Oregon pharmacy begins first COVID-19 vaccine rollout to long-term facilities

As hundreds of Oregon-based soldiers return from overseas deployment, more than 60 have tested positive for coronavirus after a 10-month deployment in Kosovo. According to the Oregon Military Department, it’s unclear if service members contracted the virus overseas, or if they were infected upon their return to Fort Bliss, Texas. Members of Oregon’s congressional delegation penned a letter to the U.S. Department of the Army expressing concern for the soldiers’ safety amid a surge in coronavirus infections. We speak with Col. Eric Riley, the commander of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, about what the military is doing to keep service members safe before they return home to Oregon.

Ryan Petteway is a social epidemiologist and assistant professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. He’s trying to expand and humanize the way public health entities can communicate with the public: through poetry and art. We’ll speak with him about his efforts to expand public health outreach.