Oregon warns of ‘fourth surge’ of COVID-19 as vaccination continues

Oregon will expand vaccine eligibility again as the state and nation brace for a possible fourth wave in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frontline workers will be eligible for the vaccine statewide Monday, as previously scheduled. Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday that all adults in those workers’ households will be eligible too.

Also eligible Monday are Oregonians 16 years and older with underlying health conditions. The state is expanding its list of conditions to match the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list. Oregon’s updated list includes current and former smokers, which that state had excluded to this point.

Brown characterized the present moment in the pandemic as a “race” between vaccines and the virus.

“The fourth surge is at our doorstep,” the governor said during a news media briefing.

Oregon has been getting shots in arms, children in schools and people back to work — and yet the state has a slight increase in COVID-19 diagnoses to show for it.

Social restrictions have gradually loosened as Oregon enters year two of the pandemic. Almost a fifth of the adult population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and nearly a third have had at least one dose.

State leaders, including Brown, have warned that daily case counts would go up along with growing public confidence and waning adherence to precautions like masking and social distancing. That prediction has largely come true, following a nationwide trend as vaccines became more widely available.

“Just because we’re vaccinated doesn’t mean we can return to pre-pandemic life just yet,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger.

Oregon has reported more than 166,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 2,400 associated deaths.

This is a developing story. Watch for updates.