Salem Political Snark

Salem, and the nation, needs more social capital

My wife and I had a pleasant, albeit low-key, Thanksgiving.

Laurel's apple pie tasted great. The Trader Joe's meatless roast turned out fine once I realized that because I forgot to put the frozen roast in the refrigerator a full 24 hours before it went into the oven, that's why it was mushy. After another 15 minutes of cooking, the roast was perfect.

Not so perfect was the news I woke up to on Friday. A new Covid variant was freaking out the world, including me.

The world reacted with alarm on Friday to the highly mutated new coronavirus variant discovered in southern Africa, as the United States, the European Union and nations across the globe imposed new travel restrictions, financial markets swooned and visions of finally emerging from the pandemic started to dim.

Just two days after the world learned of the variant, the World Health Organization officially labeled it a “variant of concern,” its most serious category — the first since the Delta variant, which emerged a year ago. The designation means that the variant has mutations that might make it more contagious or more virulent, or make vaccines and other preventive measures less effective — though none of those effects has yet been established.

Yeah, the financial markets sure did swoon. Actually, plummet is a better word to describe the carnage. The Dow dropped 2.5%, 905 points. The NASDQ and S&P 500 declined 2.2% and 2.3%. Investors were spooked by the prospect of renewed Covid-caused economic disruption.

It'll take a few days before scientists can figure out whether the new variant, Omicron (15th letter of the Greek alphabet, though it sounds like a supervillain), is more dangerous than the Delta variant we've been dealing with.

Hopefully it isn't. Or at least not much more so, due either to increased transmissibility and/or greater virulence.

Regardless, what worries me the most isn't that scientists and pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna won't be able to come up with sound advice to deal with Omicron, along with updated vaccines to combat its spread, but that the United States is too politically fractured to handle another Covid wave.

We're the only advanced country where public health measures like wearing a mask and getting vaccinated have been politicized.

Because of the inexcusable malevolence of Trump, Fox News, and Republican leaders, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died unnecessarily as a result. We've known what needed to be done to combat the pandemic. Once vaccines were developed, we've had the tools to prevent Covid.

But what we've lacked is the social capital needed to transform what could be into a vibrant what is reality. 

A story in the October 2021 issue of Scientific American, "Social Resilience," contains a definition of social capital: the ability to solve problems and thrive by forming mutually trusting, engaged relationships and networks.

The focus of this story is on the ability of people in Black communities to work together for the common good even though those communities often are disadvantaged in other respects. 

In fact, Mattis and other Black researchers have found that even in the most resource-poor neighborhoods, high levels of social capital not only exist but are used as a means to buffer the community against systematic oppression. In a world racked by a pandemic and climate disasters this form of social consciousness, they say, should be celebrated and deeply studied.

I learned in the story that the first use of the term social capital was in 1916, "when L.J. Hanifan, a progressive serving as West Virginia's state supervisor of rural schools, used it to argue for community involvement in schools."

The individual is helpless socially, if left entirely to himself. If he may come into contact with his neighbor... there will be an accumulation of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his social needs and which may bear a social potentiality sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the entire community.

Here in Salem, as in most places in the United States, we suffer from an excess of individualism. The story quotes Traci Blackmon, a Missouri pastor.

In the Black community we have to take care of ourselves... Black people, in my opinion, and all nonwhite people have this sense of community embedded in our DNA out of necessity that says we have to share what we have in order for everybody to be okay.

Yet here in Salem, lots of well-off people, mostly Republicans, refuse to wear a mask in indoor public spaces because they reject the notion that everybody has an obligation to help protect other people from coming down with Covid-19.

That sort of selfishness is the opposite of the altruistic social capital on display in Black and other nonwhite communities -- which are less materially well-off, but more advanced morally.

It'd be great if the next Mayor of Salem (Chuck Bennett isn't running again) could make it their mission to foster more of a sense of community in our city. Bennett and City Manager Steve Powers have been almost completely silent about the need for everyone to do their part to combat Covid.

The progressive city councilors have been more vocal, but none of them have the sort of soapbox that the Mayor could command. 

Naturally there always will be vehement political disagreements among Salem citizens. But we should be able to come together for important common purposes like fighting a new Covid variant, should Omicron prove to be a marked danger. 

Increasing Salem's social capital should be viewed as important as making sure our city has adequate financial capital. Black communities have a lot to teach us in this regard, as the Scientific American story made clear.

On 9/11, let's remember the 659,556 Covid deaths

This isn't exactly a politically correct sentiment, but it's how I feel. There should be a statute of limitations on mourning the 2,996 people who died in the 9/11 attack twenty years ago.

I say this because our country has a nasty habit of getting all emotional about the wrong things. Or to put it differently, not getting all emotional about the right things. 

