Salem Political Snark

Why I went back to wearing a mask today

Well, it was nice to be maskless for a couple of weeks. I enjoyed the feeling of normalcy when I went into stores or coffee shops.

But today I looked like this while shopping at Trader Joe's, Fred Meyer, and LifeSource. I was carrying my mask when I walked into Trader Joe's, my first stop. 

For a few seconds I was uncertain whether to mask up.

Then I put my mask on, because that felt like the right thing to do. I had plenty of company. Around a third of Trader Joe's customers were wearing masks, young, old, and in-between, along with all of the employees.

This is what changed my mind about going maskless.

Nationally, Covid cases are rising rapidly, tripling in the past few weeks.

The Delta variant has become the most common strain in the United States. It's much nastier than original Covid, which was bad enough.

Yes, I'm fully vaccinated. However, I've seen reports that even if vaccinated people contact the Delta Covid variant and have no symptoms, they can still suffer from "long haul" Covid with long-lasting problems like brain fog. 

At the age of 72 I don't want my mind to become any foggier than it already is.

So it seemed like a no-brainer, so to speak, to wear a mask while in indoor public spaces, since the mild inconvenience of doing this is well worth it if my chance of contacting the Delta variant is reduced.

I ended up in Rob Melton's (a.k.a. Rob Drinkenstein) checkout line at Trader Joe's.

When he asked me how my day was going, I said that I was wearing a mask in solidarity with store employees. And also, because I didn't want to get the Delta variant and have my brain fogged up.

What's irritating is how the pandemic is getting a new lease on its viral life because so many people are making the really bad decision to not get vaccinated. I realize that we're not supposed to shame them, but...

Jesus Fucking Christ, how stupid can you be if you buy into the anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on Fox News and refuse to get a totally free shot that not only could save you from being hospitalized or dying, but helps protect other people also?

(Answer: really damn stupid. If that irks unvaccinated folks, too bad. The truth is more important than your feelings.)

Today the Oregon Health Authority reported a marked increase in statewide Covid cases.

The tall line on the right side of the chart is the previous day's tally of 595 cases. So visualize the next line being almost 200 cases taller.

On July 10 the Delta variant only accounted for a small percentage of Oregon Covid cases. It'll be interesting to see if the next update shows an increase in the Delta variant.

Yes, we're fortunate that Oregon is a blue state with a high vaccination rate in comparison to the vaccine-resistant red states where people are buying into the conservative lie that freedom means never having to be vaccinated.

OK, if you believe that, keep in mind that being dead or in the hospital constrains your freedom vastly more. 

Nationally 609,000 people have died from COVID-19, an astounding number. Here we are, on the brink of achieving herd immunity through a mix of the 34 million Covid cases in the United States and 49% of the population being fully vaccinated. 

Yet way too many people are refusing to be vaccinated.

Dying from Covid at any time is horrible. Being one of the last people to die before herd immunity is reached is not only horrible, it is totally unnecessary -- because the vaccines are safe and effective, no matter what Tucker Carlson says.

Covid isn't over in Marion County. Get vaccinated!

This is a bad time to get complacent about COVID-19, unvaccinated people in Salem and the rest of Marion County. The Delta variant is much more transmissible. Covid cases are rising markedly nationally. Increases in deaths likely will follow.

It's beyond crazy that so many people are refusing to get vaccinated. New cases and deaths are almost entirely among the unvaccinated. Since vaccines are readily available, virtually all hospitalizations and deaths are preventable. 

Why would anyone choose to risk serious illness or death when a vaccine is free, safe, and highly effective? Often the answer is misinformation and right-wing politics. 

Today President Biden said that lies about vaccines on social media like Facebook are killing people. Harsh words, but he's right. If you're a Republican and haven't been vaccinated, keep in mind that the vaccines were developed during Trump's presidency.

So tell yourself you're going to get the Trump vaccine if calling it that makes you feel better. 

Maybe you think that because Oregon has had one of the lowest infection rates in the country (only Hawaii and Vermont beat us among the 50 states when it comes to cases per 100,000 population), there's not much to worry about here in Marion County.

Well, for sure there's less to worry about than in a hot spot state like Missouri. But Marion County isn't doing as well as Oregon as a whole.

Almost certainly one reason is that while Governor Brown, a Democrat, has done a great job managing Oregon's response to the pandemic, the three Republican county commissioners in Marion County have largely been asleep at the wheel when it comes to encouraging mask wearing, social distancing, and getting vaccinated.

