Category: Covid-19

Not tech savvy? Dial 211 starting Monday and ask to speak with the reservation call center for Portland vaccinations.

PORTLAND, Ore On Monday, 168,000 Oregonians 80 and older become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Only about 3% of them will get a shot during their first week of vaccination events at the convention center or airport.

Those who will be eligible for the vaccine in the Portland area should know they won't be able to reserve an appointment until noon Monday. They will be able to use the automated scheduling tool on the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) COVID-19 webpage.

If you're eligible, click that white speech bubble in the orange circle on the lower right side of the page, and it will take you through a series of questions. If there are times available, you'll be able to make a reservation.

People can also dial 211 and ask to be transferred to the reservation call center. Operators there will ask questions to make sure they qualify, then book a time at either the Portland International Airport drive-thru location or the Oregon Convention Center.

The first week, there will be about 1,000 doses available for seniors at the convention center and 4,450 at the airport drive-thru site. The airport got more because organizers assumed it would be easier for seniors.

In other parts of the state, the OHA urged seniors to contact their county health department for information on how to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Some, like Baker County, are pushing the information out to the public. Baker Countys announcement included information on how to sign up.

County residents can sign up at http://www.bakercountycovid19.com anytime, or by calling 541-523-0015 between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 8 through Thursday, February 11. Spanish translators will be available, it read.

In the meantime, Gov. Kate Brown thanked seniors for something many do not have when it comes to waiting for these shots.

I want to say thank you to our seniors for your patience thus far and for your continued patience in the coming days and weeks," said Gov. Brown. "We are certainly still managing a scarce resource. There is not enough vaccine yet to give everyone eligible a shot when they are ready."

Many are angry they were pushed behind educators in the vaccine line even though most of the deaths from COVID-19 in Oregon are in the senior population.

Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said during the same news conference Friday that there is some good news. He said Oregon ranks 12th in the nation in percentage of population that has received at least one dose of the vaccine (8.8%). The state is 16th in the nation for percentage of vaccine used (67%).

Allen said over the last seven days, more than 15,000 people were given a shot each day.

On top of that, he said the amount of vaccine coming to Oregon will soon go up from 52,000 first doses a week to 75,000. Because of that, he expects to move into the rest of 1B eligible population in two months, a month earlier than previously expected. 1B includes front line workers like grocery clerks and those with underlying medical conditions.

Do you have a story or comment for Pat? Email him at pdooris@kgw.com

Read this article:

What seniors 80+ should expect before getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon - KGW.com

Posted: Feb 3, 2021 / 11:38 AM HST / Updated: Feb 3, 2021 / 07:18 PM HST

HONOLULU (KHON2) The death of a male Halawa Correctional Facility inmate, between 50 to 60-years old, is being classified by the Hawaii Department of Health as a COVID-19-related death. This is the third COVID-19-related death among inmates. The first two (2) deaths, reported in November 2020 and January 2021, were Saguaro Correctional Center inmates.

[Hawaii news on the goLISTEN to KHON 2GO weekday mornings at 7:30 a.m.]

Halawa currently has three active positive inmate cases, two of which are in medical isolation at the facility and one hospitalized. There was one negative inmate result received Wednesday.

For more information on PSDs planning and response to COVID-19, inmate testing data, and information detailing the efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit their webpage.

Continued here:

Third Hawaii inmate has died of COVID-19 - KHON2

MOSCOWRussias homegrown Sputnik V vaccine showed high levels of efficacy and safety in a peer-reviewed study, handing Moscow a geopolitical coup and a potential slice of the multibillion-dollar vaccine market as it seeks to promote the Covid-19 shot abroad and curb the pandemic at home.

Tuesdays findings, from a preliminary analysis of a large-scale clinical trial published in the British medical journal the Lancet, demonstrated that the two-shot vaccine was 91.6% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and offered complete protection against severe cases. There were no serious side effects, the paper said. The vaccine was also found to be similarly safe and effective in elderly people.

The endorsement of Sputnik V presents a significant victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the global vaccination race, providing a vote of confidence in the capability of Russian science and medicine and helping to deflect some of the criticism Moscow encountered for its fast-tracked development of the vaccine and lack of published trial data.

The Russian shots efficacy rate is almost equal to vaccines developed by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE , which are around 95% effective, and outshines the vaccine produced by the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC, which has published efficacy rates at between 62% to 90% in late clinical trials, with most trial results in the lower end of that range.

Russiathe worlds fourth worst-hit country with nearly four million caseshas banked on Sputnik V to avoid new costly lockdowns as its economy reels from plummeting prices for its oil, a critical industry for the country. Authorities here plan to vaccinate 60% of the domestic population by the end of the year.

Original post:

Russian Covid-19 Vaccine Was Highly Effective in Trial, Boosting Moscows Rollout Ambitions - The Wall Street Journal

Three members of the same family from the Santa Clarita area died from COVID-19 complications after attending a gathering with relatives around Thanksgiving.

Two brothers, 55-year-old James Mercadante and 51-year-old George Mercadante, died hours apart from one another, and their uncle, also named George Mercadante, who was in his 80s, passed away two weeks later.

