Lane County Public Health and Community Health Centers of Lane County today announced they will follow the vaccine guidance of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) as provided by the Western States Health Coalition. These recommendations are as follows:
Influenza: All Lane County residents 6 months and older should receive an influenza vaccine
RSV: All babies (age 8 months and younger); all adults 75 and older; and adults 50-74 years of age with risk factors, should receive the RSV vaccine
COVID-19: All children 6 months to 23 months old; all adults over the age of 65; all adults under the age of 65 who are part of risk group or are in contact with people in a risk group; anyone pregnant or planning a pregnancy. While these individuals “should” receive a vaccine, Lane County urges anyone 6 months and older who wishes to have protection against COVID-19 to receive a vaccine.
Additionally, a prescription is no longer needed to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from your primary care provider or from a participating pharmacy.
The Community Health Centers of Lane County will be offering influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines to their patients based on the guidance listed above.
While these recommendations will open up access to vaccines and hopefully alleviate some confusion, there are still many questions about which insurance plans will cover which vaccines. Currently, the only information Lane County is able to confidently share on insurance coverage for vaccines is that all Oregon Health Plan members will be covered for the influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines based on the guidance listed above.
If a Lane County community member does not know where to get a COVID-19 vaccine, they can check with their health plan, local pharmacy, or call 211 or visit 211info.org.
The Oregon Health Authority has advised that it may take a few days for pharmacies to start vaccinating, due to COVID-19 stock & ensuring safe implementation of the new recommendation.