Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday said she’s trying her best to ensure affordable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for Oregonians, pushing back on criticism that other Democrat-led states across the nation have been more efficient at providing quick inoculations and support for providers before an expected annual spike in respiratory illnesses.

Kotek’s explanation traces back to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to reshape the federal vaccine advisory panel that pharmacists and doctors prescribing the immunization in Oregon and elsewhere rely on for guidance about safety and risks regarding a particular shot. Kennedy fired all members of the panel in June and has since appointed vaccine skeptics to the committee, which is set to meet on Sept. 18-19 and

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