James and Georges sister, Sarah Mercadante, thinks the virus may have spread during the family gathering, which she did not attend, as the symptoms of all three men started around the same time. Her brothers and uncle were all hospitalized.

I just kept thinking, Were strong and healthy, were strong and healthy,' she said. But no.

Sarah says she didnt get a chance to say goodbye to James, who died on Jan. 10, in person.

He said, God bless you, Sarah, and I love you. That was the last thing he said to me, she said. I would say, Youre young and healthy. Youre gonna get through it. Now I feel awful. He was the one being the most careful and he was the first one to pass away in the family.

Her other brother George died hours later. Then her uncle died about two weeks later, on Jan. 27.

Theres no rhyme or reason behind it. Its cruel. Its evil, Sarah said. You cant be in the hospital with your loved one when this is going on. Its gut wrenching.

James was a lead supervisor at Saugus High School and survived the 2019 mass shooting there. The school posted on Facebook saying that his kind personality and smile will be missed.

His sister says he was an active and strong bicyclist, hang glider and an Army veteran.

Strong and healthy as an ox. It knocked him out so fast, Sarah said.

Their brother George had a disability and James cared for him most of his life, she said.

He was basically the mind and heart of a child stuck in a grown mans body, Sarah explained.

Their uncle George, also an Army veteran, was hospitalized for several weeks before Sarah said she made the difficult decision to take him off life support. She says she fought for him to be treated with non-approved drugs under the Right to Try Act, but it was too late.

My uncle loved to travel and he was always a spur-of-the-moment, adventurous kind of guy even at 85. And strong as an ox as well, Sarah said.

Her parents, who are in their 80s, also tested positive for the coronavirus, but they recovered.

Whats gonna end up killing my dadis burying his two sons and his brother, she said.

Sarah says her outlook on the virus has changed.

When you watch three of your loved ones pass away on ventilators and life support right in front of you Every day Im dealing with a mix of emotions between grief and anger toward the virus, she said.

A friend of the Mercadante family set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.

See the original post here:

3 Santa Clarita relatives who attended Thanksgiving gathering die of COVID-19 within 2 weeks of each other - KTLA Los Angeles

It definitely hurts to lose someone of that caliber of that just extraordinary spirit, but at the same time, you know again, its a challenge. Its like okay, how are we going to honor him? How are we going to make sure that we do the things that always how up at Dotsonism, says Terrell Carter who was a fraternity member with Dotson in the Phi Beta Sigma Chapter.

Read the original:

Funeral held for BRPD officer who died from complications of COVID-19 - WAFB

British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if its OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines.

The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart.

Guidelines in Britain and the U.S. say the vaccines arent interchangeable, but can be mixed if the same kind isnt available for the second dose or if its not known what was given for the first shot.

Participants in the government-funded study will get one shot of the AstraZeneca AZN, -0.12% vaccine followed by a dose from Pfizer PFE, -0.43%, or vice versa.

This study will give us greater insight into how we can use vaccines to stay on top of this nasty disease, said Jonathan Van Tam, the U.K.s deputy chief medical officer.

He said that given the challenges of immunizing millions of people amid a global vaccine shortage, there would be advantages to having data that could support more flexible immunization campaigns.

COVID-19 vaccines all train the body to recognize the coronavirus, mostly the spike protein that coats it. The ones from AstraZeneca and Pfizer use different technologies. AstraZenecas uses a common cold virus to carry the spike gene into the body. Pfizers is made by putting a piece of genetic code called mRNA the instructions for that spike protein inside a little ball of fat.

The British research is scheduled to run 13 months and will also test different intervals between doses, four weeks and 12 weeks apart.

A study published this week on the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine showed it was about 91% effective in preventing COVID-19. Some immunologists credit the fact that the vaccine uses two slightly different shots, made with similar technology to AstraZenecas.

But the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are so different that its really hard to know if that would work, said Alexander Edwards, an associate professor in biomedical technology at Britains University of Reading.

Matthew Snape, the new studys leader at Oxford University, which helped develop the AstraZeneca vaccine, called for British volunteers over age 50 to sign up; scientists are hoping to enroll more than 800 people.

If the vaccines can be used interchangeably, this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine delivery, he said in a statement. (It) could provide clues as to how to increase the breadth of protection against new virus strains.

In recent weeks, Britain, the European Union and numerous other countries have been hit with vaccine supply issues: AstraZeneca said it would dramatically reduce the expected number of doses it could deliver due to manufacturing delays and Pfizer also slowed deliveries while it upgraded its Belgian factory.

More:

U.K. to test mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines - MarketWatch

MADISON (WKOW) -- Fourteen more people were added to the total of those who have died in Wisconsin because of COVID-19, according to the latest numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Deaths for each day arereported by DHS HERE.

DHS also reported 94 people were newly hospitalized.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 657COVID-19 patientswere being treated in Wisconsin hospitals, down 29 from the day prior.

Of those, 158 are in the ICU, up 12 from the day before,according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

There have been 1,177 positive COVID-19 tests since yesterday in Wisconsin and 4,689 negative results.

(CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL DHS DASHBOARD)

The Department of Health Servicesdashboardshows the seven-day average of both positive tests by day and test by person.(CHART)

(App users, see the daily reports and charts HERE.)

Of all positive cases reported since the pandemic began, 522,361 or 95.8 percent, are considered recovered.

As of Tuesday a total of 613,247 vaccines have been administered throughout Wisconsin.

DHS now has a county-level dashboard to assess the COVID-19 activity levelin counties and Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition regions that measure what DHS calls the burden in each county.View the dashboard HERE.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services updates the statistics each dayon its website around 2 p.m.

(Our entire coronavirus coverage is available here.)

The new strain of the coronavirus causes the disease COVID-19. Symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath. A full list of symptoms is available onthe Centers for Disease Control website.

In severe cases, pneumonia can develop. Those most at risk include the elderly, people with heart or lung disease as well as anyone at greater risk of infection.

For most, the virus is mild, presenting similarly to a common cold or the flu.

Anyone who thinks they may have the disease should call ahead to a hospital or clinic before going in for a diagnosis. Doing so gives the staff time to take the proper precautions so the virus does not spread.

Those needing emergency medical services should continue to use 911.

(County by county results are available here).

Link:

Fourteen more dead from COVID-19 in Wisconsin; 94 newly hospitalized - WKOW

It sort of gives your immune system a head start. Youll eventually make these antibodies anyway, but by giving them very early, even at the time that youre exposed to the infection, theyve been shown to prevent symptoms of COVID-19. They also prevent infection in about half of the patients that receive them, Petri said.

Read more:

UVA antibody trial suggests treatment successfully prevents COVID-19 symptoms and infections - WVIR

There are 525,600 minutes in a year. How many COVID-19 related deaths have we seen in the thousands of minutes since this began?

Psychiatry & Society

H. Steven Moffic, MD, talks about the extreme loss toll from COVID-19 and the effect it has on our collective mental state.

Dr Mofficis an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry. A prolific writer and speaker, he received the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association in 2002. He has recently been leading Tikkun Olam advocacy movements on climate instability, burnout, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism for a better world. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric TimesTM.

Here is the original post:

525600 Minutes and the Prolonged Grief of COVID-19 - Psychiatric Times

ROCKFORD (WREX) Hundreds of people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Winnebago County. Among them now is a doctor who made it her mission to save lives, even if it put her at risk.

"This loss that we feel is never going to go away," said Lara de Rosales, the daughter of Dr. Roselia de Rosales.

You already know how this story ends. A family loses their matriarch, their beloved mother, to COVID-19. But Dr. de Rosales' life was so much greater, more meaningful and more impactful than her death. And that is the story that needs to be told.

"My mom was a very small and loud woman. I think that she was able to capture the energy in any room she walked into," said Laura.

Dr. de Rosales was born in the Philippines, and in Rockford juggled being a single mom and a popular doctor at Rockford's VA Clinic.

"Patients in general that I've talked to. They've said your mom is the best doctor I've ever had," said her oldest son, Jon de Rosales.

Perhaps, though, what speaks volumes about Dr. de Rosales is the the fact that she continued her work as a doctor even though she knew it put her own health at risk.

"She could have said no, honestly, like it's risky for her health conditions and what not. She knew that," said her middle son, Ryan de Rosales.

But the doctor was used to putting everyone first, ahead of her.

"We thought our mom was a superhero and she was invincible," said Jon.

That's why in Novemeber when she got COVID-19, they were sure she'd pull through.

"We had family friends who got COVID and they recovered. But my mom just seemed like it was worse," said Laura.

It was worse. She ended up in the ER, was hooked up to oxygen and then eventually put on a ventilator. She would spend more than a month fighting for her life. Then on December 23, the larger than life doctor, her children's invincible superhero, took her last breath. She was 63.

Her memorial page was flooded with comments from patients. "The best doctor I ever had," read one. "You were one of a kind," said another.

"Everyday I think about her," Jon said with regret in his voice.

But the memories aren't of her final days or of her battle with COVID-19. Because in the end we are not remembered for how we died, but how we lived. And for Dr. de Rosales, hers was a life well lived, well loved, until the very end.

The VA provided 13 WREX a statement about Dr. de Rosales saying:

"Dr. Roselia de Rosales was avalued member of the MadisonVAand Clinics team and she is deeply missed. A dedicated physician and strong advocate for her patients, she exemplified theVAs commitment to our Veterans. She was well-liked by her patients. Many had been in her care for several years, some even followed her from other clinics so that they could remain under her care at theRockfordVACommunity Based Outpatient Clinic. Her lasting impact cannot be understated.We offer our deepest condolences to Dr. de Rosales family and loved ones at this difficult time."

Her children say it is not clear where she contracted the virus from. Dr. de Rosales was diagnosed with COVID-19 roughly a month before the vaccine became available to healthcare workers.

Read the rest here:

Rockford doctor who died from COVID-19 remembered as 'one of a kind' - WREX-TV