COVID UPDATE – WEEK ENDING MARCH 20, 2022

March 19, 2022

Benton County:  New Cases: 2, Cumulative Cases: 14,976, Cumulative Deaths: 65

Oregon:  New Cases: 238, Cumulative Cases: 701,198, Cumulative Deaths: 6,971

Months After Boosters, Many Remain Vulnerable to Subvariant BA.2

Hong Kong currently has the highest COVID death rate in the world, due largely to the proportion of seniors who are unvaccinated. Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance COVID policies kept many unvaccinated people safe from the virus, meaning that unvaccinated residents are now facing the fast-growing BA.2 subvariant with zero immunity. And while BA.2 is less likely than BA.1 to cause hospitalization in general, it could potentially overwhelm medical centers as it infects unvaccinated people who are already vulnerable as a result of their age.

CDC data shows that of 1 out of 3 older adults who are eligible for a booster have chosen not to get it. By the end of February, 98% of adults in the United Kingdom tested positive for Covid antibodies, compared to about 43% of all Americans and 23% of senior Americans.

As many as 28 million adults over 65 are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or more than four months out from their booster; after four months, boosters are about half as effective at preventing infections.

Stephen Kissler, a specialist in infectious disease modeling at Harvard, says, “It’s really looking at that older age group and how much prior immunity they have, either from previous infection or vaccination, that I think has been the best indicator so far of how severe a given number of cases is going to end up being in terms of hospitalizations and deaths.”

By Grace Miller

March 18, 2022

Benton County:  New Cases: 11, Cumulative Cases: 14,974, Cumulative Deaths: 65

Oregon:  New Cases: 300, Cumulative Cases: 700,960 , Cumulative Deaths: 6,960

While things continue to look better for Oregonians, there were still 27 more deaths from Covid yesterday.

Pfizer Requests Authorization of Fourth COVID Vaccine Dose for Seniors

Pfizer and BioNTech requested U.S. regulators to authorize a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine for older adults on Tuesday, citing data collected in Israel that suggests they would benefit from it.

As of now, the U.S. advises those 12 and older to get two primary doses of the vaccine – one in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – followed by a booster shot, and those with severely weakened immune systems are recommended a fourth dose after three primary shots. But the latter doesn’t apply to seniors, and Pfizer hopes to get the 65-and-above crowd additional protection against the pandemic that’s been hitting them the hardest.

Pfizer currently needs both approval from the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration to have a fourth dose authorized, and the time frame for when the vaccine would be administered is still under debate.

“The protection that you are getting from the third … [it’s] actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths. It’s not that good against infections,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on the company’s plans. “But we are just submitting those data to the FDA and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.”

Scientists Say Diabetes Linked to COVID-19

New research shows that the COVID-19 virus may trigger diabetes in select groups, and worsen the condition of those who already have diabetes.

Some viruses, including the coronavirus, have the ability to attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and cause temporary or long-term diabetes. Rising cases of COVID-induced diabetes may also be due to delayed medical care caused by pandemic restrictions or an inactive “pandemic lifestyle” for people who were already susceptible to Type 2 diabetes.

Even kids are at risk – the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital has seen a 30% increase in kids with Type 1 diabetes compared to pre-pandemic years.

Although diabetes has become more common among children, reports from both Europe and the U.S. say the pandemic seems to have increased the rate at which it’s happening – and it’s unlikely that it’s a coincidence.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children who’ve had COVID were far more likely to have diabetes than those who didn’t. The report, which looked at two different U.S. databases from March 2020 to June 2021, didn’t distinguish between Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Experts believe that a previous infection may cause the autoimmune response that leads to the disease.

“We don’t know if it’s a direct effect or some other factor that’s not fully understood yet,” said Dr. Inas Thomas, a specialist at Mott Children’s Hospital, on how COVID may affect diabetes. “But we are hoping that this trend may help us figure out the trigger for what causes Type 1 diabetes.”

By Momoko Baker

March 17, 2022

Benton County:  New Cases: 7, Cumulative Cases: 14,963, Cumulative Deaths: 65

Oregon:  New Cases: 299, Cumulative Cases: 700,660 , Cumulative Deaths: 6,933

Yesterday was another day of single digit increase of case numbers for Benton County. The state continues toward the 7,000 mark in total deaths with 34 more.

Oregon Covid Statistics

The Oregon Health Authority issued a press release reminding people that masks are still required in the following places:

Pharmacies
Doctor’s offices
Dental offices
Health clinics
Urgent care centers
Dialysis and infusion centers

Last week saw 142 Covid-related deaths in Oregon which was an increase of 16% from the previous week. Last week also saw 95,348 Covid tests administered in Oregon with a test positivity rate of 3.3%. The only variant found was Omicron.

Last week saw a 21% decreases in Covid hospitalizations from the previous week. There are currently 242 Covid patients in Oregon hospitals, 36 of those people are in an Intensive Care Unit – or about 15%.

Of the total 672 adult ICU beds available in the state, 101 of them are currently open, meaning there is a 15% availability rate. Of the 4,296 adult non-ICU beds, 380 are currently open – meaning there is a 9% availability rate.

