Sandy Polishuk shared her reasons for getting the COVID-19 vaccine and what vaccination has given to her.
As an octogenarian, I knew I was in higher danger of serious illness, or even death, if I contracted COVID-19, but I was most motivated by my love of my family and my desire to spend time with them, especially my great grandchild, Sal, who was 6-months old when we locked down.
I had had masked visits outdoors, but Sal and I couldn't touch and couldn't bond. Now Sal is 20 months old, a real little person, and we are able to play together, to touch each other again. I was afraid I would die before we got to know each other.
I feel so much calmer now. I've been going to the grocery for most of the pandemic, but I was always so anxious. It was exhausting and sometimes I wasn't as nice to the employees as I wanted to be, even though I was so grateful they were there and helping me get the things I needed.
I also put off a lot of my routine medical care, not a great idea when you're 80, but I was too nervous to get care unless it was an emergency.
All this has changed now that I'm fully vaccinated and feel safe out in public. Plus, I finally got a haircut and don't cringe when I see myself in the mirror!
Governor Kate Brown today announced updates to county risk levels under the state's public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. Effective Friday, June 4, through Thursday, June 10, there will be 13 counties in the High Risk level, 4 at Moderate Risk and 19 at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available here.
"Thanks to all the Oregonians who have been vaccinated so far, Oregon’s case rates have continued to decline, said Governor Brown. “But, COVID-19 remains a serious threat to unvaccinated individuals and communities with low vaccination rates. If you have been waiting to get vaccinated, go get your shot today. It's never been easier to get vaccinated, and you may just win $1 million through the Take Your Shot, Oregon campaign."
There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,674, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 177 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 201,649.
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 4,361 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 3,622 doses were administered on May 31 and 739 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 31.
The seven-day running average is now 22,982 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered a total of 2,213,453 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,602,928 first and second doses of Moderna and 143,524 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 1,853,468 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 2,242,712 people who have had at least one dose.
To date, 2,734,875 doses of Pfizer, 2,153,400 doses of Moderna and 294,400 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change.
OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (1), Clackamas (11), Columbia (3), Crook (3), Deschutes (9), Douglas (7), Jefferson (1), Josephine (2), Klamath (5), Lane (20), Linn (4), Marion (25), Multnomah (35), Wallowa (1), Wasco (1), Washington (48) and Yamhill (1).
Oregon’s 2,672nd COVID-19 death is a 59-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on May 21 and died on May 28 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 2,673rd COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive on May 12 and died on May 30 at Mercy Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 2,674th COVID-19 death is a 46-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on May 14 and died on May 30 at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 238, which is 11 fewer than yesterday. There are 67 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is six more than yesterday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 1,783, which is an 8.0% decrease from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 273.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
More information about hospital capacity can be found here.