Lawmakers schedule vaccinations, but other things are still going to be important considerations.
House Speaker Tina Kotek says she does not foresee the Oregon Capitol reopening to the public soon, despite a drive-through vaccination clinic for lawmakers scheduled Wednesday.
The Capitol has been closed since March 18, 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Minority Republicans in both chambers have pushed for reopening the building, even though a majority of Oregon s population becomes eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine only after May 1. A lawmakers-only vaccination clinic, with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine being offered, ie set for Wednesday.
Kotek, a Democrat from Portland, said general vaccination rates are going up, but so are the number of new infections reported. As of Monday, April 5, Oregon reported 167,128 cases.