ROGUE VALLEY, Ore. -- There is no sign of a coronavirus slow down for much of the country. One local bus driver fears being exposed to the illness and asks that workers like him have an option to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
Pastor Lee Gregory says he drives buses for three local schools districts. He says he does not speak on behalf of the bus company, only as a concerned citizen.
“We're out on the road longer. We have passengers longer. Our exposure is twice as long to the students. All I’m trying to say is if there's vaccines available somewhere they need to be here now.”
Gregory says since there has been some in person classes, he has had to work double his typical shift, which is about 8 hours of work.
He says he knows everyone is doing their best to follow procedures, but he is high risk as an elderly man and vaccines for those who want them could help people in his situation.
Gregory also joined a campaign in support of fire victims. It's being called the I CARE campaign which he says is an acronym for "compassion and respect for everyone". He says he continues to drive school buses and risks his health because he cares about the children.
He says, "if you're a person who was displaced by the fire and you have an urgent medical need, an urgent personal need, a food item that you can't get at another distribution center, they can call them the eyecare campaign directly at my number. And that's (54)1-821-0131”.
Gregory says thanks to the generosity that has come from Oregonians in the Rogue Valley, resources continue to be available for people in crisis.