Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team - Weekday Update - June 10, 2021 - 06/10/21

Our local COVID-19 updates represent the coordinated effort of the agencies that make up the DCCRT

JOINT INFORMATION CENTER PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 10, 2021

DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM - WEEKDAY UPDATE

(Douglas County, Ore.)  DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 UPDATE: As of 12:00 pm today, Thursday, June 10, 2021, there are NINE (9) people with new positive test results and FIVE (5) new presumptives to report since our noon update yesterday.  The total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County is now at 3,737*. Currently, there are EIGHT (8) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, two locally and six out-of-the-area. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID response.

*Our daily update includes the total number of cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives, as well as a breakout of those case numbers. There will be times when a presumptive will move to a positive test result, and our total case number will not change because the case has already been counted.

LOCAL CONTACTS AND CASES BEING SUPPORTED IN ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE

Currently, DPHN is supporting 161 cases in isolation, as well as another 587 contacts in quarantine in Douglas County. Isolation is recommended for confirmed and presumptive cases, quarantine is recommended for contacts of confirmed or presumptive cases.  Currently, staff is supporting a total of 748 total contacts and cases in isolation or quarantine.  This number represents a snapshot of the significant amount of work being done locally to help control the spread of COVID.

DOUGLAS COUNTY TIGER TEAM’S FREE POP-UP COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS

The Douglas County Tiger Team is actively bringing free COVID-19 vaccines directly to rural areas via our mobile medical vans (MMV) by visiting businesses, farms, fire stations and locations in our smaller remote communities in Douglas County. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, who have led the charge for our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team efforts since the beginning, have coordinated with DPHN to organize our local Tiger Team to manage our vaccine outreach efforts through ‘pop-up’ vaccine clinics. 

The Douglas County Tiger Team will be hosting FREE POP UP COVID VACCINE CLINICS at the locations listed below.  The clinics are currently open to anyone 18 years of age and older and preregistration is not necessary:

• Thursday, June 10, 2021: Glide and surrounding area.  Clinic will be held at the Glide Rural Fire Protection District – Glide Station located at 18910 North Umpqua Hwy in Glide from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The Tiger Team coordinates with Umpqua Valley Ambulance to bring a certified vaccinator and a medical assistant to each clinic.  If you are interested in having the Douglas County Tiger Team come to your business, fire department, farm or town to provide a pop-up vaccine clinic or if you have any questions about our Douglas County Tiger Teams and want a schedule of their upcoming pop-up vaccination clinics, please call (541) 670-3110 or our local COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550.  Click here for the calendar listing of the upcoming Tiger Team Pop Up Vaccine Clinics. 

AVIVA HAS A DEDICATED FREE COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINIC SITE IN ROSEBURG 

Shared from Aviva Health.  Aviva Health opened a dedicated COVID-19 vaccination clinic site at 4221 NE Stephens Street, Suite 101 in Roseburg, just across the street from its main Roseburg Clinic location near Costco.  The new COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic opened Wednesday, May 18, 2021, and offers free COVID-19 vaccines by appointment.   The new COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and is open for residents ages 12 and older**.  To schedule an appointment during the week please call (541) 672-9596.

**As a reminder: Parental or guardian consent is required to vaccinate residents 12 to 14 years old.  Written consent can be obtained in advance.  Under Oregon law, minors 15 years of age and older may consent to medical treatment, including vaccinations, when provided by a physician, physician assistant, naturopath, nurse practitioner, dentist or optometrist, or other professionals operating under the license of these providers; however, families are encouraged to make decisions about vaccinations together.

ADDRESSING COVID-19 VACCINE CONCERNS

We have been talking about the many reasons why some residents are hesitant or not interested in getting vaccinated. We wanted to provide a response from the medical community that addresses the most common concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Concern #6: I am waiting to see what the side effects are from the vaccines.

Medical Professionals Response: To date, tens of millions of individuals have been vaccinated safely with the COVID-19 vaccines. There are side effects to the vaccines, but the overwhelming majority of them are minor. Serious side effects are rare — on the order of one in several hundred thousand.  Even with the minor side effects, vaccination presents far less danger than being infected with COVID-19.

“While we may not know everything about long-term side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines, what we do know from historical data is that most adverse side effects from vaccines have almost always shown up within the first two weeks, and certainly by the first two months after a vaccine has been administered,” according to Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.  That's why he and many other health professionals asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to wait at least two months after trial participants had been inoculated before considering whether to give emergency authorization to COVID-19 vaccines.  As with most medicines and vaccines, some side effects are expected.  It’s also important to note that if you do have a few minor side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, that it probably means the vaccine is working and that is a good sign that your body is building up immunity to the COVID virus. 

