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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 2021)
The Columbia Press 4 August 13, 2021 Study finds state should change its tactics Continued from Page 1 the College of Design’s Insti- tute for Policy Research and Engagement surveyed 686 Oregonians, divided nearly equally among urban and rural settings. They asked respondents about their vaccination status, what factors are prompting those to decline the vaccination and what might motivate them to take the vaccine, among other topics. Clark and Parker then of- fer six recommendations that might get more residents vac- cinated and move the state closer to stamping out the coronavirus in Oregon. “Our aim is to get us over the finish line,” Clark said. “And we’ve come a long, long way. It’s just that it’s uneven across the state.” Added Parker, “Oregon has a much higher percentage of people who are fully vacci- nated than most states at this point. I think that’s pretty re- markable and needs to be cel- ebrated at some level. There’s still obviously a lot of work to do.” To help sway the undecided or vaccine hesitant, Clark and Parker recommend offering cash incentives, using Gov. Kate Brown less in COVID messaging because she is divi- sive among some Oregonians, reinforcing messaging that the vaccine is free, implementing door-to-door vaccination cam- paigns, using evidence-based communication strategies, more effectively illustrating the virus’ effect on the unvacci- nated, and continuing to battle misinformation. “We’re saying you need to do all of these things because each of these, when you look at the segments of the popula- tion and the people who won’t get vaccinated, there are some things that might work for portions of the population that won’t work for others,” Parker said. Among those who were open to getting vaccinated, the of- fer of $100 was more effective than the chance at a $1 million or $100,000 lottery prize, with more than 30 percent saying the guaranteed cash would be enough for them to get a shot. “That shows how the incen- tives could be really, really useful, because they’re getting something very tangible as opposed to something that’s a little bit less tangible, which is not getting COVID,” Clark said. Still, the offer of incentives didn’t spark many unvacci- nated people to change their minds. “The one thing that was may- be most surprising was that the million-dollar lottery was not the one thing that real- ly got people excited,” Park- er said. “A higher percentage would prefer a cash incentive, but it still was a pretty small push.” Nearly 35 percent of unvacci- nated respondents said noth- ing could convince them to get vaccinated. The top two rea- sons respondents cited includ- ed concerns about side effects and that the vaccines were de- veloped too quickly. “It’s a public health tragedy in a lot of ways because it feels very unnecessary to me that people are still at that level of risk, and a lot of it has to do with misinformation, frankly. Politics,” Parker said. “People were just saying, I’m not doing this, there’s nothing you can do to convince me,” Parker added. BottleDrop: Innovative recycling comes to Warrenton Continued from Page 1 stickers with QR codes linking the bags to their accounts. Then they tag their green bags, fill them with empty 10- cent refund containers and drop them off at the new loca- tion – or any other BottleDrop location statewide. Contain- ers are counted and credited to the person’s BottleDrop ac- count within seven days. Nonprofit agencies also can get in on the action, using blue bags tagged with the nonprof- it group’s account. “Warrenton has been look- ing to get a BottleDrop for at least three years and I’m so excited to have them where they belong — in the com- mercial hub of the Columbia Pacific Region -- Warrenton,” Mayor Henry Balensifer said. “I want to thank Fred Meyer and OBRC for making this a reality.” Ribbon cutting • When: 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13 • Where: Recycling center outside Warrenton Fred Meyer • How it works: Residents set up an account, buy a bag, and return it filled with recyclables. Money goes into the account, which can be withdrawn for cash or spent at Fred Meyer with a 20 percent bonus. Recycla- bles also can fund Oregon 529 education accounts or donated to charity. Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, a state agency, instigated the bulk green and blue bag redemption program in 2010 as a convenient and efficient bottle and can recy- cling option. The program has grown each year, with Oregonians return- ing 8.3 million green and blue bags in 2020. Warrenton Fred Meyer is the 77th bag drop location in the statewide network. “There’s no better way to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the Bottle Bill this year than to watch it continue to grow, expand and innovate,” state Sen. Betsy Johnson said. “Or- egon’s system produces some of the best outcomes in the nation because of efforts like this to expand the BottleDrop network and open up new and convenient redemption op- tions to residents across the state.” Balensifer, Johnson and state Rep. Suzanne Weber are scheduled to attend the rib- bon cutting along with coun- ty commissioners Courtney Bangs and John Toyooka.