Yes, it was a tragedy that so many people died and suffered as a result of the 9/11 attack. But the current number of Covid deaths in the United States is 659,556 -- 220 times the number who died on 9/11. Repeat: 220 times. 

Currently Covid is killing people in the United States at the rate of a 9/11 every two days.

Where is the outrage at this? Where is the determination to hunt down those responsible for this carnage and stop them from killing so many Americans? Where are the voices demanding we put aside political differences and fight the killers with a united front?

Yes, the Covid deaths are caused by a virus, not humans. And plenty of people -- epidemiologists, health care workers, so many others -- have been treating the pandemic as the dangerous enemy that it is.

However, too many Americans, notably those Republicans/conservatives who love to wrap themselves in the flag when it comes to 9/11, have been acting like traitors when it comes to combatting Covid. They side with the viral enemy when they scoff at public health measures: vaccination, wearing a mask, social distancing, testing.

The root cause of 9/11 was a malevolent religious ideology, radical Islam. The root cause of our nation's flawed response to the pandemic is a malevolent political ideology, Trumpism.

Let's not be fooled by the 9/11 attackers being people, and the Covid attackers being viruses. Most of the United States Covid deaths could have been prevented if Trump and his enablers hadn't failed to do what urgently needed to be done to save lives. 

A Lancet Commission report says 40% of U.S. Covid deaths could have been prevented. Deborah Birx, Trump's White House Covid coordinator, says hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved. A Brookings Institution conference said it was possible to avoid 400,000 deaths. 

So I'm unapologetic about caring more about the unnecessary loss of  hundreds of thousands of American lives during the pandemic, a toll that continues to increase by many thousands each week, than by less than 3,000 Americans dying on 9/11 twenty years ago.

I once worked as a health policy analyst.

My experience with bioethics made me well aware of how the dramatic, like a young child needing a liver transplant, captures the public's attention while much greater human suffering results from medical conditions that don't make the front pages of newspapers.

Our nation's obsession with 9/11 strikes me as similar.

The images of the planes hitting the twin towers is fresh in our minds, while we pay much less attention to the 9/11 happening every couple of days in hospitals, homes, and health care settings across the nation. If we truly care about human life, we should be focused on saving lives now, not mourning those who died in 2001.

It's as if our never-ending grief over 9/11 gives us permission to not feel as deeply as we should about the largely preventable misery of the Covid pandemic. By placing a hand over our heart as the national anthem plays at a sporting event on 9/11, the heartlessness of our country's botched response to Covid fades into the background of our supposed compassion.

Today I ignored all the talk about 9/11 on the airwaves and social media. I refuse to feel more badly about a tragedy that's long gone, than a much worse tragedy still ongoing. 

Courthouse Club Fitness being lax about masks

Back in November 2020 I was deeply disappointed when John Miller, the owner of Courthouse Club Fitness here in Salem, defied Governor Brown's order for gyms to close for two weeks because COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were rising so rapidly in Oregon.

(See "Courthouse Club Fitness defies Governor's order to close for two weeks")

Starting yesterday, August 13, 2021, Governor Brown has mandated mask-wearing in indoor public spaces due to... COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rising so rapidly in Oregon. As the familiar saying goes, it's deja vu all over again. 

Well, one personal difference is that in November 2020 I wasn't a member of Courthouse Club Fitness, as described in the above blog post.

My wife and I cancelled our Courthouse Club Fitness membership, which I've had for almost as long as the clubs opened up many years ago, after we learned that the clubs were going to allow people to wear face shields rather than masks when gyms were allowed to reopen. (Face shields are ineffective.)

I rejoined Courthouse Club Fitness after Governor Brown announced the end of Covid restrictions about six weeks ago. It felt good to get back to my usual exercise routine -- stairmaster for 30 minutes, circuit weight training, a bit of solo Tai Chi -- after so many months of at-home exercising. 

Presciently, about two weeks ago I started wearing a mask in Courthouse Club Fitness even though it wasn't mandated. I just felt better doing this, since the Delta variant was causing serious Covid problems in Oregon and elsewhere. Plus, too many people in Marion County were refusing to get vaccinated, a huge mistake both for them and the public at large.

Today I was curious to see whether Courthouse Club Fitness was requiring their gym users to wear masks, as called for by Governor Brown's mask order. Things looked sort of promising when I got to the front door of the River Road center and saw this notice had been put up on a window.

It turns out that masks, face coverings, and face shields are all OK under Brown's order, even though I'm still convinced that face shields are considerably less effective than masks based on the research I've seen, albeit better than nothing.

The Courthouse Club Fitness employee at the front desk was wearing a mask, another positive sign. But then things went downhill, Covid-safety wise.