Marion County has the seventh highest all-time Covid infection rate among Oregon's 36 counties. The only counties doing worse than us are conservative eastern Oregon counties.

We're doing better when it comes to cases in the past two weeks. However, Marion County has had a 35% increase in the 14-day change, while other counties with a large population are kicking our Covid ass: Multnomah -25%; Washington +23%; Clackamas +24%; Lane -30%.

When it comes to all ages vaccination rates, Marion County at 48% is below the Oregon rate of 55%. And we suck when it comes to a comparison with the vaccination rate in other large population counties: Multnomah 64%, Washington 61%, Clackamas 55%, Lane 55%.

While grocery shopping this week, I noticed more people wearing masks in stores compared to the previous week. Probably this is due to a recognition that because of the Delta variant and rising cases, it doesn't make sense to let down our guard.

Here's how the New York Times describes the current situation in Marion County. Again, get vaccinated if you aren't already.

Risky business: Salem companies that politicize Covid

The Salem Reporter has a story about the Glamour Salon owner deciding to call it quits.

Glamour Salon, owned by Lindsey Graham, has reached out to the city of Salem about terminating the lease at its current location at 195 Liberty St S.E., according to Clint Dameron, the city’s real property services manager.

...In May last year, Graham publicly reopened her salon in violation of Gov. Kate Brown’s orders intended to slow the spread of Covid.

Following the move, Graham was lionized by business owners and others who’ve argued the governor’s orders went too far, making appearances on right-leaning media, including Fox News. She also created a Facebook page called “Lindsey Graham-Patriot Barbie” she’s used to lambaste the governor and pandemic restrictions placed on businesses. She also created a website to sell Patriot Barbie branded apparel.

But her brazen reopening caught the attention of the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which issued the business a $14,000 citation for putting workers at risk. Graham was also criticized after armed individuals showed up to protect her salon amid racial justice protests last summer.

The Glamour Salon isn't the only Salem business that has brazenly defied Governor Brown's Covid orders. 

John Miller, the owner of Courthouse Club Fitness gyms, kept his clubs open during a period when they were supposed to be closed. That stunt has cost Miller $126,000 in fines, though he is appealing the OSHA decision.

And recently Enlightened Theatrics broke Covid rules by holding in-person performances of Les Miserables that exceeded the allowed audience, along with serving indoor food and drinks, another no-no.

I guess these Salem businesses figure that doing their part to protect people from dying or becoming ill from COVID-19 is less important than making money. 

Sure, they couch their decision to flaunt Governor Brown's Covid orders as a matter of freedom and of giving their customers what they want. 

But it's difficult for me to see their actions as anything else but selfishness. Here's how I put it in my post about Enlightened Theatrics going its own way by ignoring Covid restrictions. 

Thus it sure looks like Enlightened Theatrics has decided to follow in the footsteps of Courthouse Club Fitness -- risking a fine in order to stay open. 

What's disturbing in both cases goes beyond the danger to patrons by ignoring Oregon Health Authority guidelines that are designed to prevent Covid infections.

When Enlightened Theatrics decided to put on the in-person performances, it essentially said to other theatre companies, movie theaters, and in-door entertainment venues, "Ha-ha, you're closed and we're open! We've got enough money to pay a fine and probably you don't! You're a goody-goody who complies with Covid regulations and we're an outlaw who goes our own way!"

Well, I don't think Enlightened Theatrics should be proud of that attitude, just as I don't think Courthouse Club Fitness should be proud of racking up over $100,000 in fines as it stays open while other gyms in extreme risk counties remain closed.

These businesses are willing to take the risk that people in Salem are willing to forgive and forget their decision to put money ahead of keeping their customers safe.

Maybe that's a risk worth taking. I don't know how much Salemians know or care about what those businesses did.

All I can say is that I'm not able to look upon Courthouse Club Fitness and Enlightened Theatrics in the same way. Which saddens me in a way, because I was a Courthouse member for many years and have enjoyed quite a few Enlightened Theatrics' shows.

Glamour Salon is different.

I had no idea they even existed until Lindsey Graham's antics came to light. It sounds like her plan is to move to a red state where her politics will be a better fit.

Goodbye, Ms. Graham. You won't be missed.

Oregon is failing seniors with flawed vaccine rollout

I'm 72. My wife is 71. We've fortunate to be fully vaccinated with two Pfizer shots owing to some unusually lucky circumstances. 

It irks me, big time, that Governor Brown and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have decided to make our state a leader in failing to prioritize seniors for immunization. 

