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COVID Corner PDX Biz explores

Telehealth & Pandemic
In the midst of chaos, there’s hope senting PDX Business events,
Entering its fifth year of pre-
the Mittleman Jewish Com-
BY JOANNA WENDEL WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS? munity Center plans to use a
We’re nearly two years into the COVID-19 Unfortunately, the story isn’t over for those who hybrid format. Some events,
pandemic, and the news seems pretty chaotic. can’t be vaccinated, especially kids younger than including its first program of
But despite the scary headlines, the future is not 12. The head of the National Institutes of Health, the year, will be only via Zoom,
without hope. Francis Collins, has said that emergency use au- while others will be both in per-
According to the Oregon Health Authority, Ore- thorization for COVID-19 vaccines for young kids son and on Zoom.
gon is now seeing more cases per day than the last may not happen until late in 2021, several months Up first at noon, Thursday,
large surge before vaccinations were released. For after school starts. Many parents are afraid for Sept. 30, is “Telehealth and the
instance, the highest number of cases in Oregon, their kids’ lives as Oregon maintains that school Pandemic: What is the future
pre-vaccines, was on Nov. 30, 2020. On that day, districts must return to in-person learning. of medicine?” Discussions will
OHA counted 1,712 cases. On Aug. 16, 2021, I’m not a parent, so I can’t possibly know the fear range from telehealth to medical
OHA recorded 2,600 cases. Hospitalizations and in parents’ minds, but I do want to offer some facts records, cybersecurity and more.
deaths have also been rising, while the average that will hopefully assuage some of those fears: Panelists will be Dr. Andy Bar-
age for cases and deaths is decreasing. the risk of death in children with COVID-19 is nett, Dr. Ariel Z. Salzman and
still low, even with the Delta variant. According to Dr. Mark Zeitzer. Dr. Barnett
VACCINATED VS. UNVACCINATED RISK OPB, the hospitalization rate among kids 10-19 is currently serves as a strategic
However, it’s important to remember that the just 0.8%, the lowest of any age group. consultant to Oregon Health &
populations of people being infected and hospi- Portland pediatrician Malaika Little said in an Science University for its Im-
talized have also changed in a dramatic way. The interview with OPB that “We have millions of mediate Care Services. He is the
vast majority of all cases, hospitalizations and kids at this point that have been tested for COVID. Senior Research Editor for the
deaths are among unvaccinated individuals. We have lots of experience with test-positive Journal of Urgent Care Medi-
We’ve entered a new age of COVID-19, with un- kids, and overall, it’s milder in children.” She is cine and is a frequent contributor
vaccinated and vaccinated groups facing entirely a single mother herself, with a 7-year-old starting to HIPPO Education's podcasts
different risk levels. According to a CDC report second grade this year. She said the most im- on Urgent Care. Dr. Salzman,
released in late August, unvaccinated people are portant thing is that schools take a multi-tiered DPT, OCS, CMPT, is the owner
five times more likely to be infected by COVID-19 approach to reducing transmission; children are of Move Strong Physical Thera-
and 29 times more likely to require hospitalization more likely to contract the disease from adults. py, located inside of the MJCC.
compared to vaccinated people. If you’re vacci- Portland Public Schools released its “Back To She enjoys treating members of
nated, you’re much less likely to become infect- School” guide for 2021, which includes a sum- the community as well as com-
ed, and if you do become infected, you’re much, mary of its approach to student safety. They’ll use petitive and professional ath-
much less likely to require hospitalization. a combination of vaccine mandates for all staff, letes. She also works at Pacific
Breakthrough cases are possible. Every week, physical distancing, newly installed air filters, University, teaching orthopedic
OHA releases a breakthrough case report detail- contact tracing and more to keep transmission low. techniques to physical therapy
ing how many people that week tested positive Reopening schools with a low COVID-19 trans- students. Dr. Zeitzer is the Med-
for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. mission is possible. For some hopeful reading, ical Director for Acute Care Ser-
Since they began releasing that weekly report, check out data scientist Elizabeth Ladyzhets’s vices at ZoomCare, a pioneering
breakthrough cases have hovered between 12 “Opening Profiles” on her COVID-19 Data Dis- health-care company based in
and 16 percent of the week’s total COVID-19 patch blog about schools that reopened and kept the Pacific Northwest. In his
cases. But the vast majority of these people do transmission low. role at ZoomCare, Dr. Zeitzer
not end up in the hospital and do not die. This The pandemic isn’t over, and it won’t be over engineers integrated behavioral
means the vaccines are working. anytime soon, but there is hope for the future. health, urgent, primary, tele-
Vaccination rates, which stagnated over the As more people get vaccinated, we creep closer medicine and specialty care ser-
summer, are again rising as more people realize toward the end. vices to coincide with advanced,
that they’re not safe from the Delta variant. Av- Find testing events at govstatus.egov.com/ chronic care models.
erage vaccination rates are up to 8,000+ per day, or-oha-covid-19-testing and vaccine sites and The cost of the program is free,
compared with 1,000-2,000 per day rates over events at getvaccinated.oregon.gov. but a donation of $18 is sug-
the summer. And now that the Pfizer and BioN- JoAnna Wendel is the lead communications gested. RSVP: oregonjcc.org/
Tech vaccine has received full FDA approval, consultant for the Congregation Neveh Shalom pdxbiz. For questions, contact
there’s hope that more vaccine-hesitant folks will COVID-19 Outreach and Services team funded Saul Korin at 503-452-3427 or
get the jab. by the Oregon Health Authority. skorin@oregonjcc.org.
JFCS requires all employees and volunteers receive COVID vaccine
Jewish Family & Child Ser- ployment and of volunteering. recommendations, and in some agency’s updated policy.
vice prioritizes its clients, JFCS provides counseling, cases requirements, of the U.S. “To take care of everyone in the
volunteers and staff members’ disability support services, Centers for Disease Control JFCS family, we must demon-
health and care. Due to the emergency aid and Holocaust and Prevention, the World strate best practices to support
highly transmissible Delta vari- survivor services to over 1,000 Health Organization, Oregon the greater community,” says
ant of the ongoing COVID-19 clients in greater Portland in ac- Health Authority and Oregon Executive Director Ruth Scott.
virus, JFCS has made receiving cordance with Jewish values. Governor Kate Brown. JFCS’ “In this time of the pandemic,
the vaccine a condition of em- JFCS is following the strong Board of Directors supports the this means getting vaccinated.”
6 Jewish Review Sept. 15, 2021