Portland area mass vaccination sites to hand out $100 grocery gift cards for first doses

By Meagan Cuthill

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — In an effort to boost Oregon’s first-dose vaccination rate for adults, the three Portland metro area mass COVID-19 vaccination sites will be giving away $100 gift cards to two grocery store chains over the next few days while supplies last.

All4Oregon announced the incentive Thursday for new vaccine patients at the Oregon Convention Center, PDX Red Lot and Hillsboro Stadium. Approximately 1,500 patients who come to the sites to receive a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will also receive a $100 Fred Meyer or Safeway gift card. The gift card giveaway will start at Hillsboro Stadium site Friday and at the PDX Red Lot and OCC Saturday. The gift cards will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last, All4Oregon said.

The gift cards will be given to adults and any vaccine patients 12-17 who have their parent or legal guardian’s permission. Those who are receiving a second vaccine dose are exempt from the giveaway. Vaccines are available by walk-up/drive-thru depending on the site or by appointment, though scheduling one is not necessary. The Oregon Convention Center is only administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson and second shots of Pfizer, Hillsboro Stadium is only administering Pfizer shots and the PDX Red lot has all three vaccines available. All three vaccination sites are scheduled to end operations soon; June 19 for the OCC and June 25 for PDX and Hillsboro Stadium.

This is the latest incentive offered to those who have been hesitant to receive a COVID-19 shot in Oregon. Other efforts have included the state’s “Take Your Shot Oregon” lottery with cash prizes and scholarships as well as bars offering free beer. Gov. Kate Brown has said Oregon’s COVID-19 restrictions will be mostly lifted once 70% the state’s adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of noon Thursday, Oregon was 2.8% of adults shy of that threshold, equal to 93,444 people statewide.

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