CDC figures debunk state’s claims on county vax rate
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Leaders at the Oregon Health Authority and Gov. Kate Brown have repeatedly pointed to Umatilla County as the poster child for vaccination resistance in the state. For months, county leaders have asked the state to double-check its figures and include residents who get their health care in Walla Walla or the Tri-Cities.
This week the Centers for Disease Control is releasing new data that shows Umatilla County is not as resistant as state officials want people to believe.
“The Centers for Disease Control came out with their numbers showing that we actually have roughly 70.9 percent in terms of people 18 and over who have received at least one shot,” Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer said.
With a vaccination rate of almost 71 percent, Umatilla County is in the middle of the pack in Oregon. It is also well ahead of most other counties in Eastern and Southern Oregon according to Board of Commissioners Chairman George Murdock.
“Hopefully this revelation provides some measure of redemption for both our public health officials and for the citizens who have actually stepped up at a far better rate than they’ve been given credit for,” Murdock wrote in his weekly newsletter. “That being said, the people of Umatilla County have been painted unfairly throughout much of the pandemic on this front and a variety of others.”
