Friends and Neighbors, 

This week, I spoke to two caregivers who provide in-home care for my patients who were hesitant to get vaccinated; they were scared of the vaccine because it does not yet have full FDA approval. We talked about the details of the FDA process, and why the safety and efficacy evidence is sound. We talked about the seriousness of the delta variant, our decreasing hospital capacity, and the latest statistics comparing severe illness in vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Those workers matter, as caregivers, coworkers, community members, and I told them so. I need them in my work, and their patients depend on them for care. Our conversation was based on trust, empathy, and patience, and they promised they would get vaccinated on their next day off. 

Their decision will save lives, and I’m proud of their openness to share their fears and ask questions. 

Getting your vaccine against COVID-19 is a powerful action you too can take to save lives and bring the ever-changing, frustrating public health restrictions to an end. You too can save space and time for someone in your life who trusts you, and has concerns or questions. 

This blog post is helpful to read for guidance about how to talk to your loved ones about their vaccine concerns. 

If you have questions, it is alright to ask. The FDA process can be opaque and the science is complicated. If you do have questions, please reach out to a trusted healthcare provider to talk through the safety and efficacy of the COVID vaccines, and the risks -- without vaccination and with vaccination-- of being infected, falling ill, or giving this deadly disease to someone you love.

Receiving the vaccine is a decision you make for your own health, but it is equally a public health issue, with consequences that touch all Oregonians. This disease is not only sickening communities and hobbling economies across our state, country and around the world, it is deteriorating our mental health. Our hopes and optimism for our futures are harder to grasp. The mental toll of this prolonged crisis will be with us for years to come. 

Every Oregonian -- vaccinated or not -- is paying an emotional, physical, and economic price for the decisions made by people with every resource to get their questions answered and get vaccinated, but will not. Every Oregonian is paying the price for the decision of leaders and authority figures to spread disinformation about the vaccine.  

We have the solution to bring an end to this crisis and reinvigorate our optimism for our future. The vaccines aren’t just about the person who receives them; they’re about all of us. Together, we can save lives, and we can get through this. 

Statewide Mask Mandate & State Employee Vaccines

The highly contagious Delta variant is filling hospitals across Oregon with record levels of COVID-19 patients. On July 1, there were 134 COVID-19 patients in Oregon hospitals and 27 were in intensive care. As of August 10, a new pandemic record was set with 635 hospitalizations – a staggering 373 percent increase. Over the same six-week period, COVID-19 related ICU admissions  increased more than 500 percent. Every hospital region and their staff are experiencing escalating capacity constraints, strains, and shortages. The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released yesterday, shows this continued steep increase in daily cases and hospitalizations.

• OHA reported 8,304 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Aug. 2, through Sunday, Aug. 8, a 40% increase over the previous week.

• There were 322 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 256 last week. That marked the fifth consecutive week of increases.  

• There were 40 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 25 reported the previous week.

• There were 119,416 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Aug. 1 through Aug. 7. The percentage of positive tests increased to 9.5%.

Without interventions, COVID-19 hospitalizations will soon far exceed our health system capacity. By September, we could face the reality of lacking 500 staffed hospital beds needed to treat any patient, whether hospitalized for COVID, a stroke, or a car accident. 

To lower the hospitalization rate, Governor Kate Brown has issued two new health and safety measures: a vaccination requirement for state employees and statewide indoor mask requirements.

Starting on Friday, August 13, Oregonians ages 5 and older will be required to wear masks in all indoor public spaces. The best way to prevent new variants is to prevent new infections in people. Masking up and getting vaccinated will help us to stop the spread, stop the virus from mutating to even more dangerous variants, and save lives.

By October 18, all Executive branch employees must show proof of vaccination, and will not have the option of weekly testing instead. This will not apply to Legislative or Judicial employees. Individuals unable to be vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious belief may be able to qualify for an exception, as required by state and federal law. 

Heatwave this Week

We are facing another dangerous heatwave this week. Please remember to check in on your vulnerable friends, families, and community members. They may not be able to stay cool as easily as you can. Many of our neighbors don’t have AC, and here are a few tricks to stay cool if you or your neighbors don’t: 

• Stay hydrated. Drink two to four glasses of cool fluids every hour

• Take a cold shower or bath

• Use cold washrags on your neck or wrists

• Use box fans

• Close your curtains or blinds

• Sleep in breathable linens

• Sleep in the basement

• Don't refrigerate or freeze blankets or clothing

• Close the doors of unused rooms

• Wear light-colored clothing

There also cooling centers across Washington and Clackamas County, and you can find them by calling 2-1-1, going to 211info.org, or using these two links: 

• Washington County: bit.ly/wc-cooling

• Clackamas County: clackamas.us/relief

Why are breakthrough cases in vaccinated people less severe? 

It is all about the type of protein the body makes, with help from the vaccine. The following is a simplification of a complicated subject, meant to be easily understood by lay people. 

Let’s start with some definitions. 

• Immunoglobulin or antibodies are complex molecules the immune system creates when a new virus, bacteria, or foreign object enters the body. They identify them, attach to them, and destroy them. 
• IgG is a type of immunoglobulin in our blood. These are the type of immune cells that our COVID vaccine is great at producing.
• IgA is a type of immunoglobulin in our mucous membranes in our nose and throat. Unfortunately, our injected vaccines do not create a lasting army of this type of antibody. 
• SARS-Cov-2 is the name of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

SARS-COV-2 gets into the body through the mucous membranes in our nose and throat, and settles in in the back of the throat, where the nasal passage meets. There, it busies itself doing what viruses do best: it breaks into your cells and reproduces. Once it reproduces enough, it moves on down the respiratory tract to attack lung cells. From there, it attacks almost every organ system. Severe illness and death is the result of the virus thriving in the lungs and moving throughout the body. 

The COVID vaccine gives your immune system a safe blueprint for creating a powerful army of IgG antibodies in your blood, which identifies the virus more effectively once it moves down to the lungs. There, it stops it in its tracks, prevents you from getting sick, going to the hospital, or ever needing a respirator.

Because the vaccine blueprints are excellent at creating IgG antibodies, but not IgA in the back of your throat, when a vaccinated person is infected with the Delta variant, they will have more virus in their nose and throat. But once the virus starts to move down into the lungs, the vaccinated person’s army of IgGs quickly identifies the virus and destroys it. The virus doesn’t get the chance to cause severe illness, or spread to other people much longer. 
 

Why is the Delta variant different?