Jan. 16, 2022
United States: Cumulative Cases: 66,664,044, Cumulative Deaths: 873,149
World: Cumulative Cases: 326,638,261, Cumulative Deaths: 5,553,341
The U.S. still accounts for more than 15.7% of Covid deaths worldwide.
Over 9.67 billion shots have been administered worldwide. In the U.S., about 526 million shots have been given. There have been more than 7.05 million shots given in the state of Oregon, meaning that 67.2% of eligible Oregonians are fully vaccinated.
Oregon OSHA Aligns with Supreme Court
The state of Oregon stepped away from their vaccine mandate after the Supreme Court disallowed a similar mandate at the federal level. Their press release reads in part: “Oregon OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] will continue to monitor federal OSHA activities and respond as needed. In light of the Supreme Court decision, Oregon OSHA will not move forward with adopting the same or similar standard in Oregon.”
The court did not strike down the part of the mandate which requires healthcare workers to be vaccinated. Oregon OSHA didn’t comment on that aspect of the mandate.
Oregon OSHA also said, “Oregon OSHA offers employers and workers free resources for maintaining safe and healthy workplaces, including consultation services, experts, and education and training.”
By Sally K Lehman
Jan. 15, 2022
Benton County: New Cases: 214, Cumulative Cases: 9,715, Cumulative Deaths: 46
Oregon: New Cases: 8,660, Cumulative Cases: 513,391, Cumulative Deaths: 5,883
What’s Happening With Schools
The concurrent arrival of the Omicron variant and the return to school from winter break has been a difficult time for Oregon students. The Oregon Health Authority has seen an increase in cases and hospitalizations. Over the past six weeks, the Delta variant has declined in numbers, leaving the Omicron variant responsible for nearly all case of the virus in the state.
Leaders at schools across the state are looking at the local level to determine if schools will be closed to in-person classes. They prefer that students stay in schools if possible and safe, with closures seen as a last resort.
In a recent national interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will ultimately find just about everybody.”
And in Corvallis Schools
What does that mean for Corvallis schools?
They have felt the impact, and their nursing staff are tracking cases – including keeping track of when each student should be brought back to the classroom. Staff and students who test positive for Covid will need to isolate of five days and can return on day six provided they are fever-free, have significant symptom recovery, and consistently wear a well-fitted mask for five days following their return to school.
Citing the milder symptoms of the Omicron variant, they will be changing the rules after this three-day weekend. “Beginning Tuesday, January 18, any student or staff member who has ANY symptoms will be required to have a negative PCR test prior to returning to work or school.”
Symptoms of concern include: headache, fatigue, sore throat, runt nose, and congestion.
The schools will also begin to use the term “up to date on vaccination” to refer to those who have received the following vaccines:
- Moderna:
- Age 18 and older: received a booster at least 5 months after the second dose
- Age 5-17: received both primary doses of the vaccine
- Pfizer:
- Age 12 and older: need a booster at least 5 months after the second dose
- Age 5-11: received both primary doses of the vaccine
- Johnson & Johnson:
- Age 18 and older: received a Pfizer or Moderna booster at least 2 months after the initial dose
Students and staff who have spent at least 15 minutes within three feet of a Covid-positive person are considered exposed.
If the student of staff member exposed is up to date with their vaccines, they do not need to quarantine, but should watch for symptoms.
If they are not up to date with their vaccines, then they must adhere to the five day isolation and masking regimen.
By Sally K Lehman
CTS Says Bring a Mask
No more free masks will be ready for you to don when you ride the bus. As of Monday, Jan. 24, all Corvallis Transit System (CTS) and Philomath Connection passengers must provide their own face coverings. Read more here…
By John M. Burt
Jan. 14, 2022
Benton County: New Cases: 343, Cumulative Cases: 9,501, Cumulative Deaths: 46
Oregon: New Cases: 9,786, Cumulative Cases: 504,731, Cumulative Deaths: 5,870
Today brings the Covid caseload over the half million mark for the state of Oregon and over the 9,500 mark for Benton County. The only positive spin on these numbers is that the number of deaths is still comparatively low with fewer than 100 deaths statewide since Monday – although two of those deaths were in Benton County.
Vaccine Mandates Hit Supreme Court
The Supreme Court handed President Biden a loss and a win. The loss comes in the form of stopping the mandate that all employees of large businesses be vaccinated. The win comes in the form of allowing the mandate in healthcare environments.
