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Summer vacation is almost over, and back-to-school time is upon us. No matter how you and your learners like to prepare for the start of the school year, be sure to add getting caught up COVID-19 vaccinations to your list. Close contact with students and staff inside school buildings gives viruses more opportunities to spread. Getting your kids vaccinated against COVID-19 is an easy and safe way to help protect your whole family and limit the spread inside your child’s school.
If you visit your pediatrician for your child’s routine vaccinations, ask them about getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19 at the same time.
“Getting multiple vaccines at the same time is safe and just as effective as if you received them on different days,” said Paul Cieslak, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) senior health advisor and medical director, communicable diseases and immunizations program. Plus, it saves you multiple trips to the doctor’s office.
Peter Graven, director of Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Office of Advanced Analytics, has made a name for himself trying to predict the future of COVID-19 in Oregon. His regular forecasts incorporate factors such as how transmissible current COVID-19 virus subvariants are, how fast they spread and how much they evade immunity. He uses statistical modeling to predict how many people might become infected or need a hospital bed.Since early 2020, Graven’s predictions have been remarkably accurate, helping state health officials and medical systems prepare for surges.
“In some way, I’ve been training for this my whole life, maybe without even knowing it,” Graven said. “Though I never would have guessed it would be on a topic of infectious disease, I’ve always wanted perform a public service.”
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Although monkeypox (hMPXV) cases are rising in Oregon, it may be helpful to remember that monkeypox is not another COVID-19. The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones is to learn about monkeypox, understand how it is spread and who is most at risk.
Today, OHA launched a revamped webpage that aims to answer all of your questions. The page provides information and resources on risk, testing, vaccines, treatments, personal protective measures, guidance on isolation and answers to what to do if you’ve been exposed and other frequently asked questions.
The page will update the number of cases in Oregon every Wednesday. As of today, August 11, there are 95 presumptive and confirmed cases of monkeypox in Oregon, including 92 men and 3 women. There are no cases of monkeypox in Oregon among children.
One common question is about how monkeypox is spread. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Monkeypox spreads primarily through close skin-to-skin contact. This may include sex, cuddling, massage and kissing.
- Much less often, monkeypox could spread through contact with towels, clothing or other objects that have been in contact with monkeypox lesions.
- Large respiratory droplets or oral fluids that might come from prolonged face-to-face contact could also transmit the virus, but it is uncommon.
- Most cases of monkeypox have been detected among gay or bisexual men or men who report having sex with other men.
To learn more about monkeypox in Oregon, watch today’s OHA press conference with Dean Sidelinger, M.D., health officer and state epidemiologist Patrick Luedtke, M.D., Lane County senior public health officer, and Katie Cox, executive director of The Equi Institute.
To better serve our readers, we’re broadening the topics we answer in our weekly Q&A section near the bottom of this newsletter. If you’re wondering about monkeypox (hMPXV), school safety, extreme heat, algae blooms, wildfire safety or other public health topics in Oregon, we invite you to submit a question. We’ll also continue to answer your questions about COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Biweekly Data Report, released yesterday, shows a slight decrease in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths.
OHA’s COVID-19 Biweekly Congregate Care Setting Outbreak Report was also released yesterday.
In addition, some areas of OHA’s data dashboards have changed.
Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA senior health advisor and medical director, communicable diseases and immunizations program, and Dr. Tim Menza, OHA senior health advisor, answered today’s questions. We’ll continue to answer your questions in upcoming newsletters.
Q: As an 86-year-old senior, I had smallpox vaccinations as a child and I also had multiple smallpox vaccinations during military service. Can I expect to have some protection from monkeypox (hMPXV) during the current health emergency without further vaccination? – Larry, Eugene
A: “Smallpox vaccination can definitely protect against monkeypox, but how long the protection lasts is debatable. Many experts believe that it wanes after 5-10 years. There was an outbreak of monkeypox (hMPXV) in 2003 in the Midwestern United States, and at that time it did not seem like childhood smallpox vaccinations from about 30 years prior were protective against infection. There may be some level of immune response to smallpox vaccination that lasts years, but whether it actually prevents infection after exposure is unclear.”
Q: Should vaccinated and boosted public school employees get another booster now in preparation for returning to the classroom, or wait for a more targeted vaccine to become available in early fall?– Judy, Gresham
A: “We recommend that you get all boosters currently recommended for you. For healthy adults under age 50, that’s one booster. For immunocompromised adults and those age 50 and over, that’s two boosters. Others should wait for additional recommendations, which, it now seems, are likely to involve newer vaccines expected in the fall.”
Q: Where can a person who had a serious adverse reaction to a previous vaccination obtain the Evusheld antibodies treatment? Do you need a physician referral? – Gretchen, Tigard
A: “Yes, you do need a physician to order Evusheld for you. You can check the COVID-19 Therapeutics Locator to find a pharmacy or clinic that carries it. Note: only a health care provider can call the locations found through this locator and inquire about supply or services.”
If you have a question about COVID-19 or other public health topics, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions of interest to a broad audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
 
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