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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Today, Governor Brown announced statewide indoor mask requirements. Additionally, it's become clear that gatherings should take place outside as much as possible. More information will be available at her press conference tomorrow.
We all hoped the days of regular mask-wearing were a thing of the past for vaccinated Oregonians. Unfortunately, the Delta variant has changed everything.
Based on the modeling released this week from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), August and September will challenge all of us, because it’s clear that the pandemic is raging back. As you can see in the chart projections below, the fifth wave is much more severe than could have been anticipated just weeks ago.
Medical experts now know that the Delta variant of COVID-19 creates a larger viral load in our systems and the virus stays in our systems longer. This means it’s far more contagious.
Today, Oregon smashed its previous record for hospitalizations due to the virus with 635 people in hospitals across the state. The previous record was 584 last November. We are on pace to exceed the number of available hospital beds in the state by around 500 patients by early September, per OHSU projections.
This means our hospital capacity is as low as it’s ever been. While this is a risk for COVID patients, it’s also an enormous risk for other Oregonians who are sick or need surgery but won’t have access to a hospital bed.
If you are unvaccinated, please get vaccinated as quickly as possible. Vaccines are safe, effective and widely available. While it’s discouraging to see some breakthrough cases, vaccinated people are still much less likely to get severely ill or die. The CDC noted this week that 99.999% of fully vaccinated Americans have not had a deadly COVID-19 breakthrough case.
Vaccines are also the best way to prevent the growth of a new variant that may be stronger than Delta. Let’s all commit to stopping the next variant!
While this news is certainly distressing, let’s remember that we’ve successfully flattened the curve four times. Now, we do it again.
Western Oregon is expecting another extreme heat event beginning tomorrow and lasting through late Saturday.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for the Portland Metro Area, and Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency due to the excessive heat. Please remember that the record-shattering heat wave 6 weeks ago led to the deaths of nearly 100 Oregonians. We need to stay safe and protect one another.
The help line 211 will be available to Oregonians for help with heat-related resources, including locating a cooling center. All Oregon counties have been asked to send cooling center information to 211 for inclusion on their website here, which is available in seven languages.
Here is a list of additional resources:
- OHA’s Extreme Heat website here
- 211 Cooling Centers here
- Sign up for emergency alerts at ORAlert.gov
- Extreme Heat (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/index.html
- Warning Signs and Symptoms of Heat-related Illness (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html
- How to Protect Yourself in Extreme Heat (video) here
 Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
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