One year after issuing her statewide stay-at-home executive order that she preferred to call “Stay Home; Save Lives,” Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday issued a statement reflecting on how far Oregonians have come.
“One year ago, Oregonians stayed home and worked together to protect our loved ones from a disease we were just beginning to understand,” she said. “Thanks to your smart choices over the last year, Oregon continues to have some of the lowest numbers for Covid-19 cases and deaths in the nation.”
Today, rates of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to Covid-19 are plummeting, while hundreds of thousands of doses of three vaccines approved for emergency use continue to be rolled out across the state, from Port Orford to Milton-Freewater.
As of Tuesday, nearly 1 million Oregonians have received at least one vaccine shot, including 89,622 in Clackamas County.
“We have vaccinated frontline doctors, nurses, and health care workers, Oregonians living in long-term care facilities, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, seniors, and those most vulnerable to Covid-19, first responders, child care providers, and K-12 educators,” Brown said.
“However, it is clear that we must do more to reach the Oregonians who have been disproportionately impacted by the health and economic impacts of Covid-19. As we work now to quickly vaccinate Oregonians with underlying health conditions and frontline workers, we must increase outreach to Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and People of Color.”
Brown said the state is partnering with local public health partners, Oregon’s federally recognized Tribes and community-based organizations to continuously improve on ensuring equitable access to vaccination.
“We must still be cautious as new Covid-19 mutations continue to spread,” the governor warned. “Each day, we are steadily gaining ground, but we must continue to wear masks, maintain physical distance, and get vaccinated.
“We will come out of this crisis the same way we faced it one year ago today — together, and with the opportunity to build back a stronger, more just and equitable Oregon.”
