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Restaurant and Bar Workers Finally Have an Approximate Vaccination Date

According to the state, vaccines should be available to hospitality workers by May 1

Peru Continues Vaccination Campaign Against COVID-19 Amid Corruption Allegations Photo by Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images

Gov. Kate Brown and other state officials announced a loose vaccination schedule today, the Oregonian first reported. Among the list of those that now have a likely vaccine date are restaurant and other hospitality workers, who have waited for months to hear any word of a possible vaccination date, even as restaurants reopened for indoor dining. And while it’s likely a huge relief to have an expected date, it’s still a ways off, with vaccinations for hospitality, grocery, and other frontline workers available by May 1.

Some food industry workers will get their vaccines sooner than others: Food processing workers and agricultural workers will be eligible for the vaccine no later than March 29. Some of the state’s major COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in seafood processing plants and large-scale farming operations, including Pacific Seafood and Townsend Farms.

The Oregonian also reports that state officials consider it to be a conservative timeframe, with new doses arriving in the state that would potentially push up all vaccination dates. There’s even a potential for widespread distribution among the public by the end of May, one spokesperson said.

With a continuing trend downward for infection and hospitalization rates, this bodes well for the new year and the battle against COVID-19. Nevertheless, state official emphasize the continued need to maintain social distancing, mask wearing, and other safety guidelines, as we are not out of the proverbial woods yet.

Updated March 1, 2021 at 3:11 p.m.: This story was updated to include information about grocery and food processing plant workers.