An Update Regarding COVID-19 Community Vaccinations
Dear CAP Community,
As you may or may not be aware, vaccine rollout in Oregon is notably well behind the effort of many states across the US, and the Federal distribution plans have been greatly compromised by our previous administration. The first wave of vaccines in Oregon, known as group 1a, was largely focused on vaccination for healthcare and public health workers. It is believed that in Oregon, that was to be somewhere between 300,000 - 400,000 people. This group alone is more people than we currently have vaccine available in the state. This, paired with a lack of effective state planning, resulted some of the chaotic issues we are now seeing.
Starting tomorrow, January 23, 2021 , Oregon Governor Kate Brown has selected educators as the next group in line for vaccination. We have since learned that this is a decision made without input or directive from her new Vaccine Advisory Council. As a result, we sent a letter to the Governor Brown in response to this decision in which we expressed our deepest concerns that her office seems to be choosing priority communities based on politics and pressure to reopen schools rather than based on science and data. While it is understandably an impossible decision to make, data would suggest that we should prioritize communities who are our most vulnerable communities!
The next priority group under Governor Brown’s plans are older adults, through a phased-in approach beginning in the month of February. Meanwhile, in Oregon, People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWH) were not originally among those groups specifically called out as a priority community. However, some at OHA believed that the language around immune compromised individuals spelled out for group 1C was broadly stated and would include our community.
Last week, CAP led an effort to get representation from all of the HIV Serving Organizations across the state of Oregon to sign-on to a letter, which was submitted to the Governor’s Vaccine Advisory Council (GVAC). This council is the body created by the Governor to help define and create a priority communities order of vaccination given the limited number of vaccine in the state. They are not responsible for advising on actual distribution.
As an update you can find the CAP submitted letter in the Public Comment materials listed for January 21 here.
In reviewing the meeting/notes from yesterday’s GVAC meeting, ‘HIV/AIDS’ was added to the draft priority document under ‘Adults 16-64 with chronic conditions’ . This priority setting discussion will continue next week and this document is not final. Additional public comment can continue to be submitted here: covid.vaccineadvisory@dhsoha.state.or.us
CAP is continuing to monitor the priority communities process and place pressure where possible. Please keep in mind, as I mentioned earlier, that Oregon is really far behind in its planning process.
In the meantime, we have also begun a community conversation among our community partners to discuss whether we are able to obtain enough vaccine doses as community based health providers and clinics to hold our own vaccine events for People Living with HIV and AIDS. This remains a challenge, though, as those of us that are approved vaccine sites have yet to receive any vaccine from the state to distribute in the community.
Below, we’ve attached the FAQ document for People Living with HIV and AIDS about the Vaccine to answer some basic questions. Feel free to share with your networks and your community.
While we do not believe that People Living with HIV and AIDS with an undetectable viral load are more likely to contract COVID-19, there is mounting data that shows that if People Living with HIV and AIDS do contract COVID-19, they are at greater risk of hospitalization. 1
As I stated in the letter from our community providers to the VAC, People living with HIV and AIDS in 2021 are survivors of two deadly pandemics. We are a resilient community, and we did not survive HIV to die from COVID-19.
Yours In Solidarity,
Tyler TerMeer, PhD
CEO, Cascade AIDS Project + Prism Health
Note: A similar effort is mounting in Washington State, but has been slower in motion. More info to come as I have it.
