February 9, 2021 3:30 a.m. 

On Monday, the Oregon Health Authority piloted and launched a new “Get Vaccinated Oregon” tool.

An OHA release said its part of a multi-pronged effort to provide older adults with information about COVID-19 vaccinations. Approximately 168,000 adults age 80 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated. The release said while vaccine supplies are expected to increase in coming weeks, supplies are currently scarce. State health officials are asking for patience as more than 700,000 seniors age 65 and older will become eligible for vaccines over the next four weeks.

With the new tool, older adults have four primary ways to get linked to local vaccine information:

*Get Vaccinated Oregon was developed by Google in partnership with the state of Oregon. It can be found at https://www.getvaccinated.oregon.gov/#/. The tool allows users to answer basic questions to learn if they are eligible, and get linked to vaccinations in their counties. Users can sign up for alerts to get notified about vaccination events or find out if they may become eligible.

*Vaccine information chat bot at: https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/ allows anyone to find out if they’re eligible for a vaccine in Oregon or get answers to other questions about vaccines.

*Older Oregonians can also text ORCOVID to 898211 to get text updates about vaccination clinics. They can also call 211 between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.

*Residents and staff at most licensed facilities for older adults and people with disabilities are receiving on-site vaccinations through pharmacies enrolled in federal vaccination programs.

OHA Director Patrick Allen said the agency is working hard to help local vaccination partners keep seniors informed about opportunities to be vaccinated.