Deschutes County scheduling 8,190 vaccine appointments for pre-registered residents

The Oregon Health Authority has allocated 8,190 first-dose COVID-19 vaccines to Deschutes County for next week. Vaccine appointments will be scheduled using the region’s new vaccine pre-registration system. Invitations to schedule vaccine appointments will be sent to eligible residents who have pre-registered starting Friday, March 26. Additional appointment invitations will be sent on Sunday, March 28 and later in the week.

Residents are encouraged to pre-register today at www.centraloregoncovidvaccine.com. Pre-registration is open to all residents, even those who are not currently eligible to receive a vaccine. Those who pre-register will be contacted by email and text with a link to schedule their vaccine appointment when they are eligible and a dose is available for them.

“Next week we’re able to offer twice as many vaccine appointments to eligible residents due to increased vaccine supply from the State,” said Molly Wells-Darling, Deschutes County Deputy Incident Commander. “We encourage all residents to pre-register for their vaccine. We want to make sure we have enough eligible residents signed up to fill all of our available appointments for next week.”

Residents who are unable to pre-register online can call (541) 699-5109 for assistance. Staff are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays  and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. Please be prepared to wait on hold or call back as this line is experiencing high call volumes. Individuals who pre-register by phone will receive a call to schedule their vaccine appointment when a vaccine is available for them.

The Oregon Health Authority reports that 81% of Deschutes County residents 65 and older have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine. This includes 87% of those 80 or older, 97% of those 75-79, 84% of those 70-74 and 68% of those 65-69 years old.

Nearly 4,000 residents will receive second-dose vaccines at the mass vaccination clinic during the week of March 29. 

Local Pharmacy Vaccine Availability

Some pharmacies in Central Oregon are offering the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible groups through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. There will not be enough vaccines to vaccinate all eligible Oregonians at these locations due to the limited supply. Appointment availability changes frequently. Appointments may be available by visiting https://vaccinefinder.org.

Federally Qualified Health Centers

Mosaic Medical is providing limited vaccine appointments to patients who meet expanded eligibility criteria. Current Mosaic Medical patients may visit: https://www.mosaicmedical.org/covid-19-vaccine-scheduling.shtml.

La Pine Community Health Center Clinic is providing limited vaccine appointments to patients who meet eligibility requirements. Staff will contact eligible patients to schedule vaccination appointments. 

Vaccine eligibility

For the week of March 22, eligible groups include:

• Phase 1B, Group 6
• Adults 65 and older
• Phase 1B, Group 1
• Phase 1A

Central Oregonians in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties can pre-register for the vaccine online at www.centraloregoncovidvaccine.com.