The court concluded that the administration was overstepping to require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine or test rule for all companies with 100 or more employees. At this time, OSHA estimates that the rule would prevent 250,000 hospitalizations and 6,500 deaths.
The majority opinion read in part: “OSHA has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress. Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the COVID–19 pandemic, it has declined to enact any measure similar to what OSHA has promulgated here.”
The dissenting opinion, written by the three liberals on the court, claims that by not approving the rule the court was substituting its own judgment for that of health experts.
On the other issue, the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers passed by a 5-4 vote. This mandate will affect 10.4 million workers while maintaining religious and medical exemptions.
By Sally K Lehman
Boosters For Children 12-15 Years Old on the Horizon
According to CNN, approval for the third COVID-19 vaccine dose could be available for U.S. children ages 12-15 in the coming days or weeks.
When asked when this age group may receive a booster shot, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNN, “So the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is looking at that right now. Of course, the CDC will swiftly follow as soon as we hear from them, and I’m hoping to have that in the days to weeks ahead.”
While this is seemingly good news, it’s currently unclear whether Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have formally sought FDA approval for a booster in children aged 12-15.
Third booster shots have been approved for U.S. children ages 16 and 17, as well as all adults.
U.S. officials have stated that vaccinations protect against a number of serious infections and death, especially with the Omicron variant making cases reach a record high.
Whether or not boosters for younger children age five and under will be available any time soon, however, is another story.
Walensky told CNN that she doesn’t expect boosters for younger children any time soon, saying, “The companies and manufacturers are working toward data for children under 5. That will not be in the month ahead.”
Pfizer reported in December of last year that it’s considering a three-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 2-16, while results show that three doses among people over 16 years of age offer better protection.
By Ethan Hauck
Jan. 13, 2022
Benton County: New Cases: 332, Cumulative Cases: 9,158, Cumulative Deaths: 46
Oregon: New Cases: 8,743, Cumulative Cases: 494,945, Cumulative Deaths: 5,845
Website, Hot Line Launched to Covid Positive Individuals
The Oregon Health Authority has launched a website and hotline where individuals who test positive for COVID-19 through an at-home test can complete an online survey to report their positive case or get help completing the survey through the hotline.
The Positive COVID Test website and COVID-19 Case Support Hotline, 866-917-8881 was launched on Wednesday.
“The current and rapidly growing surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant has outpaced the capacity of Oregon’s public health system to effectively conduct active case investigation and contact tracing, which cannot effectively slow the spread of the disease in the context of widespread community transmission,” said Dean Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., health officer and state epidemiologist at OHA.
In a release from OHA, the purpose behind the new way of tracking will allow the state to focus less on interviewing individual cases and conducting contact tracing, and more on outbreaks in high-risk settings, such as those in congregate care, health care, K-12 education, and food chain industries.
“As a result, given the burdens to the entire public health infrastructure and the need to pivot resources to higher priority public health measures, we are adjusting case investigation and outreach efforts. OHA will move away from individual investigation and contact tracing calls to focus on investigating outbreaks in high-risk settings,” said Sidelinger.
OHA does not require individuals to report their at-home test results, but it highly recommends people do so, and let their close contacts know they may have been exposed so they can take steps to limit exposure to others. Under current OHA guidelines, Hospitals, health care providers, laboratories and local public health authorities are still required to report test results.
The COVID-19 Case Support Hotline will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday. Staff will be available to provide support in English and Spanish, with interpreter services available for additional languages. The site is available 24/7 at Oregon.gov/positivecovidtest.
By Jennifer Williams
Covid & Mobility in Older Adults
In a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), it was found that middle-aged and older adults with confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of Covid with mild to moderate symptoms had almost twofold higher odds of decreased mobility and physical function compared to people in the same age range without Covid.
In terms of specific activities, the study considered worsening difficulty in standing from a chair, walking up and down stairs, walking two to three blocks, and generally moving around their homes. In all activities, those who had had Covid were less able to continue to perform those activities than before they were sick.
There were limitations to the study to consider. Not all cases of Covid were confirmed with tests, functional ability was not tested using “performance-based tests,” and the exact dates of Covid diagnosis were not taken into account.
There is no way to tell how long these deficits will last.
By Sally K Lehman
Jan. 12, 2022
Benton County: New Cases: 205, Cumulative Cases: 8,826, Cumulative Deaths: 46
Oregon: New Cases: 7,999 , Cumulative Cases: 486,202, Cumulative Deaths: 5,814
Of the 35 new deaths in Oregon, two were in Benton County.
