Regional Interests

OHSU doctor on addressing vaccine hesitancy in Oregon

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Samantha Matsumoto

Published March 1, 2021 at 11:17 AM PST

Kelly Beckley, RN, prepares the Pfizer vaccine ahead of the opening of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held at the Oregon Convention Center, Jan. 27, 2021. The clinic is supported by PortlandÕs four health systems and will run at least through this week and aims to give 2,000 vaccinations per day to pre-registered recipients.

Nearly a quarter of Oregonians said they would not get the COVID-19 vaccine, and another third said they weren’t sure, according to a December survey by the University of Oregon. Also, according to the Pew Research Center, Black Americans are less likely than white Americans to say they’ll get the vaccine. We talk with Dr. Cliff Coleman, an associate professor of family medicine at OHSU, about the vaccine hesitancy he has heard from his patients, and what doctors can do to address it.

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