Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Receives Covid Booster, Urges Oregonians To Get Theirs

By Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle

October 26, 2021

Oregonians should get Covid-19 booster shots as soon as they’re eligible, Gov. Kate Brown said after receiving her own shot at a Salem clinic Tuesday afternoon.

Brown received a flu shot in her right arm and a dose of the Moderna Covid vaccine in her left arm.

“I thought it was really important that I have the full protection,” she said. “I was really grateful to be one of the millions of Americans who did the Johnson & Johnson ‘one and done,’ and in talking with my medical provider, my doctor wanted to try this alternative strategy. I think it’s really important that people get vaccinated and that folks get their booster as appropriate.”

Oregonians who are 65 or older and received the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccines are eligible for booster shots if it’s been at least six months since they were vaccinated. So are Moderna and Pfizer recipients who are at least 18 and live in a long-term care facility, have underlying medical conditions or are at high risk for Covid transmission because of where they work.

While the initial run of vaccinations required people to receive the same vaccine for both doses, the federal Food and Drug Administration said it’s safe to mix and match vaccine types for booster shots.

Every adult who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine is eligible for a booster after two months. Brown, 61, was eligible for her booster shot because she received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in early March.

Brown’s personal physician, Ralph Yates, is also the chief medical officer of Salem Health. He visited with Brown briefly before her shots and sat with her through a required observation period.

Brown said Oregonians shouldn’t expect to mandate booster shots. Instead, the state is focused on education and outreach so people know they’re eligible.

There also won’t be a repeat of mass vaccination sites to provide the booster shots. Brown said she envisions vaccines being provided at doctors’ offices and pharmacies as other health care providers and National Guard members focus on caring for Oregonians hospitalized with Covid.

Brown wasn’t ready to say when she might lift some Covid restrictions, including mask mandates. Oregon briefly lifted its mask mandate this summer, but Brown imposed it again in early August for indoor spaces and then two weeks later added mandates for crowded outdoor spaces amid a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.

“We’re going to continue to comply with safety protocols as we increase our vaccination rates, as we ensure that our littles get vaccinated, the 5- to 11-year-olds, and as we protect our vulnerable community members,” Brown said. “We’ll continue to evaluate the science and the data over time, but if you look at the infection rates, our numbers are as high right now as they have ever been throughout the pandemic.”

Oregon Capital Chronicle, an independent, nonprofit news organization, provides detailed, balanced and clear reporting on Oregon state government, politics and policies. The Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.