June 21, 2021

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, staying healthy, and looking out for your neighbors and friends in these difficult times.

Today’s COVID case numbers and positivity rates are the kind we dream of.  And then we wake up and remember that it’s Monday, and we really can’t rely on these weekend numbers.  Sigh.  But even for a Monday, these numbers are extraordinarily low, the first time we’ve gone below 100 in many, many months.  According to the most recent epidemiological forecast, we should actually be seeing numbers like this on an ongoing basis before too long. Speaking for myself, though, I’m worried about the consequences of lower vaccination rates in some parts of the state.  I’m not convinced we’ll see sub-100s becoming the norm anytime soon.  We’ll see. 

I was asked today, by the way, about the dramatic increases we’re seeing in the new Delta variant and whether or not she would be able to go ahead with her wedding plans.  I told her that my understanding is that those who’ve been vaccinated don’t need to worry too much about the Delta variant.  It is shaping up to be extremely contagious but generally not able to break through the defenses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Obviously, everyone will have to decide for themselves, but it seems like her wedding party should be safe bet for her guests who’ve been vaccinated.

Unfortunately, as you’ll see in tonight’s report, yesterday’s number of new vaccinations was very low.  Most vaccinations now are for people getting their second doses. As a result, our number of Oregonians fully inoculated is high, but our number of those getting their first dose is increasing very slowly.  We are now well below 50,000 for the number of Oregonians eighteen and over getting their first dose.  But with fewer than 4,000 first-time vaccinations a day, we’ve still got a couple of weeks to go before hitting the desired 70% threshold.

Finally, let me say something about what’s going on in the Legislature.  We had another one of those very emotional mornings in the Oregon Senate.  Senator James Manning was back with us briefly to thank us for the multitude of messages of support and love that he’s received since the passing of his wife, his and our dear Lawanda.  It was so wonderful to see him in person.  He also wanted to be there to speak to one of his priority bills that came up today, one that will allow local jurisdictions to enter into high-road Project Labor Agreements that will guarantee family wages, good benefits, apprenticeships, and a more diversified workforce.  He also wanted to bring Lawanda’s sister and brother-in-law to the Capitol to get a sense of how much she is loved and missed.  We likely won’t see James again at the Capitol this session, so it was just tremendous to see him there briefly.

We also voted on a resolution recognizing the life of one of our colleagues, the late Senator Jackie Winters.  I’ve written about Jackie before, and how much she meant to me and inspired me in pursuit of racial justice and criminal justice reform.  She was a Republican, and I’m a Democrat, but our thinking on these issues was completely aligned.  She died within days of helping us pass her final passion, SB 1008, juvenile justice reform.  One recurring theme in all the speeches today was that the Senate is a far lesser place without her in it.

I predict that tomorrow will be a very productive for us in the Legislature.  We have more than 30 bills scheduled for floor votes already, but I’m sure that there will be more before the day is over.  That’s what it’s like in the final days of the session.

I’ll say more in a few days about the individual personal priorities of mine that are moving through the process. I don’t want to jinx them!  Nor do I want to completely give up yet on some other important bills that seem to be on their last legs.  We’ll know more soon.

Please stay safe and let me know if you have any questions about information in today’s  newsletter.

,

TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

• New COVID Cases: OHA reports 78 new COVID cases today.  The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 206,850.
• Variant COVID Cases: Here are this week’s case counts for the COVID variants in Oregon, cumulative from the beginning of the pandemic:: 1,433 (up from 1,240) cases of the B.1.1.7 (formerly known as the U.K. variant, now called the Alpha) variant, 286 cases (up from 200) of the P.1 (formerly Brazilian, now Delta) variant, and 125 (up from 108) cases of the B.1.351 (formerly South African, now Beta) variant.  In addition, we are now seeing 291 (up from 279) cases of the B.1.427 variant, 737 (up from 716) of the B.1.429 variant, and 10 cases of the new B.1.617.2 (Delta).  OHA is now producing a Variant Dashboard, providing current variant case numbers for the state as a whole and for various parts of the state.  It’s updated each Wednesday.
• Positive Test Results: OHA reported 163 positive tests today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 299,907.
• Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 8182 tests today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is 5,336,048.
• Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 2.7%.
• Hospitalization Information:
  • Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 135 (9 fewer than yesterday)
  • ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 36 (1 more than yesterday).
  • Available ICU Beds: 127 (14 fewer than Friday)
  • Other Available Beds: 453 (43 fewer than Friday).
  • Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 18 (4 fewer than Friday)
  • Available Ventilators: 799 (13 more than Friday).
• Deaths: I’m sorry to report 2 additional COVID deaths today.  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is 2,756.
• Vaccinations:
  • As of the end of yesterday, here are the latest numbers:
    • New Immunizations Reported Today: 3,077
      • 2,044 were conducted and reported yesterday
      • 1,033 were conducted earlier, but the reports were received yesterday (there can potentially be a three-day window for reporting)
      • The 7-day running average is now 11,820 doses per day.

• Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 4,309,417
  • 2,439,167 Pfizer doses
  • 1,705,394 Moderna doses
  • 162,789 Johnson & Johnson doses
• Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 2,353,753
  • 2,104,707 now fully vaccinated with two doses
• The number of Oregonians who still need to get a first dose for Oregon to reach the 70% threshold is now 44,606 (down by 7,010 from Friday).
• To date, 5,456,385 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon. (That’s 18,910 additional doses this week.)
  • 79.0% of these doses have been administered so far. The national average is now 84.1%.
  • 57.8% of Oregonians have received at least one dose (65.0% of those 16 and older, 68.7% of those 18+, which is the CDC standard).
  • 51.6% of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (58.6% of those 16 and older).

• For more details, including the demographics of those receiving the vaccine and the counties in which the vaccines are being administered, here is a link to more information about the vaccine and vaccination protocols.
• Here is the daily vaccination tracker from Bloomberg.
• And here is a link to each county's vaccination website. It provides access information for those in Category 1a and 1b

• Want to see how close each county is to hitting the 65% target for moving to lower risk? Here's an interactive map and more, showing percentages for total population and for eligible population (residents age 16+).  It shows how close each county is to hitting the 65% target.

Additional Brief Updates

• OHA has just released the latest County Covid Metrics Report.   You’ll see that statewide infection rates and positivity rates have continued to decline.  That is true of individual states as well, though we’re continuing to see a demarcation between counties with higher vaccination rates and those with lower rates.
• People in the U.S. without documentation are all too frequently resorting to non-traditional COVID treatments that are at best ineffective and at worst dangerous and expensive.  Read more about this troubling development and the reasons for it
• Bloomberg News reports on a rebound in COVID cases in the southern states, where many have shunned vaccinations. This is sad but not surprising.
• We’ve heard a lot about the effect of pandemic distance learning on K-12 students. How about for students in our colleges and universities? Here's a look from Inside Higher Education.
• One of the drivers of inflation fears has been the skyrocketing cost of lumber during the pandemic. Now that is coming to an end. . You can read all about the causes and effects here.

OHA Reports On Lower Vaccination Rates In Long-Term Care in Southern and Eastern Oregon

A new Oregon Health Authority report shows that the state’s push to vaccinate at least 75% of all long-term care facility residents and employees—through vaccine clinics and ongoing vaccination maintenance efforts—is paying off.

The Oregon Health Authority Interim Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) COVID-19 Vaccination Report shows that the percentage of vaccinated residents among reporting long-term care facilities exceeds the state’s 75% target for COVID-19 vaccination. It summarizes vaccination data voluntarily reported by 62% of Oregon’s licensed nursing, residential care and assisted living facilities that serve older adults and people with disabilities.

As of May 9, 2021, 84% of residents at long-term care facilities that reported data have been completely vaccinated against COVID-19, and 62% of long-term care staff have been completely vaccinated, according to the report.

Residents and staff at long-term care facilities are ever changing. The goal is to have vaccine maintenance plans in place to eventually maintain a 75% rate of vaccination among residents and staff at any point in time.

However, the report shows that vaccination percentages were lower in southern and eastern Oregon, especially for workers.  Only 46% of workers in Eastern Oregon residents have been vaccinated, and only 50% of those in Southern Oregon have been vaccinated.  Percentages also differed between facility types: Vaccination percentages were higher among long-term care residents in residential care and assisted living facilities than in nursing facilities. 

This is troubling, but the report doesn’t go into either explanations into the cause of the low numbers or recommendations to improve those numbers.

Where Are Today’s  Cases?

If we put together the positive test results and new “presumptive cases” reported today, the overall number of new cases reported is 78.  Here is today’s breakdown by county:

Benton (1)

Clackamas (7)

Clatsop (3)

Columbia (2)

Curry (2)

Deschutes (3)

Douglas (5)

Jefferson (1)

Josephine (8)

Lane (13)

Linn (8)

Morrow (1)

Multnomah (18)

Union (1)

Wasco (1)

Yamhill (4)

And the Deaths:

Oregon’s 2,754^th death is a 74-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive May Oregon’s 2,755th COVID-19 death is a 49-year-old woman from Linn county who tested positive on June 6 and died on June 19 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.

Oregon’s 2756th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old woman from Douglas county who tested positive on June 11 and died on June 20 at Mercy Medical Center.

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Want to See Past Newsletters?

If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (senatordembrow.com), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there.  Also, if someone forwarded you this newsletter and you’d like to get it directly, you can sign up for it there.

AND FINALLY,

Here again are some resources that you will find useful

• You can view the reopening status of all 36 counties here.
• Here is the OHA’s coronavirus page, with links to a number of resources. 
• Oregon's Office of Emergency Management now has a website for information about COVID-19.
• Multnomah County has an excellent website with lots of really important advice and guidance.
• Here’s one from the Governor’s Office.
• The Employment Department has put together a webpage with Q&A’s on a number of employment issues related to COVID-19 (e.g., eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits).
• The Oregon Education Department has a site for COVID-19 updates.
• The Department of Corrections has a COVID tracking website.

If the above links are not providing you with answers to your questions or directing you to the help that you need, please consider me and my office to be a resource.  We’ll do our best to assist you or steer you in the right direction.

Best,

Senator Michael Dembrow
District 23

email: Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov
web: www.senatordembrow.com
phone: 503-281-0608
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301