.
. SO
. SO MUCH
. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED OVER THE PAST YEAR.
SO MUCH IS HAPPENING EVERY DAY.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NOW GETTING
VACCINATED FOR COVID-19 DAILY.
IT STILL IS A HARD THING TO TRY
TO GET A GOOD IDEA AS TO HOW
THE VACCINE ROLLOUT IS GOING
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO TO TRY TO GET A BETTER LOOK,
CHRISTINE SEVERANCE WITH OUR
SISTER STATION IN PORTLAND,
OREGON SAT DOWN WITH A FEW
REPORTERS LEADING THE COVID-19
COVERAGE IN THEIR NEWSROOMS AND
THAT INCLUDES OUR OWN CHRIS
VANDERBEEK.
THE CDPHE VACCINE ROLLOUT IN
THE U.S. IS BASICALLY 50
DIFFERENT PLANS HAPPENING ALL
AT ONCE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING
THE TIME TO DO THIS.
FOR A LOOK AT HOW IT'S GOING IN
OTHER STATES, I ASKED REPORTERS
IN CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, TEXAS,
FLORIDA AND OHIO TO EXPLAIN
WHAT'S WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT
HERE IN OREGON I EXPLAINED
WHILE WE HAD SOME OF THE
STRICTEST LOCKDOWNS FROM
THE GET GO, WE ALSO MAINTAINED
A LOW NUMBER OF COVID DEATHS 52
DEATHS PER 100000 PEOPLE.
THAT NUMBER DOUBLES OR ALMOST
TRIPLES WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE OTHER STATES ON THE PANEL.
TEXAS IS THE HIGHEST WITH 140
DEATHS PER 100000 PEOPLE IN
TEXAS JUST LIFTED ITS MAHNCKE
MANDATE.
OREGON HAS ALSO DONE A DECENT
JOB GETTING SHOTS AND ARMS TIED
IN 21ST PLACE USING EIGHTY TWO
POINT FIVE PERCENT OF THE DOSES
WE HAVE WHAT'S WORKING IN YOUR
STATE WHEN IT COMES TO
THE VACCINE ROLLOUT?
MIKE DUFFY IS A REPORTER AT ABC
10 IN SACRAMENTO.
THE GOVERNMENT SENT US 11 AND A
HALF MILLION DOSES AND WE HAVE
USED ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF
MILLION OF THOSE SO THAT SOUNDS
PRETTY GOOD.
BUT WE ARE TWENTY NINE OUT
OF FIFTY NINE STATES AND
MUNICIPALITIES AND THAT JUST
PUTS US AT ABOUT A C AVERAGE.
SO IT'S GOOD BUT IT'S AVERAGE.
ROD STRYKER IS A REPORTER
ACTUALLY VIEW IN AUSTIN.
I'VE SEEN REPORTS IN SEVERAL
DIFFERENT CITIES AND OTHER
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT
ARE HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH A
LOT OF DOSES THAT ARE BEING
WASTED EITHER IMPROPER STORAGE
OR OTHER ISSUES.
I THINK THAT WE SEE A
RELATIVELY LOWER NUMBER
ESPECIALLY IN OUR LOCAL AREA
OF AUSTIN SEEING VERY FEW
RELATIVELY OF THOSE DOSES BEING
WASTED.
CHRIS VAN DAVINA'S KUSA IN
DENVER.
WHAT ABOUT COLORADO?
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE STATE HAS
DONE RIGHT IN TERMS OF THE
VACCINE ROLLOUT IN COLORADO
RIGHT NOW?
.
. NOT
. NOT GREAT. I THINK THE BEST THING THAT
COULD BE SAID ABOUT COLORADO IS
THAT WE ARE REALLY, REALLY
CLOSE TO GETTING 70 PERCENT
OF OUR 70 YEAR OLD AND OLDER
VACCINATED RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL IN A STATE
LIKE COLORADO.
IT'S A BIG DEAL AROUND
THE COUNTRY TO GET THAT REALLY
MOST VULNERABLE GROUP
VACCINATED.
JENNIFER OTITIS IS AT WSP IN
TAMPA.
