COVID-19: Pandemic ongoing as variant spreads; masks, vaccinations recommended

Spike drivers

The spike in COVID-19 cases is driven by two primary factors, McDonell said — a change in the virus and a change in people’s behavior.

“The delta variant makes up over 90% of the cases sequenced in Oregon,” McDonell said. “It is much more transmissible then the original virus, or the first variant out of Britain.” She said the delta variant may represent a 90% increase over the original virus in its ability to spread. “Think measles or chicken pox,” she said.

District contact tracers in a recent press release reported changes in the way outbreaks were occurring, noting that in recent cases entire families have contracted the virus at the same time, rather then infections impacting first one family member, then perhaps another a week or two later. McDonell said lab tests are not under district control, and take a couple of weeks for results, but all evidence points to the variant’s presence in the county. “It’s here,” she said, “and we need to respond appropriately.”

The second change driving the spike in infections is behavior. The removal of the mask mandate and capacity limits, coupled with an increase in travel and social gatherings, has allowed the delta variant an opportunity to spread widely.

The rising case numbers are a concern because as the number of cases increase, so does the number of people hospitalized with severe symptoms or who die from the disease. In Oregon, 12,455 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19, of which 18% received care from an Intensive Care Unit, she explained. The average length of stay was six days.

Since the pandemic began, Wasco County has reported 1,595 cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths; Sherman County has reported 87 cases and two deaths, and Gilliam County 87 cases and one death. Klickitat County has reported 946 cases and 13 deaths.

Measured by “cases per 1,000” residents, Wasco county has 351.7 cases per 1,000 residents, Sherman county, 669.3, Gilliam county 205.2 and Hood River County 156. Oregon has a state average of 205.2.

Hospital impacts

Hospital beds are at a premium all across Oregon due to a combination of staffing issues and COVID-19, McDonell said.

“Staffing is a national and statewide problem,” she said. “In healthcare, a lot of people have been leaving.” That includes local healthcare workers as well.

In a statement earlier in the week, Mid Columbia Medical Center posted a notice on their website in August stating that “hospitals in the Columbia River Gorge and surrounding communities have seen a rapid, unexpected influx of seriously ill or injured patients. At the same time, they are all experiencing the same shortage of nurses and support staff that is affecting hospitals of all sizes and locations across the country. Combined, these issues have created a critical situation. Unfortunately, since local and metro hospitals are dealing with the same issues, transferring or referring patients to open up bed space is not always an option.”

As a result, Mid-Columbia Medical Center activated an emergency operations plan, the statement said. As part of that plan, when necessary, the hospital will “divert ambulances, divert labor and delivery, and postpone or cancel surgical cases.” (See related story)

Vaccination

In Oregon, 69.1% of people 18 and older are vaccinated. Wasco County has a vaccination rate of 61.7%, Gilliam 41.8%, Sherman 54.9% and Hood River 74.8%.

Vaccines are available at primary care providers, pharmacies and North Central Public Health District.

A walk-up vaccine clinic will be held at The Dalles High School during registration Aug. 10 through 12, hours to be announced.

Wasco County incentives include a $50 VISA card for those getting their first vaccine shot. Participating providers include Mid Columbia Medical Center, North Central Public Health District, One Community Health, Deschutes Rim Clinic, BiMart, RiteAid, Safeway, Fred Meyer and Walgreens.

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McDonell offered a number of suggestions for those wanting to stay safe and help stop the spread of the virus:

What can be done about it?

• Get vaccinated.

• Get your questions answered by a health care professional.

• Wear a mask and keep your distance from others.

• Get tested if exposed or symptomatic.

• Isolate or quarantine if requested to do so by health care officials.

• Stay home when sick.

• Avoid sharing misinformation.

“With our personal behavior, we can help stop this,” she said. People should be wary of the information they are getting, especially online. “Disinformation is widely spread,” she said. “One reason is for money. If we click on it, they get more money. They don’t necessarily believe what they are writing, it’s about getting ‘clicks,’ that is how they make money. Please, get your questions answered by a healthcare professional.”

What can employers do about it?

• Create /continue safe work environment, with physical distancing, ventilation and a culture of awareness.

• Provide paid time off for COVID+19 related issues, including illness, post-vaccine side effects, isolation or quarantine.

• Require masks of employees and patrons.

• Require vaccinations or testing.

Employees should require masks if there are a lot of people coming into the business, or your employees are at risk, McDonell told the board of commissioners. “It’s reasonable to require masks, to safeguard your employers and your customers both,” she said.

“It depends on your work force, their physical space and what they are doing,” she added. If employees are working face-face-face with lots of people, masking and vaccination or testing should be in place,” she recommended. “You can have weekly testing for those not yet vaccinated. You can require it.”

Workplace culture is also important. “If your workplace culture is to go to work sick, everyone will come to work, even if they are sick. We need to create a culture that lets people stay home when they are sick,” McDonell said. “Paid time off will keep everyone much healthier.” Employers can also require vaccination or testing of employees, she noted.

She noted variant data was available only through the state. “We use state average, and seeing the way its being transmitted locally, it is certainly the variant,” she said. “Clinically, it doesn’t matter which variant it is, cases are going up.”

Commissioner Kathy Schwartz, a retired nurse, pointed out that nurses have always been required to be vaccinated in order to work in hospital settings, as have kids in school. “This is not a new thing,” she pointed out.

Virus streak

Locally, the virus is coming from “all across the board,” McDonell said. “We have had some outbreaks in long term care, some at health care agencies, some in restaurants, some in the workplace and some just sporadic. There was not one concert, not one event that did it. It is just so contagious.”

“If you are in an indoor public place, I recommend you wear a mask. I wear them to the grocery store. It’s the venue you are in. Outside, wall to wall bodies, I would wear a mask. Use your common sense, if you are face to face, you should definitely wear a mask,” McDonell said.

Breakthrough infections

Vaccines are never 100% effective at stopping virus transmission, McDonell noted. “They are 80% or 90% effective at preventing infections. With the delta variant, the viral load is so much higher, and vaccinated people who are infected can pass it on to others, even when they are asymptomatic. That’s why the guidance from Center for Disease Control was changed.”

In closing, McDonell noted the pandemic was like a tide, coming in surges and waves. The current surge is exhausting for everyone, but that tide will receded. “It’s my hope that things will calm down,” she said, as vaccinations continue and precautions are taken. “We can stop this.”