Oregon is one of only a few states that decided to vaccinate teachers before seniors. Back on January 16, I wrote about this stupid decision in "Outrage: Oregon seniors to get Covid vaccine after teachers."

This is a hugely irresponsible decision that is going to cause many old people to die. 

According to the Oregon Health Authority, those 60 and over comprise 17% of Covid cases in the state and a whopping 91% of the Covid deaths.

Yet Brown said at a press conference that I watched via You Tube that children are suffering from distance learning and need to get back into in-person instruction as soon as possible.

Hey, Governor, you know who else has been suffering?

The 1,600 Oregon seniors who have died from Covid, many of them isolated from loved ones in a hospital bed, unable to say goodbye other than, maybe, via an iPad held up by an ICU nurse.

Children have their lives ahead of them. Seniors are nearing the end of their lives. Children can recover from learning problems during this pandemic. Seniors who die from Covid are gone forever, no second chances.

It's now March 1. Time to check on how many seniors 60+ have died since Governor Brown and the OHA told them to get in line behind teachers for their Covid shot. 

Answer: 414, given that a OHA web page now shows 2,014 deaths in the 60+ age group.

As noted above, in mid January 91% of Covid deaths were of people 60+. Today the pecentage is exactly the same, 91%. The Governor's misguided policy has resulted in no benefit to the age group most at risk of dying from Covid-19.

Here's more evidence that the decision to make seniors wait to be vaccinated is appallingly bad, research reported in "Prioritizing oldest for COVID-19 vaccines saves more lives, years of life."

Challenging the idea that older people with shorter life expectancies should rank lower in coronavirus immunization efforts, new UC Berkeley research shows that giving vaccine priority to those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 will save the maximum number of lives, and their potential or future years of life.

The findings, published Feb. 25 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, address the ethical dilemma of who should be first in line for a limited supply of vaccine shots amid a contagion that so far has killed 500,000 in the United States and 2.4 million globally.

“Since older age is accompanied by falling life expectancy, it is widely assumed that means we’re saving fewer years of life,” said study lead author Joshua Goldstein, a UC Berkeley professor of demography.

“We show this to be mistaken,” he added. “The age patterns of COVID-19 mortality are such that vaccinating the oldest first saves the most lives and, surprisingly, also maximizes years of remaining life expectancy.”

Recently the Portland Oregonian editorial board referred to seniors being subjected to a "Hunger Games" competition for scarce vaccines.

If seniors aren't skilled at using a computer to search for immunization sites with openings to get a shot, they're at a big disadvantage. 

Today the 65-69 age group became eligible for a Covid vaccine, joining older seniors in Oregon. Yesterday a neighbor told me she was going to stay up until 12:01 am in an attempt to sign up on the Salem Health My Chart system. 

(She's a Salem Health patient.)

Here's what she told me this afternoon in a text message, after I asked if she was successful in getting an immunization appointment.

Nope, not yet! I went into Walgreens and talked to the pharmacist and he said that our group is more savvy on searching online for appointments than the older ones before us and we are a large group as well so it might be hard to get appointments at first. (Not you!) He said go on several times a day and there should be some appointments soon. So I am doing My Chart and Walgreens at this point. 

Follow-up texts from her: The last 3 times I logged into the Walgreens site, the scheduling segment said, this site is not available at this time. I think it has been overloaded and has crashed, because before it just said no appointments are available... It has changed again on Walgreens site I just checked. Now it just says appointments unavailable without even getting into the sign in area.

Perusing Facebook today, quite a few newly eligible seniors were saying that they struck out on finding a vaccine appointment. 

For example, here's a exchange between two people that popped up on my Facebook feed today.

Comment: Ones ability to game the system should not be part of healthcare... but it is. I was on an unrelated site when I saw two strangers talking about going over to the Fairgrounds and winding up vaccinated. I went there the next morning and I am now two weeks post-2nd shot.

Reply: You're not alone, many others got walk-in shots. I made the mistake of believing them when they said vaccines were by appointment only. Silly me. I also thought there would be at least a county-wide appointment calendar where you could look and see where appointments were available.

The good news is, more vaccines are coming to Oregon and the nation as a whole, thanks to the competency of the Biden administration and vaccine producers.

The bad news is, it shouldn't be so damn difficult for seniors, or anybody, to figure out how to get a shot. Every state is handling vaccinations differently. And within each state, counties often have different procedures.

In an ideal world, seniors would have been the next priority for immunization after front line health care workers. And those seniors should have been able to schedule a shot appointment easily and quickly.

