Total Cases at Portland State as of Feb. 7: 41
Eight January cases, 0 February cases
After 10 new cases in the month of December, and eight new cases in the month of January, there are zero cases related to PSU that have been reported thus far in the month of February. In the month of January, four resident students and four non-resident students tested positive for COVID-19. Some potential on-campus exposures have been identified and have undergone testing and quarantine, according to PSU’s Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC).
Total cases and deaths in Oregon as of Feb. 7: 146,741 reported cases and 2,019 reported deaths
Total Vaccinations as of Feb. 7: 532,451 first and second doses administered; 734,950 delivered
According to a guide by OPB, illustrating how Oregon plans to “beat COVID-19,” Oregon needs to reach at least 70% citizen immunity from COVID-19. That is an estimated 3.3 million people, or about 165 “sell-out crowds at the Moda Center.”
Oregon is averaging, as of Feb. 5, 16,000 “first doses” of vaccinations per day, and at this rate it would take more than a year in order to vaccinate 3.3 million people completely. It currently requires two vaccine shots, placed two to four weeks apart, in order to provide maximum assumed protection from the virus.
According to the same report, about 150,000 of those required vaccines are shipped in from out of state each week, and are then distributed statewide at locales like hospitals, public health clinics, tribal health centers and pharmacies.
State officials have planned three phases of the vaccine rollout:
Phase 1: limited supply, where vaccines are only available to specific groups.
Phase 2: likely sufficient supply, with vaccines available to the general population.
Phase 3: Routine distribution, with completely open access, perhaps similar to the seasonal flu shot.
Which demographics, professions, and ages that will receive the vaccine at which phase are still being determined. As of Feb. 3, Oregon is in what is called “Phase 1b.”
Phase 1a is only health care workers and skilled nurses. Phase 1b is educators, adults over 65, BIPOC community members, people with underlying conditions, farm workers, food processing workers and people in multi-generational housing. This list is subject to change.
According to reporting and state officials, herd immunity isn’t required to begin returning to “normal life,” rather a combination of continual vaccinations, masks, social distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
Total cases in the U.S. as of Feb. 7: 26,796,705 cases and 454,134 deaths