WE STARTED OUT WITH A SENIORS
FIRST APPROACH AND AT FIRST IT
WAS A MESS LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE
THE INFRASTRUCTURE WASN'T
THERE.
THE WEBSITE WAS CRASHING.
THE PHONE LINES WERE GOING
UNANSWERED.
SO AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS
BASICALLY THE STATE ROLLED OUT
A STATE STATEWIDE REGISTRATION
SYSTEM FOR MOST OF THE COUNTIES
AND SOME OF THE COUNTIES ALSO
JUST OUTSOURCED WITH A
CONTRACTOR TO RUN
THE APPOINTMENTS AND
THE BOOKINGS.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE AT MORE
THAN 50 PERCENT OF OUR SENIOR
POPULATION HAS BEEN VACCINATED
.
AND RACHEL POLANSKY IS AT WKYC
IN CLEVELAND.
WE TARGETED THE MOST VULNERABLE
FIRST BEING THE FRONT LINE
WORKERS AND THE ELDERLY IN LONG
TERM CARE FACILITIES.
BUT I THINK THAT HURT US AS
WELL BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO
STICK A NEEDLE IN ANYONE.
INSTEAD HE CHOSE PACIFIC ROUTES
AND IT SLOWED US DOWN.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NOT
WORKING IN OREGON.
THERE IS FRUSTRATION AND
CONFUSION ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR
THE VACCINE.
LOTS OF DIFFERENT SITES AND
NONE THEY CAN HANDLE A HUGE
AMOUNT OF WEB TRAFFIC.
THE TECHNOLOGY COMPLAINT IS
TRUE FOR OTHER STATES ON
THE PANEL WE ARE THE CENTER
OF THE TECH WORLD AND WE STILL
HAVEN'T FOUND A WAY TO
STREAMLINE THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
THE LACK OF STREAMLINING
THE PROCESSES, THE ISSUE THAT
WE'VE SEEN HERE IN TEXAS.
I THINK IF YOU GUYS LOOK AT ALL
OF YOUR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
YOU'LL SEE A PLAN WHERE IT SAYS
THIS GROUPS NOW THIS GROUP
HEYNEXT THIS GROUP GROUPS AFTER
THAT DOESN'T HAVE THAT
THE GOVERNOR IS KIND OF JUST
TAKING IT BY DAY BY DAY.
HE BASICALLY HAS BEEN ON
THE SCENE YOUR FIRST APPROACH
HAS SAID THAT NOW WE'VE GOTTEN
A LOT OF OUR SENIORS VACCINATED
NOW IS LIKE ALL RIGHT, I'M
GOING TO LOWER THE AGE PROBABLY
NEXT WEEK MAYBE TO 60 OR 55 AND
OVER LED TO A LOT OF CONFUSION
ALONG THE WAY OR PEOPLE JUST
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE AND
WHEN THEY'RE ELIGBLE.
COMBINE THAT WITH THE FACT THAT
THE GOVERNOR HAS SORT
OF CHANGED THE RULES A COUPLE
OF TIMES RESTAURANT WORKERS
THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE GETTING
VACCINE VACCINATED THIS WEEK.
THAT'S NOW NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
GROCERY STORE WORKERS ARE
GETTING VACCINATED STARTING AT
THE END OF THE WEEK HERE IN
COLORADO.
RACHEL SAID OHIO'S GOVERNOR
MIKE DEWINE CHOSE PHARMACIES TO
VACCINATE SENIORS NOT IN
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
INSTEAD OF SETTING UP LARGE
VACCINATION SITES LIKE IN
OREGON.
HE THINKS THAT IT WILL MAKE
THE ELDERLY MORE COMFORTABLE TO
GO TO A PHARMACY INSTEAD OF A
PLACE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE.
BUT SOME CRITICS SAY THAT THAT
ALSO IS HURTING OUR NUMBERS AND
CONTRIBUTING TO OUR LOW
RANKING.
SO WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST
COMPLAINTS IN EACH STATE IN
OREGON, GOVERNOR BROWN
PRIORITIZING TEACHERS OVER
SENIORS TOPS THE LIST.