I realize that we don't live in an idea world. It just bothers me a lot that Oregon has done such a poor job of vaccinating seniors so far.

Salem's Enlightened Theatrics breaks Covid rules

Last weekend Salem's Enlightened Theatrics reportedly broke the Oregon Health Authority Covid rules by having in-person performances of a student production of Les Miserables that exceeded what is allowed for indoor entertainment.

l've heard that at Saturday night's performance over 70 people were in attendance, food and beverages were sold and consumed, and some people were unmasked.

Here's what is allowed for an Extreme Risk county, which Marion County is.

The Enlightened Theatrics auditorium is over 500 square feet, so they could have only six people at each performance. Food and drink can't be consumed indoors. So it appears that Enlightened Theatrics broke several Covid rules.

Thus it sure looks like Enlightened Theatrics has decided to follow in the footsteps of Courthouse Club Fitness -- risking a fine in order to stay open. 

What's disturbing in both cases goes beyond the danger to patrons by ignoring Oregon Health Authority guidelines that are designed to prevent Covid infections.

When Enlightened Theatrics decided to put on the in-person performances, it essentially said to other theatre companies, movie theaters, and in-door entertainment venues, "Ha-ha, you're closed and we're open! We've got enough money to pay a fine and probably you don't! You're a goody-goody who complies with Covid regulations and we're an outlaw who goes our own way!"

Well, I don't think Enlightened Theatrics should be proud of that attitude, just as I don't think Courthouse Club Fitness should be proud of racking up over $100,000 in fines as it stays open while other gyms in extreme risk counties remain closed.

I've enjoyed quite a few Enlightened Theatrics productions. They offer high quality live performances at a reasonable cost. But I'm bothered by Enlightened Theatrics scoffing at Covid restrictions that other indoor entertainment venues in Salem are complying with.

Vaccinating Oregon teachers before seniors widely criticized

Governor Kate Brown's ill-considered order to give teachers the Covid vaccine before seniors is getting well-deserved media criticism. I'm no fan of this policy, having written my own critical blog post back on January 16, "Outrage: Oregon seniors  to get Covid vaccine after teachers."

Here's news stories that came to my attention, along with an excerpt from each.

Portland Oregonian
"Watchdog: Why Oregon senior citizens have one of longest waits in country for COVID-19 vaccinations," by Aimee Green

Seniors in Oregon will wait longer than almost anywhere else in the country to be eligible fo coronavirus vaccinations, a review by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found, undercutting claims that the federal government is to blame.

And that has shifted focus back to Gov. Kate Brown’s decision to prioritize teachers over the elderly.

...Yet when the prospect of extra vaccines fell apart, Brown said she had no choice but to make elderly Oregonians wait.

“I remain committed to vaccinating our seniors quickly,” Brown proclaimed Jan. 15. “But this failure by the Trump administration will unfortunately cause a two-week delay in beginning vaccinations for seniors.”

Not mentioned as part of Brown’s blame-shifting: 45 states dealing with the same vaccine limitations already have or within days will begin inoculating at least some of their oldest and most vulnerable residents based on age groups.

How? Decisions about who to vaccinate first are decided by governors and state health officials, and, among other things, Oregon is one of only two states to buck federal guidance by allowing teachers to go ahead of the elderly.

Salem Statesman Journal
"Anger, confusion grow over Oregon's COVID-19 vaccine rollout," by Tracy Loew

Oregon’s Vaccine Advisory Committee, charged with deciding who should get scarce COVID-19 vaccines first, is questioning its role after Gov. Kate Brown overrode its priorities last week.

The committee has received hundreds of comments from the public, much of which center on Brown’s recent decision to prioritize educators over older residents.

That decision came the day after the committee made its own recommendation, which focused on the state’s most vulnerable residents.

...Brown’s decision to prioritize educators, announced Jan. 15, is contrary to federal recommendations and differs from what most other states are doing.

It’s prompted a huge outcry from the public.

“You are effectively giving many of us our death sentence,” Charles Eggerstedt, an 81-year-old doctor in Clackamas, wrote the committee.

“The vaccine should be given to the most susceptible and in danger of dying from an infection,” wrote William Snow, of Dundee.  

Oregon Public Broadcasting 
"With limited doses, many question Oregon's plans to send teachers to the  fromt of the vaccine line," by Erin Ross

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wants as many schools as possible to resume in-person learning by Feb. 15 while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. To make that happen, she plans to vaccinate all of Oregon’s 100,000 or so school employees in the next few weeks — in the process putting them at the front of the line ahead of the elderly, people with pre-existing health conditions and other groups of non-medical frontline workers.

