Oregon closes public access to vaccine meetings after ’hateful, racist emails': report

The state of Oregon has shut down public access to vaccination prioritization meetings after members of the group received "hateful, racist emails."

"Two members of an Oregon group charged with deciding who gets coronavirus vaccines next received racist, hateful and upsetting messages, prompting state officials to closepublic access to the group's last two meetings, state officials revealed Friday. The Vaccine Advisory Committee's explicit focus has been to bring equity to the vaccine equation, speaking for underserved communities and helping combat the racism ingrained in Oregon's health care system," The Oregonian reported Saturday. "But the group appeared to be the victim of some of what it was fighting, with one member receiving "multiple hateful, racist emails" and another getting "upsetting communications," a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority said."

Rachael Banks, the public health director, described the messages as "disheartening."

"These are folks who volunteered their time," Banks said. "They're there advocating on behalf of their communities."

Read the full report.