THE POINT THE GOVERNOR WAS
HOPING TO VACCINATE TEACHERS
FIRST IN ORDER TO GET STUDENTS
AND TEACHERS BACK IN
THE CLASSROOM AND IN-PERSON
LEARNING AND IT'S MARCH 1ST AND
THAT'S JUST NOT HAPPENING.
MOST OF THE STATE IS STILL
REMOTE LEARNING.
SO I WOULD SAY THAT'S
THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT.
COMMUNICATION FOR PEOPLE IS FAR
AND BEYOND ONE THE BIGGEST
COMPLAINTS THAT WE'RE HEARING
ABOUT I THINK IN FLORIDA AND
PROBABLY ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
REALLY IT'S BEEN THE DEMAND
JUST OUTWEIGHS SUPPLY.
ANOTHER ISSUE THAT CERTAINLY IS
BEING RAISED HERE IN COLORADO
IS THE DISPROPORTIONATE ANGLE
AND WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION, LOOKING AT DENVER
NUMBERS RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE WHO
IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC OR LATINO
MADE UP CLOSE TO 50 PERCENT
OF ALL CASES IN THE CITY AND
COUNTY OF DENVER, ROUGHLY ONE
OUT OF EVERY TWO CASES IN
THE CITY AND CNTY OF DENVER
WAS HISPANIC OR LATINO.
YET THEY'VE ONLY MADE UP
NINE POINT ONE PERCENT OF THE
VACCINE DISTRIBUTION.
THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR THE CITY
AND BECAUSE WE'RE ALL REPORTERS
,WE ENDED THE PANEL WITH
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VACCINE
ROLLOUT.
OFFICIALS IN EVERY STATE STILL
NEED TO ANSWER WHY NOW?
WHY ARE WE JUST THINKING ABOUT
THESE PROBLEMS NOW?
WE KNEW THESE VACCINES WERE
BEING DEVELOPED A YEAR AGO.
WHY WEREN'T WE RUNNING WAR
GAMES LIKE THE PENTAGON?
WHAT ABOUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY
HAPPEN?
NONE OF THESE SEEMED OUTLANDISH
.
NONE OF THESE SEEM FAR FETCHED.
WE KNEW ALL OF THESE COULD BE
PROBLEMS.
OLD PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO
USE COMPUTERS.
SHOCKING, RIGHT?
AND YET THAT'S THE PROBLEM AND
THAT'S THE SITUATION WE HAVE.
WE HAVE 50 STATES SCRAMBLING TO
FIGURE THIS OUT ONE YEAR IN AND
IT'S BEEN MESSY.
IT WAS MESSY A YEAR AGO.
IT'S STILL THERE'S A LOT
OF INFORMATION THERE AND IT'S
GOOD TO SEE THE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES.
ALEX, FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
I SHOULD POINT OUT
THE INTERVIEW IS BEING DONE A
FEW DAYS AGO.
SO WHEN CHRIS MANDAWUY WAS
TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
THIS WEEK, COLORADO DID HIT
THAT IMPORTANT MILESTONE
OF VACCINATING 70 PERCENT
OF THE PEOPLE AGE 70 AND UP AND
AGAIN TODAY BECOMING ANOTHER
BIG DAY FOR MANY PEOPLE 60 AND
OVER AND OTHERS WHO'VE NOW
BECOME ELIGIBLE TO GET
THE VACCINE HERE IN COLORADO.
SO INTERESTING TO HEAR ALL
OF THESE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
AND IT SEEMED LIKE
THE COMPLAINTS THERE WERE SO
MANY SIMILARITIES THERE, YOU
KNOW, SO THERE ARE CLEARLY
ISSUES ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY
BUT OBVIOUSLY HERD IMMUNITY IS
THE GOAL HERE AND IT'S GOING TO
TAKE REACHING OUT ALL
COMMUNITIES FOR US TO GET THERE
SLOWLY BUT SURELY.
IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE IS SOME
MOMENTUM AND MAYBE EVEN SOME
SOME ORGANIZATION