That decision has sparked controversy in Oregon. After other states seeking to prioritize teacher vaccinations reversed or altered those plans following public backlash, Oregon remains the sole holdout.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinating older people, people with pre-existing health conditions, and people at a very high risk of exposure first. Brown’s decision directly contradicts those guidelines. Some critics argue that vaccinating teachers ahead of more vulnerable groups violates principles of medical ethics. Others — including teachers — say that vaccinating teachers is not enough by itself to open schools safely.

Willamette Week
"Gov. Kate Brown Reversed Herself Twice Last Week on the Date Elderly Oregonians Could Get the Coronavirus Vaccine," by Rachel Monahan

On Jan. 15, Gov. Kate Brown took a parting shot at the outgoing Trump administration: She blamed a decision to move up COVID-19 vaccines for elderly Oregonians and then move them back again on the federal government's failure to deliver promised vaccine reserves.

Three days earlier, the governor had moved seniors to the front of the line for vaccines. When she learned more vaccines weren't coming, she changed the plan again: Older Oregonians would have to wait another three weeks.

...The reversal comes with high stakes attached, even as other states have already begun vaccinating seniors. People over 80 account for more than half of Oregon's deaths from COVID-19, and people over 60 account for 90% of the deaths.

As of now, Oregonians over 80 will be eligible for vaccines beginning Feb. 8—after medical workers, firefighters and school teachers get the shots. The state will then lower the age bracket each week until everyone over 65 is eligible.

It's Brown's last chance to blame Trump—and keep the public's faith in Oregon's choppy vaccine rollout.

Brown's double reversal shows the immense pressure the governor faces to return life to normal from COVID-19 as soon as possible. But it also exposes the holes in Brown's plan to get vaccines into the arms of Oregonians.

Her decisions on which groups get priority for vaccines are last minute, placing sudden demand on hospitals and threatening to undermine public patience in seemingly arbitrary choices.

Most notably, Brown is pressing to return students to school classrooms by Feb. 15—and assuaging the concerns of teachers unions about that plan by giving them early priority for vaccines.

That's an approach that few other states have tried.

"Oregon is in a fairly unique standing throughout the nation in saying that teachers would be part of the Phase 1 rollout," says Courtney Campbell, director of Oregon State University's Program for Ethics, Science, and the Environment.

Campbell said "health equity" has been a primary consideration for vaccine rollout both in Oregon and nationally—but teachers didn't seem to fit that standard. Instead, Brown and Oregon's vaccine advisory committee could include additional considerations, such as saving "the most lives" and "giving primacy to fairness and transparency" to justify the choice.

"If you're going to work only with health equity, then it seems to me it's hard to justify prioritizing K-12 personnel," says Campbell.

Today Gov. Brown held a press conference where she tried to defend her decision to vaccinate teachers before seniors, then took only three questions even though the Oregonian says that thirteen reporters had their hands virtually raised during what I assume was a Zoom call.

Here's some Twiter tweets about this.

Outrage: Oregon seniors to get Covid vaccine after teachers

If Oregon seniors weren't so justifiably afraid of coming down with COVID-19, they should be marching in the streets after Governor Brown announced yesterday that those 65+ would have to wait in line behind teachers to get vaccinated.

This is a hugely irresponsible decision that is going to cause many old people to die. 

According to the Oregon Health Authority, those 60 and over comprise 17% of Covid cases in the state and a whopping 91% of the Covid deaths.

Yet Brown said at a press conference that I watched via You Tube that children are suffering from distance learning and need to get back into in-person instruction as soon as possible.

Hey, Governor, you know who else has been suffering?

The 1,600 Oregon seniors who have died from Covid, many of them isolated from loved ones in a hospital bed, unable to say goodbye other than, maybe, via an iPad held up by an ICU nurse.

Children have their lives ahead of them. Seniors are nearing the end of their lives. Children can recover from learning problems during this pandemic. Seniors who die from Covid are gone forever, no second chances.

Currently the plan is to start vaccinating most day care, preschool, and K-12 school employees on January 25. Seniors have to wait two weeks, with Oregonians ages 80+ starting to get the vaccine on February 8, followed by ages 75+ on February 15, 70+ on February 22, and 65+ on March 1.

This likely is an optimistic schedule. But even if it holds up, every senior who wants the Covid vaccine won't be able to get both doses until well into April, around three months from now.

