The first coronavirus vaccinations in Oregon took place on Wednesday. Staff from Legacy Health, Oregon Health Science University, and St. Alphonsus Medical Center volunteered to be among the first to get the shot.
The vaccinations were captured on video and broadcast over Zoom.
At Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center, a radiographer, housekeeping supervisor, and two nurses lined up for their first dose. They’ll get a second in a few weeks. They rolled up their sleeves. And, someone counted down to the moment when they got their shots as photographers snapped away.
Myra Gomez, one of the nurses, delivered a brief message in English and Spanish about why she wanted to be one of the first.
“COVID is disproportionately affecting persons of color, and I would love to lead by example."
Oregon says it’s received around 6,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine so far and will have more doses available for health workers in the coming days.