“I have said time and again that hope is on the way. Today, I can tell you that help is here.”
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown issued a video statement today as the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine began arriving at Oregon hospitals.
“In recent weeks, as COVID-19 vaccines reached the final stages of approval, I have said time and again that hope is on the way. Today, I can tell you that help is here,” said Governor Brown. “The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Oregon, the first of many that will be distributed across the state. Starting with the frontline health care workers who have been our first line of defense against COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, and the long-term care facility residents who are among the most vulnerable, each day, more and more Oregonians will be vaccinated against this disease.
“Throughout the process, we will work to ensure that the Oregonians that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including those from Black, Indigenous, Latino/Latina/Latinx, Pacific Islander, and Tribal communities, have equitable access to vaccination. We are in the middle of some of the hardest days of this pandemic. Our hospitals are stretched to capacity, and too many families are losing loved ones just as we enter the holiday season. So many Oregonians have suffered and sacrificed in the last ten months.
“But starting this week, and each week following––as vaccines become more widely available––we will begin gaining ground again in our fight against this disease.”
A link to the full video with captions is available here.
A link to download the video without captions for media is available here.