Today 41 Oregonians died from Covid. Let's look on the bright side and say that only 20 die on average each day during the next three months, 90 days. That's 1,800 additional deaths. If 91% are seniors 60+, over 1,600 old people will die.

Sure, some seniors will be immunized in time to prevent getting the disease. So let's cut that number in half: 800. Or maybe you think I'm being too pessimistic. OK, cut the number in half again: 400.

Is it worth 400 senior deaths to give Oregon children a few months of in-person instruction?

That's my guess, given that it seems unlikely all school personnel could get their first shot before February 8, with the second shot being given three or four weeks later, which gets us to March 1-8. Full immunity takes a few weeks after the second shot.

So it would be the end of March before school personnel are 95% safe from Covid. Will schools reopen before this happens? I doubt it. Teachers would resist entering classrooms before their second dose has taken effect. 

Thus if summer vacation starts in June, Governor Brown is saying that it is worth hundreds of senior deaths to give children eight weeks or so of in-person instruction this school year.

Here's a not-so-crazy idea.

Ask teachers, parents, and students if they are OK with this? Have a statewide discussion about the morality of condemning the grandparents of school children to die so their grandchildren can sit in a classroom for a few months.

Consider what a learning experience it would be for educators to talk about how putting off in-person instruction until the fall of 2021 is a sacrifice being made so many old people can live.

My wife and I are 71 and 72, respectively. We were fortunate to be able to get a first dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine last Thursday, though a bit unfairly. 

I'm happy about that. But I'm sad whenever I think about the seniors we know who, like us, have been living in fear for almost a year of coming down with COVID-19.

The Oregon Health Authority statistics show that a bit over 7% of those 60+ with COVID-19 die. That's 1 out of 14. Many or most of the other 13 suffer a lot, since seniors are affected much more than younger people by the Covid virus.

So it isn't irrational for many seniors to stay sheltered at home, unwilling to go out except for groceries, which often are picked up because those old people are wary of going into stores. Governor Brown spoke of the despair of students who can't be in the classroom.

Brown needs to spend more time talking with seniors who have been isolating to a much greater degree than students about their despair, their loneliness, their fear of getting sick and dying alone.

There's still time for Governor Brown and the Oregon Health Authority to rethink their plan to make seniors wait to get the Covid vaccine until school personnel have been immunized. I hope they do.

 

I get a Salem Health Covid shot, a bit unfairly

NEXT DAY UPDATE: BAD NEWS. My wife just spoke with an over 65 friend who, along with her husband, were hoping to get a Covid shot at the Fairgrounds today, Friday. She was told that they were turned away, likely because of what Governor Brown announced this morning about the state not getting additional vaccine doses from the federal government as promised. Looks like another screw-up from the Trump administration, among many others.

It's been an interesting 24 hours, Covid-wise. 

Last night I wrote a blog post, Salem Health is allowing people to get "extra doses" of Covid vaccine, where I argued that it was unfair of Salem Health to say on their Covid vaccine web page that only people in the initial 1a group (health care providers and nursing home residents/staff, basically) could be immunized at their Fairgrounds clinic, while allowing people to get shots on a drop-in basis if they showed up at the clinic.

This afternoon my wife and I got our first shot, Pfizer variety, at the clinic. So am I a hypocrite?

Not really. In the morning I perused my Facebook feed and saw that more people were talking about getting immunized at the Salem Health clinic even though they weren't in the 1a group. A few said that appointments can be scheduled through Salem Health's MyChart.

So that got me to thinking that given our age, early 70s, and health status, my wife has asthma and I have a bladder problem that would be tough to deal with if I got a bad case of Covid, it made sense to try to get immunized regardless of how fair it would be. Here's how today went for us. As you can read below, others have had a different experience when they went to the clinic to get the vaccine.

We got to the Fairgrounds site at about 1:50 pm. You enter via Silverton Road. There was a long line of cars in front of us. But the line moved along at a steady slow pace. It took us about half an hour to get to the place where someone talks to you while you're in the car. 

Laurel was driving. The person asked us if we were health care workers. Laurel said, "No, but we have appointments through MyChart; we're over 70 and have pre-existing conditions." Those words earned us an "OK, you're good to go; turn left up ahead." Turning right meant you were leaving the Fairgrounds because you weren't accepted for an immunization.

Now, what's rather strange is that a friend texted me later in the day.

They said that they'd also gone to the clinic in the afternoon today. The couple told the screener that they had MyChart appointments and were over 65. They were turned away. This points to a certain unfairness, since seemingly the only difference between them and us was that we'd mentioned pre-existing conditions.