The state of Oregon is currently averaging over 7,000 new Covid cases a day, and Oregon has not yet seen the peak of the Omicron surge. It is estimated that this current wave of infections will bring our total number of Covid cases past the 500,000 mark.
OSU Research Shows Hemp Prevents Covid Spread
Hemp compounds identified by Oregon State University research via a chemical screening technique invented at OSU show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells. Read the full story here…
Brown Send Guard Back to Hospitals
The historic mobilization last fall put Guardsmen who normally drive tanks and fix aircraft into duty with patient care. The Oregon National Guard is once again on the move to help the state’s hospitals. Read the full story here…
By Press Partner Oregon Capital Chronicles
Jan. 11, 2022
Benton County: New Cases since Friday: 621, Cumulative Cases: 8,621, Cumulative Deaths: 44
Oregon: New Cases since Friday: 18,503 , Cumulative Cases: 478,203, Cumulative Deaths: 5,779
At-Home Testing Change
Beginning Jan. 15, the cost for an at-home Covid test should be fully covered by your health insurance. The Biden-Harris Administration released this new requirement on Jan. 10, saying that individuals with private health insurance will be allowed to be reimbursed for at-home test kits without co-pay, doctor’s referral, or doctor’s visit.
According to the press release, “Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover 8 free over-the-counter at-home tests per covered individual per month. That means a family of four, all on the same plan, would be able to get up to 32 of these tests covered by their health plan per month. There is no limit on the number of tests, including at-home tests, that are covered if ordered or administered by a health care provider following an individualized clinical assessment, including for those who may need them due to underlying medical conditions.”
The federal government is still working on getting free Covid tests on demand.
Covid Positive Hospital Workers Allowed to Work
Due to the overwhelming numbers of people testing positive with the Omicron variant of the Covid virus, some hospitals are having to make unusual choices. Most recently, the decision to allow Covid-positive workers come to work is one.
If a nurse of office worker has mild symptoms and can still perform their job, hospitals around the U.S. have been allowing these workers to come in, primarily because they do not have anyone around to fill in. Staffing shortages and more than 700,000 new cases each day have left hospitals with few choices.
According to Associated Press, American hospital beds have approximately 108,000 Covid patients filling them, “just short of the peak of 124,000 last January.”
Infected workers are asked to wear extra protective equipment.
California Nurses Association has come out against the decision to allow Covid-positive workers to stay on the job, saying it will likely lead to more infections.
CNA President Cathy Kennedy, RN. said, “We want to care for our patients and see them get better – not potentially infect them. Sending nurses and other health care workers back to work while infected is dangerous. If we get sick, who will be left to care for our patients and community?”
By Sally K Lehman
Jan. 10, 2022
The Pandemic Endgame
As the pandemic continues on, the ultra-contagious Omicron variant is causing what can only be called chaos. But there will be an end. There will be a moment in time when we learn to live with this virus, just as we have learned to live with the flu and the common cold – what researchers call an acceptable steady state.
One possible end to the pandemic would include an acceptance that we agree as a society that some people will catch Covid. How their bodies react will depend on their vaccine status and medical history. As mutations occur, new vaccine requirements will be issued, and each individual will decide whether or not to take the risk that they might catch the variant. This is much like our current reaction to the flu.
For comparison, the flu tends to kill about 12,000 to 52,000 Americans each year. In the two years that Covid has been around, it has killed 859,356 people in the U.S. This means that, at its very worst, the flu kills only 12% of the number of Covid deaths we’ve seen.
Omicron is not as deadly as previous Covid variants. Add to that, we have two years worth of knowledge about how to effectively combat this disease. And as Omicron mutates, there’s a good chance that those who have had the variant and gotten better will have better immunity from subsequent variants.
The World Health Organization is tracking the number of Covid cases and deaths around the globe, and has provided an index by country for Covid-related deaths.
Currently, the U.S. is Averaging 49 deaths from Covid for every one million people. In starker view, that equates to 212.8 deaths for every 100,000 people – equating to over 0.2% of the population. The state of Oregon has a population of just over 4.2 million; Benton County has a population of 93,053.
While Benton County has been able to maintain a lower death toll – only 43 deaths to date – the likelihood that that number could rise is high if we stop using precautions such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping current on vaccines.
By Sally K Lehman
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