PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Zoo will offer 1,000 free passes to people who get a COVID-19 vaccine shot in the Portland metro area this weekend.
The free passes are valid through mid-December. They will be distributed at the Oregon Convention Center and at clinics focused on vaccinating people in Black, Indigenous and communities of color.
“We want to welcome people back to the Oregon Zoo in a way that hasn’t been possible for more than a year,” said Uptal Passi, the Oregon Zoo's deputy director. “And the sooner we reach that 70% rate, the sooner we can see that happen.”
This is the latest incentive to encourage more Oregonians to get a dose, as the state nears the governor's 70% vaccination goal. Gov. Kate Brown said she will lift most COVID-19 restrictions when the state reaches the 70% vaccinated mark.
The latest numbers from the CDC show as of Wednesday, 60,625 more people 18 and older in Oregon need to get the shot to reach the 70% mark.
The Oregon Convention Center's final day of operation is Saturday, June 19. It will be open that day from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The mass vaccination site is encouraging people to make appointments online, but they are not required.