At any rate, after getting the go-ahead to be immunized we parked and walked into the Jackman Long building housing the clinic after having our temperature checked via a forehead thermometer. 

I was instantly impressed with how efficient, friendly, and professional everybody working there was. 

We were pointed down a MyChart path, since we didn't need to fill out any paperwork, having handled that online. So if you have a MyChart account, click on the Menu with the three bars in the upper left corner, choosing "Covid Vaccination Clinic." The next steps are straightforward.

Laurel and I were given a card that said we got the first Pfizer dose on January 14 and needed to return to get the second dose on February 4. Card in hand, we then joined a line of people waiting to be immunized. Photos were taken to mark the happy occasion.

Laurel Hines

Brian Hines

It didn't take long to reach the end of the line. A staffer apologized for a short delay in the immunization process which lasted less than five minutes. Dr. Ralph Yates, the Chief Medical Officer of Salem Health, was at the head of the line checking cards. Yates saw me a few times early in 2020 about my sciatica problem. 

I told him that I was his sciatica success story, being much improved now. I thanked him for assuring me that I was going to get better, which meant a lot to me when I was despairing that the pain wouldn't go away, Then I thanked him for the marvelous immunization clinic Salem Health was putting on. Yates said that no other county is doing something like this (many more should), and that he was proud no vaccine doses have gone to waste.

We then were directed to tables with an open shot-giver.

Here's a photo of Laurel finishing up with the person who immunized her. The shot was virtually painless, though the needle has to remain in your arm for 10 seconds, which was no big deal.

We then waited in another area for 15 minutes to make sure we didn't have an allergic reaction to the shot. I spent the time texting my daughter and a friend about how we'd just gotten our first Covid immunization. The whole process took shout 90 minutes, including the time in our car.

In case anybody is worried about contacting Covid by going to this immunization clinic, rest assured that the Fairgrounds building is so large, there's plenty of room to socially distance. Naturally everybody wore a mask. 

After we were done, my overwhelming feeling was gratitude for everybody who is working hard to keep the Salem Health clinic going until everybody in Marion County who wants the vaccine can be immunized. This includes the National Guard troops who were much in evidence at the clinic.

I also have been feeling a huge relief that my wife and I got our first shots.

For about eleven months Covid has been an oppressive weight on everybody's mind. There's no escaping the reality of the pandemic, though unfortunately some people try to deny the truth of it. I knew I'd feel good after getting immunized. What I didn't know was how good. 

So I have very little to criticize about the immunization clinic.

As noted in my first post, I still hope that Salem Health will be more transparent about who, exactly, can get a shot. There's clearly a difference between the overt policy on the Salem Health Covid Vaccine web page that says only people who live in Marion County and are part of the 1a group can be immunized, and the actual policy of allowing people in the 1b group to get the vaccine.

Maybe there is a good reason for this. Sometimes rules deserve to be broken, because the rule is too rigid. That could be at play in this case.

However, on January 23 the 1b group will join 1a as officially eligible to be immunized in Oregon -- seniors 65+, teachers, other school staff. Will Salem Health then allow people in the next highest priority group, like store clerks or younger people with underlying conditions, to be immunized? I'm worried that this will create confusion and perhaps even some reluctance to be immunized if the process is viewed as unfair.

Unfair or not, I'm really happy that Laurel and I went to the clinic today. 

Salem Health is allowing people to get "extra doses" of Covid vaccine

Salem Health is allowing people to get the Covid vaccine who aren't part of the 1a group that supposedly comprises the only Oregonians eligible to be immunized currently.

This seems unfair to me, though I'm not criticizing those who took advantage of the extra doses that Salem Health has been doling out to those in the know who have shown up at the Fairgrounds vaccination site.

Yes, it is well known that often it is possible to get more shots out of a vial of vaccine than the usual number. That vaccine shouldn't go to waste. However, I don't understand why those extra doses are being given on a first-come, first-served basis to otherwise ineligible people when this opportunity hasn't been communicated to the general public. 

I learned about this from a Facebook post by Tom Andersen, a member of the Salem City Council who was able to be vaccinated today even though he isn't a health care provider or a resident/staff member of a long term care facility. Those are the basic 1a groups; a detailed list of who is currently eligible to get a Covid vaccine is here.

Andersen said: "I got my first COVID shot today. The local hospital has extra doses so opened up at the state fairgrounds on a first come basis. While not one of the first, I was one of around 1000 or more who got shot."

