Leaders of Coastal Oregon County Urge More Equitable Vaccine Distribution

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio

Rachael McDonald

Lincoln County is protesting the Oregon Health Authority’s decision not to send them any vaccine doses this week.  Some rural counties were told to wait while urban counties catch up on inoculating 1A groups and educators.

  

  

Lincoln County leaders sent a letterto the OHA urging a more equitable distribution process. Lincoln County Commissioner Kaety Jacobson told KLCC, until now, they’d been kind of “rockin it” . She said they’d vaccinated 1A and educator groups and were getting started on seniors. The coastal county is a popular tourist destination and spring is coming.

“We do feel and sense that ticking clock of trying to get our community vaccinated before we sort of have this spring and summer rush of tourists that makes us vulnerable," Jacobson said.

Jacobson added, because of their tourist economy, the service industry is a larger group that might take longer to vaccinate. She doesn’t think more urban counties would be asked to wait on them to catch up if the tables were turned. 

Copyright 2021 KLCC.

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.