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June 26, 2023
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 during this past week.
As I write this, the 2023 legislative session, my last long session as a senator, is now in the rearview mirror. As the dust settles, I’ll have a lot to think about and talk about.
It has indeed been a strange one. It was mired in controversy, accusations and false accusations, walkouts and returns, power outages and hugely distracting construction noise. It began with fears of budget reductions, program reductions, and layoffs; and it ended with a surprisingly positive revenue forecast for the coming two years. It included new leadership in the Senate and House, an astonishing number of new legislators, and a new Governor with an ambitious agenda, a brand new team, and a new (sometimes rocky) relationship with her former colleagues.
As you know, circumstances forced us to wind up working right up to the very last day we could constitutionally (fortunately, my plane reservations for a long-planned family vacation to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary were for Monday, the day AFTER sine die). There was drama throughout the final two days over a controversial change to our land-use system (HB 3414) that the Governor was pursuing. It ultimately failed by one vote, but not before causing a good deal of stress up until the final drop of the gavels.
Yet at the end of the day, despite all the disruptions, the work continued--the committees that prepared the bills for floor votes were able to continue to meet and do their work even when Republicans were absent because they only require a simple majority of committee members to do their work, unlike the unusual 3/5 presence required by Oregon’s Constitution for action on the floor—and not a single bill was lost simply because we had run out of time.
I’m proud to say that despite all the drama and angst (and last-minute shenanigans by lobbyists trying to take advantage of a difficult situation), cooler heads prevailed, and we were able to get the work done. We owe a lot to our nonpartisan professional staff at the Capitol, the lawyers, financial analysts, research and committee staff, not to mention the facilities people and state troopers, who just continued to do their work and keep everything on the rails. I can’t thank them enough.
Through it all, at the end of the day, I believe that this will reveal itself to have been a tremendously positive and consequential session for the people of Oregon. I don’t have time now to go into more details on why I believe that to be the case, but I will get something out to you in the next day or two.
I always planned that my last “COVID Update” would be in my last regular newsletter of the 2023 session, so this is it. As you’ll see from the report, we definitely still have COVID to contend with, but nothing like what we were experiencing during the pandemic. If that changes during the fall, I’ll certainly switch back to giving you updates. For now, the necessary information is harder to find. OHSU has stopped providing its updates and forecasts, and the media is focusing much more on other health matters. It seems like the right time to suspend it as part of the newsletter.
Aside from the session lookback that I hope to get out to you soon, please don’t expect to hear much from me for the next two weeks. My staffers, Emory and Clare, will still be around to answer any questions and requests for help that you may have, so feel free to continue to reach out.
And I look forward to seeing some of you at the August constituent coffee!
I want to wish you and your loved ones all the best in the coming days. Please do let us know if you have any questions or thoughts about anything in this week’s newsletter.
 View of the House across the construction as the gavels are about to drop for the last time, a sine die ritual.
 And the view from the House at the same time. (I'm up front, standing next to Senator Manning.)
 An inside view of the House at the same time. (Thx for the selfie, Rep Dexter!)
 Me, Clare, Kathryn (our Environmental Caucus director), and Emory in the Senate chamber.
No Constituent Coffee This Month
Normally, next Saturday would have been our next constituent coffee. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to meet with you and share my thoughts about the session that has just come to an end.
BUT I’m going to have to defer that pleasure till next month. As I mentioned above, I’m leaving in the morning for a month-long time away with family. I’m under strict orders (OK, they’re self-imposed and voluntary) to stay away from legislative business for that time.
I do look forward to the August meeting and the opportunity to share thoughts with you on August 5th about the session that has just ended and on priorities for the interim and the session to come.
ON THE COVID FRONT
Weekly Data Report:
OHA is no longer providing updates on COVID test results each week (because most tests are being done at home and not reported), but it is reporting on the other metrics. Here is the most recent set of results, for this past week from 6/16/23 through 6/22/23.