“It’s also important to note that the most serious vaccine side effects in history have all been caught within six weeks,” stated Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. 

"I would say, please tell me what vaccine has ever been shown to cause a long-term side effect that was not picked up in the first two months," said Offit, a co-creator of the rotavirus vaccine who has studied vaccinology for more than four decades.

"The smallpox vaccine could cause inflammation of the heart muscle. The oral polio vaccine was a rare cause of polio -- it occurred in roughly 1 in 2.4 million doses. ... The yellow fever vaccine is a rare cause of ... yellow fever. All those occurred within six weeks of getting a dose.  Plus, the none of the COVID-19 vaccines contain even a piece of the real coronavirus," he said. 

There may be very rare side effects that aren't immediately found in clinical trials. But that's due to the extreme rarity of those side effects -- "not because it's a long-term problem," Offit said.  "Sometimes you're not going to pick it up initially because it's extremely rare, so you aren't going to pick up a one-in-a-million risk in a trial of 44,000 people," he said. 

Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson had about 44,000 participants in each of their trials. The Moderna trial had about 30,000 participants.  In their professional opinion, Dr. Offit and Dr. Jha agree that because coronavirus is highly contagious -- killing more than half a million Americans and leaving many survivors with long-term complications -- you're much better off getting the vaccine.

As with any issue, it is important to make sure you are getting your information from a reputable and qualified source on the topic.  Check your sources and their qualifications.  Just like you would not have open heart surgery performed by a high school baseball coach, you shouldn’t always believe everything you read on the internet…especially when it’s written by a non-medical professional.  We encourage you to talk to a medical professional or call our COVID-19 Hotline if you have questions or concerns.  Talking about your concerns with the COVID-19 vaccine is important.  But, getting everyone that can be vaccinated, vaccinated is the most absolutely critical thing we need to do to end this pandemic before the virus mutates into variants that we can't control with our current vaccines.  #itsyourturn (Information shared in part from HealthJournal.com)

COVID-19 VACCINE ELIGIBILITY OPEN FOR EVERYONE 12 YEARS OLD AND OLDER***

According to the CDC, State of Oregon and OHA, ALL residents ages 12 years old and older*** are eligible to get the COVID-19 Vaccine.  As of May 13, 2021, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for people ages 12 to 15, joining those 16 and above who are already eligible.  The good news, according to Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer, is that we have plenty of vaccine and will be giving to anyone 12 and above who wants it. Remember, “it’s your turn!” So, get signed up or show up to get your COVID-19 vaccine today!

1. Call and set up an appointment with your primary health care provider or ask them for a referral to another health care provider.
2. Call and set up an appointment with a local pharmacy.
3. Sign up for or attend one of the vaccination clinics offered in Douglas County through DPHN, Douglas County, Aviva Health or our Douglas County Tiger Team. 
4. If you are a member of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, please contact to set up an appointment at (541) 672-9405 or log onto https://www.cowcreek-nsn.gov/public-health/. 
5. The Roseburg VA Health Care System is setting up appointments for veterans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  For more information, call the Roseburg VAMC at (541) 440-1000 or log onto https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/.

***Please note that for residents that are ages 12 to 14, this will require a parent or guardian to accompany them and give written consent for the vaccine.  Under Oregon law, minors 15 years of age and older may consent to medical treatment, including vaccinations, when provided by a physician, physician assistant, naturopath, nurse practitioner, dentist or optometrist, or other professionals operating under the license of these providers; however, families are encouraged to make decisions about vaccinations together.

#ITSYOURTURN DOUGLAS COUNTY - DPHN COVID-19 VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

Free COVID-19 vaccines are available to everyone in Douglas County ages 12 and older. Douglas Public Health Network created the #itsyourturn COVID-19 vaccine campaign to encourage everyone to step up and take their turn to get their COVID-19 vaccine to help our communities fight the battle against the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  For more information on how you can take your turn and get your COVID-19 vaccine, contact your primary health care provider, call any local pharmacy, talk to your employer or visit DougCoVaccine.com. Check out the latest videos on the DPHN Facebook Page or the DPHN YouTube Channel, that feature local vaccine voices who hope to inspire our friends, family and neighbors to get the COVID-19 vaccine, so we can move forward to normal lives, activities and celebrations sooner rather than later.  #itsyourturn

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