In the aerobics room most people weren't wearing anything. A couple of young women were running along on the treadmills close to the elliptical machine I was using, maskless, face coveringless, and face shieldless. Some older folks and I had masks on, which was good.

However, I saw no indication that gym staff were making any effort to encourage people to wear a mask, or reminding them of the requirement. In fact, aside from the sole person at the front desk, it appeared that staff weren't wearing a mask either. 

All this bothered me, but not enough for me to say anything.

After all, since Courthouse Club Fitness has been willing to be hit with $126,000 in fines for staying open despite Covid restrictions, a complaint from a member about mask-wearing seemed extremely unlikely to change the owner's resistance to complying with public health requirements. 

I'll keep on wearing a mask while exercising there. It really isn't a big deal.

My heart rate on the elliptical trainer is just the same during my 30 minutes of aerobic exercise whether or not I'm wearing my N95-quality mask with a filter. I'm able to take occasional sips of water while on that machine by pulling up the bottom of my mask a bit.

And when I'm doing my thing in the circuit weight room, I slip off a mask earpiece periodically and take some quick sips of water without breathing much if any maskless air.

It's just unfortunate that Courthouse Club Fitness is so resistant to doing its part to help combat the Delta variant surge in Covid cases that threatens to overwhelm local hospitals. I readily admit that exercising with a mask on isn't as pleasant as exercising maskless. 

However, my Tai Chi instructor just sent out an email saying that even though everyone in our classes is vaccinated, now we're going to wear masks during our indoor sessions, because that's what Governor Brown's mask mandate requires.

Everyone should be working together to stop the pandemic, or at least to get cases down to an acceptable level. Today an estimated 1,000 people gathered at the state capitol here in Salem to protest vaccine and mask mandates. That is incredibly misguided.

Either those people aren't bothering to understand public health science, or they're purposely politicizing the pandemic for their own selfish ends.

Deeply irritating: I'm wearing a mask at the gym

Thanks for nothing, unvaccinated people in Salem and the rest of Marion County. Because of you, I've starting wearing a mask when I exercise at Courthouse Club Fitness.

This selfie I took in the circuit weight training room today isn't very flattering. But the gloomy old man look did mirror my mood, since I much prefer not wearing a mask while using the Stairmaster or lifting weights.

I wasn't alone. Several other older people were wearing masks. First time I've seen this since rejoining the club after it appeared that Covid was in a marked decline in our area.

But because so many Marion County residents are refusing to get vaccinated, those of us with the smarts to get the shot are forced to pay a mask-on price for their foolishness. 

It's now known that the Delta variant is so potent, fully vaccinated people can spread the variant just as easily as unvaccinated people could spread the original Covid virus.

Plus, breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are becoming more common. A Salem Reporter story says: 

From July 18 to 24, Marion County recorded 238 people newly infected with Covid, Rothenberger said. Of those, 51 were “breakthrough” cases where someone fully vaccinated tested positive for the virus, about 21% of the total. Breakthrough cases were about 16% of all Marion County cases the previous week, Rothenberger said.

Wyatt said the county has recorded 340 breakthrough cases total since vaccines began rolling out. Of all breakthrough cases, 29 people have been hospitalized and two have died.

Adults 70 and older remain the group most likely to be hospitalized, Wyatt said, and the rare serious breakthrough cases have mostly been among older people. But she said the share of adults 60 and under hospitalized with Covid has been increasing recently.

Rad said in the hospital, people not vaccinated against Covid become much more seriously ill.

“The breakthrough cases that we have are not as severe and are very much the exception to the rule,” Rad said.

OK, but I'd rather not be an exception to the rule.

Sure, 29 hospitalizations and two deaths among vaccinated people in Marion County isn't a lot. However, when I read that the Delta variant can cause flu-like symptoms for several weeks  in someone vaccinated, that's reason enough for me to wear a mask while in an indoor public place.

Recently the CDC published a map showing where masks should be worn indoors because a county has substantial or high Covid spread. Marion County is a "substantial" county. 

What makes this so deeply irritating is how unnecessary it all is. Covid vaccines are free, safe, highly effective, and easily available. 

Yet the Salem Reporter story says:

About 179,000 Marion County residents - just over half the county’s population - have been vaccinated against Covid, according to Oregon Health Authority data. In Polk County, 55% of the population has been vaccinated, about 46,000 people. Children under 12 still cannot be vaccinated against Covid.

Those numbers put the Salem area below Portland metro counties, which have vaccination rates ranging from 58% to nearly 65%, but well above vaccination rates of 30% to 40% in many eastern Oregon counties.

What a non-surprise.

The more Democrats in a county, the higher the vaccination rate. Marion County is a swing county, basically, so our vaccination rate is in-between the more liberal Portland metro counties and the more conservative eastern Oregon counties.

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.