As you’ll see, the metrics have generally stabilized at their recent relatively low levels.
On Wednesday there were 1 COVID hospitalizations, back down from the previous week’s 133 COVID-19-related hospitalizations statewide. Hospitalizations are now our best indicator of disease spread.
On Wednesday there were 13 COVID patients in intensive care, a small decline from last week’s 15. These are the most serious cases.
Testing percent positive was reported at 4.1%, up slightly from the previous week’s 3.6%. Test positivity is a function of those who are tested in medical facilities and other testing sites.
The most recent updated reporting of COVID deaths shows one death for the week of June 15th, the same as the previous week’s 1.
This Week’s Wastewater Monitoring Report: Slightly More Decreases Than Increases
With testing reports giving us just a fraction of infections out there, wastewater monitoring has become a more reliable indicator of the amount of virus in cities around the state. That report is updated each week.
This week’s report, updated on Wednesday, reveals that 14% of the cities tested showed increases or sustained increases last week (same as the previous week). Sixteen percent showed declines or sustained declines (up from 14%).
Overall, the great majority of cities continue to show little change one way or the other: the remaining 69% (down from 73%) report being at a plateau.
Dallas and Sunriver showed sustained increases last week.
COVID Q & A from OHA (from OHA weekly newsletter)
Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA senior health advisor and medical director, Communicable Diseases and Immunizations program, answered today’s questions.
Q: When can I get the recently FDA-approved RSV vaccine? I am a 68-year-old male with significant health issues. – Karl, Portland
A: “Indeed, the FDA has approved two RSV vaccines for older adults, one made by Pfizer and the other by GlaxoSmithKline. Yesterday, the CDC followed with its recommendation that people age 60+ may receive a single dose of RSV vaccine, after discussing it with their health care provider. But before you can go out and get it, the companies must manufacture and distribute the vaccines. Some vaccine rollouts happen quickly, as is the case with some COVID-19 vaccines that have already been manufactured and stocked but which receive expanded authorization for different age groups, for example. But these RSV vaccines are brand new, and, according to statements by the two companies, we expect them to be available later this year, likely in the fall before the start of RSV season.”
Q: Is there a non-mRNA second booster available for COVID? – Tom, Medford
A: “At this time, the only non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is made by Novavax, and it is authorized only as a two-dose primary series for people age 12+, and a single-dose, one-time booster for people age 18+. However, the FDA has recently asked Novavax (as well as Moderna and Pfizer) to update its COVID-19 vaccine formula to target Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 in time for a fall rollout. Next, the CDC will have to sign off on it and recommend who should get it, and we don’t expect any additional boosters with the current Novavax vaccine to be authorized before then.”
Additional COVID Updates and Links
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Research shows that the risk of blood clots for survivors of severe COVID is higher than that for those with the serious flu and sepsis, but other post-illness risks appear similar.
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Here's an advisory about the mental health aftereffects of Long COVID.
- Here’s a nice little update from OHA on the COVID and RSV vaccines that are coming our way this fall.
- The pandemic had an effect on tuition policies in the states, particularly with respect to undocumented students in public colleges and universities. Here's more from Inside Higher Education.
- The CDC’s Weekly Mortality and Morbidity Report shows, perhaps not surprisingly, that an increasing number of COVID cases in 2021-22 were re- Vaccinations remain the best way of diminishing their effects.
- The CDC’s Weekly Mortality and Morbidity Report shows, perhaps not surprisingly, that an increasing number of COVID cases in 2021-22 were re- Vaccinations remain the best way of diminishing their effects.
- From NPR, the COVID emergency is over, so why are emergency rooms so crowded?
- And from the Washington Post, COVID isn’t over, but even the most cautious Americans are moving on.
- As the controversy around the origins of COVID continues to simmer, a new U.S. intelligence report unfortunately sheds little light on the issue. sheds little light on the issue.
Here again are some COVID resources that you will find useful:
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.
Sincerely,
 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
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