
paramedics, who don’t have
access to paid family leave and
can’t afford childcare. It will
help restaurants like a beloved
Portland eatery that has been
shut down for months but
could finally reopen thanks to
the Restaurant Revitalization
Fund.
“It will help school leaders
in districts big and small who
want to bring students back to
classrooms but don’t have the
funding to do so safely. It will
help the arts industry worker
in Portland who has relied on
unemployment benefits since
last June and can’t afford to
lose them now. I’ve fought
hard for this aid based on these
and so many other compel-
ling stories, and am grateful
the American Rescue Plan will
now become law.”
The bill, which runs to more
than 600 pages, includes $25
billion Blumenauer has sought
for nearly a year to help inde-
pendent restaurants.
His statement:
“This is historic legisla-
tion dealing with priorities long
neglected. The impact of this
legislation says it all. Republi-
cans, with their more than tril-
lion-dollar tax cut, primarily for
people who didn’t need it, ver-
sus our priorities, which will
make a major impact on child
poverty, deal with public health
and help our local governments
survive. This is a reflection of
Democratic values and the dif-
ference it makes is stark.
“I am proud to vote in favor
of the rescue plan. I am proud of
what it is going to do for people
who need it most. And the con-
trast between Democratic prior-
ities and what the Republicans
did when they used budget rec-
onciliation could not be starker.
I encourage President Biden to
sign this legislation into law as
soon as possible, so we can get
help to Oregonians right away.”
Schrader switches
Schrader had opposed the
first version, but the revised
plan further narrows who
qualifies for $1,400-per-per-
son stimulus checks on top of
the $600-per-person payments
included in year-end legislation.
The final plan sets income lim-
its of $75,000 per person and
$150,000 per couple for the
full $1,400 payments. The pay-
ments phase out at $80,000 and
$160,000.
Neither DeFazio nor Bentz
issued statements on their
websites.
House Republicans criti-
cized the plan as wasteful, and
their campaign arm — seeking
to target DeFazio and Schrader
in 2022 — labeled it “a socialist
giveaway.”
Bonamici’s staff also offered
an Oregon-specific breakdown
of the plan’s $350 billion in aid
to state and local governments.
Based on the calculations of a
House committee — and 2020
data — state governments will
get $2.6 billion; metro area cit-
ies, $438 million; other cit-
ies, $243 million; and counties,
$818 million. Federally recog-
nized tribes will draw shares of
a $20 billion national fund.
There will be two payments,
one about 60 days after Biden
signs the bill, the other one a
year from now.
Metro area cities are defined
as those with populations of at
least 50,000. They will get their
money directly from the U.S.
Treasury upon filing a certif-
icate of need. In descending
order, they are Portland, Salem,
Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro,
Beaverton, Bend, Medford,
Springfield, Corvallis, Albany
and Tigard.
Counties also will get their
shares directly from the Trea-
sury, based on population.
Other smaller cities will get
their money through state gov-
ernment. Unlike the CARES
Act last year, when cities and
counties protested lawmak-
ers’ decision simply to reim-
burse them for pandemic-re-
lated expenses, the money will
be distributed according to pop-
ulation, and state officials will
have no discretion over how it
is allocated.
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR FIRE CONSULTANT
Morrow County Public Works Projects - Morrow County, Oregon
Morrow County, Oregon, requests proposals for a qualified Fire Consultant
to provide services for Morrow County Parks. Contractors submitting qualifica-
tions shall be considered based upon the following general evaluation criteria:
1. Fee schedule.
2. Experience.
3. Method of approach.
Copies of the Request for Qualifications may be obtained from Morrow County
Public Works, P.O. Box 428, 365 W Hwy 74,
Lexington, Oregon 97839, (541) 989-9500,
spointer@co.morrow.or.us
Complete proposals will be accepted at
the same address no later than 4:00 p.m.,
March 4, 2021. Any questions or concerns
may be addressed to Sandi Pointer.
S234688-1
EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY SMALL BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT CENTER IS SEEKING A PART-TIME
BUSINESS ADVISER RESPONSIBLE FOR COVERING ALL
OF GRANT AND WHEELER COUNTY.
The successful applicant must have a strong business
background with a minimum of four years experience to assist
entrepreneurs and existing business owners. A business related
degree is preferred. There are reporting requirements to be
completed in a timely manner and utmost confidentiality is a must.
Hourly rate DOE.
If you are interested in applying, email a cover
letter, resume and three professional references
to eousbdc@gmail.com.
Applicants must have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s
license as travel within the counties is required. If you would like
further information or have questions, please call 541-962-1532.
S226603-1
Oregon Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the
U.S. Small Business Administration and by the Oregon Business Development Department.
S235168-1
By Peter Wong
Oregon Capital Bureau