I'm bothered by what Salem Health is doing. Public confidence in what will be a lengthy Covid vaccination process will be undermined if there appears to be favoritism in who gets a shot, whether intentional or unintentional.

Yesterday Governor Brown announced that as of January 23, seniors 65+ will be eligible to get vaccinated, along with teachers and some others . Here's the three tweets from Brown. Note that this next group, which I gather will be 1b, isn't supposed to be vaccinated until January 23, not January 13.

So Governor Brown told Oregonians to be patient "if you are newly eligible."

Hey, I'm 72. I'm newly eligible. 

I'm also a Salem Health member, as my family physician works at their Edgewater Clinic. I didn't call my doctor's office, because Brown said I shouldn't. I figured that when seniors aged 65+ are able to be vaccinated, information about how to get a shot will be widely available.

But obviously a bunch of people learned that if you show up at the Salem Health vaccination site at the Fairgrounds, and there are extra doses available, it's possible to get vaccinated even though you aren't eligible to get a shot.

I went to the Salem Health Covid vaccination web page to see if there was any indication that someone not in the 1a group could be vaccinated. Answer: no, there is nothing about this. In fact, the message is the opposite. 

If you aren't part of the current 1a group, you aren't supposed to go to the Fairgrounds site. This is boldfaced. Here's screenshots.

So anyone who went to the Salem Health Covid Vaccine web page would be met with the words: "You must live or work in Marion County to be vaccinated at this site AND you must fall into Phase 1a (see below)." 

That "below" says that Phase 1a includes health care workers, residents and employees of nursing homes, and first responders. Also, "Anyone who arrives to be vaccinated will be asked to attest to their eligibility as a member of OHA's Phase 1a groups living or working in Marion County."

Yet other people who show up at the Fairgrounds site have gotten vaccinated even though they aren't in the Phase 1a groups. Hopefully Salem Health can explain why this is happening.

It would be understandable that those administering the vaccines would grab anyone within reach if some doses were going to expire for lack of refrigeration, or whatever, and otherwise would need to be thrown away.

But this comment by Tom Andersen says that "extra doses" have been used by Salem Health several times in the past week. How does someone learn that these extra doses are available? Salem Health should be more transparent about why and how they are administering vaccinations to people who aren't currently eligible to get a shot.

Again, I couldn't find any indication on the Salem Health Covid Vaccine web page that it is possible for someone to wait in line for extra doses being given on a first-come first-served basis, yet this is happening.

If a Salem business isn't requiring masks, report them to OSHA

Remember the saying popularized after the 9/11 attacks: "If you see something, say something." 

That's the patriotic thing to do if you're aware of a danger to your community.

These days it isn't so much terrorism that we have to be worried about. It is people and businesses not complying with public health measures, such as mask-wearing, needed to save lives and prevent illness from COVID-19.

So don't be shy about complaining to the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health division if a business is being lax about requiring that masks be worn by employees and customers, or is failing to enforce rules about physical distancing and how many people can be in the business at one time. 

It doesn't take long to fill out the online complaint form. If you don't want your name made public, indicate that you want your identity to be confidential. 

Remember: you could save a life by filing a complaint. No business has a right to endanger their employees and customers by ignoring the public health orders put forth by Governor Brown and the Oregon Health Authority.

If masks aren't being required, or next-to-useless face shields are being allowed instead, OSHA should be informed. 

A few days ago rob the bartender, tweeting as RobDrinkenstein, shared his outrage at how Lowes and Home Depot were failing to require mask-wearing in their Salem stores.

The next day, he tweeted an update.

Someone on Facebook left this comment on my Strange Up Salem Facebook page after I posted Rob's initial tweets.

I have reported both the Lowes and Home Depot in south Salem to Oregon OSHA -- got correspondence back saying there were open investigations. I just stopped going there, decided Ace Hardware (higher prices) was worth the extra money.

lt's great to see people holding irresponsible businesses accountable for not doing what they're required to do to help stop the spread of COVID-19. If those businesses get fined, they deserve it.

It isn't fair to responsible businesses to let their competitors get away with irresponsible Covid behavior without some serous consequences.

This has been important since the start of the pandemic. But it is especially vital now, given the skyrocketing Covid cases and deaths across the country just when Covid vaccines are becoming available. If everybody does their part to slow the spread of the virus, tens of thousands of lives can be saved, maybe hundreds of thousands.

Are you listening, managers of Lowes and Home Depot? If not, hopefully OSHA can spur your hearing with some hefty fines.