There are currently 143 active Covid outbreaks in care facilities, senior living centers, and congregated living settings.

To date, 3,169,224 people in Oregon have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.

To date, 557 million vaccine doses have been given in the U.S. and over 11 billion doses worldwide. Approximately 20.5 million doses are administrated worldwide each day with an average of 95,454 doses administered in the U.S.

By Sally K Lehman

March 16, 2022

Benton County:  New Cases: 6, Cumulative Cases: 14,956, Cumulative Deaths: 65

Oregon:  New Cases: 401, Cumulative Cases: 700,361 , Cumulative Deaths: 6,899

While Covid is still around, things have settled into a new low. For the third Oregon Health Authority report in a row, Benton County has had single digit new case numbers. And while the state has passed the 700,000 milestone in cases, only 14 new deaths were added since yesterday.

Many people might have questions about why the state lifted the mask mandate when it did and whether or not the pandemic is now officially over. Answers to most of those questions can be found on the OHA Frequently Asked Questions page.

The most revealing answers were:

No, the pandemic is not over.
The OHA issued a “permanent indoor mask mandate” because the law did not allow it to extend the temporary mandate any further, and people still needed that protection at that time.
Yes, you can still wear masks if you want to.
Yes, you will still have to wear masks when using mass transit.

Questions directly affecting Oregon State University students and staff still persist as well. If you’re wondering about whether or not you’ll be required to have negative tests to attend functions or will need to continue to test weekly, you can find those answers on the OSU Covid FAQ page.

The most revealing answers were:

Yes, Covid vaccines are still required for all students. This means that if you are not vaccinated, you will still be required to get a negative Covid test each week until further notice.
Yes, Covid booster shots are still required. The compliance deadline has been extended to May 1, 2022.
No, you will no longer be required to show proof of vaccine or a negative test to participate in OSU events.
If you’ve tested positive and recovered from Covid, do not retest for 90 days as you may get a false positive.

Remember that these new guidelines for Oregon and for OSU are subject to change if circumstances change.

If you or someone you know needs a vaccine, the following events are happening:

Community Vaccination Events

Corvallis

Location: Lincoln Health Center, 121 SE Viewmont Ave

Every Monday in March, from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Every Wednesday in March, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Every Friday in March, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Oregon State University

Location: SEC Plaza

Every weekday March 7 to March 18, from 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Monroe

Location: Monroe Health Center, 610 Dragon Dr

Every Tuesday in March, from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 24, from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Alsea

Location: Alsea Health Center, 435 E Alder St

Thursday, March 17 and 31, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

March 15, 2022

Benton County:  New Cases: 4, Cumulative Cases: 14,950, Cumulative Deaths: 65

Oregon:  New Cases: 598 , Cumulative Cases: 699,960 , Cumulative Deaths: 6,885

With Oregon continuing its climb toward 700,000 total cases, the weekend only saw 16 more deaths – one of those was in Benton County. Provided the mask mandate going away doesn’t bring another surge, things are looking good overall.

Corvallis School District Make Masks Optional

With the end of the mask mandate throughout Oregon, each school district had to decide what they would be doing in terms of masking for students. The Corvallis School Board decided to allow students who feel more comfortable continuing to wear masks to wear them.

This policy recognizes that some families will continue to wear masks while others embrace the freedom from them. The transition will not be easy, but it is necessary to respect the parents’ and guardians’ wishes in this matter.

In their press release on the issue, the board wrote: “We all have been touched personally by COVID-19 in different ways, including many who have lost loved ones. Our district continues to be a safe and welcoming place for all of our students and families. It is more important than ever to come together and support each other during this transition.”

If you have questions about Covid in your child’s school, or if you have medical information about your CSD student to relay, you can go to the CSD Covid website.

OSU Mask Policy

On the Oregon State campus, March 12 brought some interesting changes that not all teachers may be happy about. With the lifting of the mask mandate, the choice of who wears a mask into an office area is not in the hands of those working there.

In their FAQ page about new Covid rules, it bluntly states that professor offices are “public spaces available to others in the normal course of business.” Because they are considered public spaces, the person in the office may not require masks be worn there.

The school goes on to say: “We do not advise or support employees making requests of others to wear a mask. Nor should employees decline, reschedule, or relocate a meeting if another individual does not wear a mask. Employees are welcome to have masks available if others voluntarily choose to wear them.”

Their advice for any employees with health concerns is to wear N95 or KN95 masks.

By Sally K Lehman

March 14, 2022

United States:  Cumulative Cases: 81,174,677, Cumulative Deaths: 993,811

World:  Cumulative Cases: 458,152,169, Cumulative Deaths: 6,065,718

Over the last week, an additional 46,284 people are reported to have died from Covid worldwide. Of those deaths, 9,791 were in the U.S.

Virus activity has continued to wane across the country, and case numbers are at their lowest since the summer of 2021. Covid hospitalizations have fallen by more than three-quarters since the Omicron peak in mid-January.

However, about 1,400 people still die from Covid in the U.S. every day, bringing the country closer to the one million deaths mark.

Oregon has seen a 14-day change in cases of -58% and a change in hospitalization rate of -42%.