People who are critical to the pandemic response and those at highest risk for developing severe illness are among those who would be first in line when a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine becomes available, under a draft plan the Oregon Health Authority submitted to the federal government on Friday.
“Oregon’s plan to allocate and distribute Covid-19 vaccine is grounded in a commitment to health equity, which requires an examination of how power and resources are distributed,” reads the plan, which OHA sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The draft acknowledges that not everyone is experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic the same way: “Physical distancing with adequate space and resources is different than physical distancing in a densely populated neighborhood, in a food desert or for individuals who are still required to put themselves at risk in order to support their families.”
People of color have been disproportionately impacted by the disease. Hispanics account for 37.5 percent of cases, though they account for only 13 percent of the state’s population.
The plan, which will continue to be developed in the coming months, also calls for prioritizing community engagement and addressing the roles of power, privilege and race and for partnering with community organizations that work with underserved populations.
The plan assumes a vaccine will be in limited supply at first, but once more doses become available, it would allow for a broadening of distribution to other high-risk groups and the general population.
The plan also addresses vaccine storage. Oregon is currently exploring a “regional hub model for smaller clinics unable to administer small volumes of vaccine if the need arises.”
Oregon is using the distribution of the seasonal flu vaccine at events to at-risk populations to pilot the components of the Covid vaccine plan.