OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2021

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2021 The Oregon Caregiver 21 DATA & RESEARCH Chart 2: Active Outbreaks vs. Executive Orders: Dec 2020–Sept 2021 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 235 186 11/15/2020 1/4/2021 2/23/2021 4/14/2021 6/3/2021 7/23/2021 9/11/2021 10/31/2021 Active Outbreaks Executive Orders What is abundantly clear from the data is that vaccines remain the most effective tool in preventing COVID-19 infections and ending the pandemic. driver of new COVID-19 cases, it is also increasingly likely that the protection afforded by the vaccines is declining with time as breakthrough cases are a small but growing share of new infections. As of October 2, approximately 24 percent of all new weekly reported cases in Oregon were amongst the vaccinated. Similar trends worldwide led the FDA to recommend a vaccine booster at six months after the last dose for adults 65 and older, people living with underlying health conditions, and health care workers. Nationwide, more than 8.5 million people have already received a booster dose including almost 12 percent of all adults 65 years of age and older, according to the CDC. Approval of boosters for the wider population could soon follow. This approach is typical and expected as many disease-preventing vaccines require multiple doses for our immune systems to develop strong protection over the long-term. With increasing vaccination rates, the availability of booster shots, and a better understanding of the virus as well as improved treatment methods, we hope to be heading toward a better time in the pandemic overall. However, we must be careful of any prediction of what will happen next. The pandemic continues to be a volatile situation and no matter what happens, we can expect COVID-19 to be with us for some time. What is abundantly clear from the data is that vaccines remain the most effective tool in preventing COVID-19 infections and ending the pandemic. This is true for both our wider community, but espe- cially for the long term care sector. Walt Dawson is an assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University and a senior Atlantic fellow with the Global Brain Health Institute. Chart 3: Cases of COVID-19 and Deaths: United Kingdom 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 11/30/2020 12/31/2020 1/31/2021 2/28/2021 3/31/2021 4/30/2021 5/31/2021 6/30/2021 8/31/2021 7/31/2021 9/30/2021 COVID Cases COVID Deaths