PORTLAND, Ore. — More than 850,000 Oregonians, about 20% of the state's population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the state has administered more than 1.3 million total doses since the first doses were administered in mid-December 2020.
While those numbers are encouraging and the pace of vaccinations seems to be accelerating, the state's rollout hasn't been without its challenges, which has been a source of frustration for many Oregonians. The state waited longer than most other states to start vaccinating its older residents, prioritizing educators first. Many eligible residents experienced difficulty trying to secure an appointment to receive the vaccine. And many adults in Oregon care facilities were left waiting far longer than expected to receive the vaccine.
KGW's Cristin Severance and Pat Dooris have been covering Oregon's COVID vaccine rollout since it began. On Wednesday at noon, they discussed what has gone right, what has gone wrong and they answered viewer questions about the vaccine during a KGW Q&A.
Here are some of the topics that were covered during the Q&A:
- Who is eligible for the vaccine right now and when will more people be added?
- Will Governor Brown be changing the timeline after President Biden’s recent announcement?
- What if you signed up and still haven’t gotten an invite?
- Is there a way to get a shot without breaking the rules even if you aren’t eligible?
- Are the adult foster care homes getting vaccinated?
- How does Oregon compare to other states?
- Where is the best place to get a shot if you need one ASAP?