A majority of eligible county residents are vaccinated
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – It’s no longer true that most of Umatilla County’s citizens are not vaccinated. Board of Commissioners Chairman George Murdock said that Umatilla County Public Health Director Joseph Fiumara reports that just under 56 percent of those eligible have had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Recently, the city of Helix became the only location to surpass a 60 percent vaccination rate, standing at 63 percent. Murdock said it looks like Helixians will have soon have some company.
“Hermiston is at 59 percent, and based on vaccination events that are happening there, very likely they will go over the 60 percent this week,” Murdock said. “Meanwhile, Pendleton is at 58 percent and not very far behind.”
Murdock said the increase in vaccinations is good news, but he remains worried about the burden placed on hospitals throughout the state.
