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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2020)
2A | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Q&A: FLU VACCINATION Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309 Phone: 503-399-6773 Fax: 503-399-6706 Email: sanews@salem.gannett.com Web site: www.SilvertonAppeal.com Staff News Director Don Currie 503-399-6655 dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com Advertising Westsmb@gannett.com Deadlines JoAnn Coates receives her annual flu shot with her husband, Vern, on Saturday at North Lancaster Medical Office in Salem. The walk-through clinic was hosted by Kaiser Permanente. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Flu shot may help avert ‘twindemic’ Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Experts have warned for months that this year’s flu season could be worse than normal because of CO- VID-19, describing the convergence as a possible “twindemic.” In an effort to boost the availability of the flu vaccine, Kaiser Permanente Northwest has opened a drive-thru and walk-up flu shot clinic. The clinic will run through the end of the month. Experts say Octo- ber is the ideal time to get a flu shot. The Statesman Journal talked to Ruthie Berrell, flu clinic coordinator for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, about this year’s flu vaccine, the possible in- teractions between influenza and CO- VID-19, and why getting a flu shot this year is particularly important. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Question: Why is it important for people to get their flu shot, especially this year? Ruthie Berrell: This season, with CO- VID-19 and the flu circulating in our communities, it puts everyone at more risk of getting influenza-like illness. The symptoms that both COVID-19 and the flu have, they’re very similar, and individuals may not realize just how ill they are. But by getting the flu shot, they have an opportunity to stay well. The sooner they get the flu shot, the better. Flu is a deadly disease. It’s more important than ever that people get their flu shot, just so that they can build up some immunities, build up their strength and fight this, fight influenza. Q: Is it possible to get both flu and COVID-19 simultaneously? A: Yes. People have disease and vi- ruses all the time and then they get the flu on top of it. I would honestly say that it is very reasonable and very possible that you could get both. You make your- self more susceptible to getting CO- VID-19 if you don’t practice physical distancing and if you don’t wear a mask when you’re going out. If you get flu on top of that, you just exacerbated the sit- uation for yourself. Q: How bad is flu season supposed to be this year? A: We are anticipating that our flu season could be extremely taxing to our health care system. With COVID-19 and flu this year, we are anticipating an up- tick in the number of flu vaccinations that we’ll be giving, which is great, but also seeing probably more cases. We are very concerned about that. The flu has been killing people for years and it increases hospitalizations. Then you look at what COVID-19 does and how it increases hospitalizations — if we have News Tips The Appeal Tribune encourages suggestions for local stories. Email the newsroom, submit letters to the editor and send announcements to sanews@salem.gannett.com or call 503-399-6773. Missed Delivery? Call: 800-452-2511 Hours: until 7 p.m. Wednesdays; until 3 p.m. other weekdays To Subscribe Call: 800-452-2511 $21 per year for home delivery $22 per year for motor delivery $30.10 per year mail delivery in Oregon $38.13 per year mail delivery outside Oregon Main Statesman Journal publication Suggested monthly rates: Monday-Sunday: $22, $20 with EZ Pay Monday-Saturday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Wednesday-Sunday: $18, $16 with EZ Pay Monday-Friday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Sunday and Wednesday: $14, $12 with EZ Pay Sunday only: $14, $12 with EZ Pay To report delivery problems or subscribe, call 800-452-2511 To Place an Ad Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. an uptick in both, that could cause shortages in hospital beds, it could cause demands on our already taxed health care system and our hospitals. There’s some great concern out there about this. USPS 469-860, Postmaster: Send address changes to Appeal Tribune, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID: Salem, OR and additional offices. Send letters to the editor and news releases to sanews@salem.gannett.com. Q: What’s the effectiveness of the 2020 flu vaccine and how can people best protect themselves from the flu? A: Our vaccine this year is quadriva- lent and it’s effective. What’s not effec- tive is to not have the vaccine at all. It definitely will provide you some immu- nities if given in time. It takes about two weeks to develop the immunities. Historically what happens, however, is people don’t get their flu vaccine or they wait because the weather is nice and, well, it’s not flu season. But actually, it is flu season because, by the time you figure it takes two weeks to develop antibodies, we’re going to be in a colder time. Then what generally happens is people become exposed to somebody who has already got flu-like symptoms and then they’ve just exposed them- selves. Most people that get the flu even af- ter they get the flu shot, they were ex- posed to the flu prior to getting the flu vaccination. And, even if they weren’t, by getting the flu shot, you have helped to decrease just how severe that period of influenza that you’re going into could be. You could experience much more severity without the flu shot than you would with the flu shot. Damage the power lines fire began, officials said. Continued from Page 1A Impact to well-known destinations in Canyon, Opal Creek, Henline Falls Q: When is peak flu season in the Pacific Northwest? A: Usually we start seeing peaks right at November, December, January. That’s why by the end of October we really push that everybody should have their flu shot. It’s really going to be hard to know because of, again, COVID-19. We’re trying to plan and be proactive to help mitigate some of that higher risk and uptick. Path of major impact up length of Little North Fork canyon Q: So, the best time to get the flu shot is by the end of October? A: Yes, this is the month to do it. There are a lot of variables that deter- mine the flu season. We watch for rises in incidents of flu with the public health department. As they start going up, we know we’re in the flu season. But the sooner that people can get vaccinated, the less likely they are to suffer the ef- fects of this. It’s an easy, safe and effec- tive way to prevent the flu. Just get the flu shot. Reporter Connor Radnovich covers the Oregon Legislature and state gov- ernment. Contact him at cradnov- ich@statesmanjournal.com or 503- 399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich. LOCAL ADVISORS Salem Area www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC News: 4 p.m. Thursday Letters: 4 p.m. Thursday Obituaries: 11 a.m. Friday Display Advertising: 4 p.m. Wednesday Legals: 3 p.m. Wednesday Classifieds: 4 p.m. Friday Classifieds: call 503-399-6789 Retail: call 503-399-6602 Legal: call 503-399-6789 Michael Wooters Garry Falor CFP ® FINANCIAL ADVISOR South | 503-362-5439 FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-588-5426 Caitlin Davis CFP ® Chip Hutchings FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-585-1464 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Lancaster | 503-585-4689 Jeff Davis Tim Sparks FINANCIAL ADVISOR Mission | 503-363-0445 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Commercial | 503-370-6159 weeks. In the meantime, the area remains closed, potentially for years, with rain and snow likely to bring landslides to unstable slopes. Opal Creek remains closed, even as pictures pop up The entire Detroit Ranger District, including the Opal Creek area, is closed to the public. The number of downed trees, standing dead trees, ash pits and smoldering fire still make it a hazardous area to enter, officials said. Violators of a closure order may be ticketed and subject to a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment of not more than six months, or both, fire officials said. Even so, pictures, videos and de- scriptions of the area have begun trick- ling out, showing heavy impact to an area that had become one of the most popular places to hike and swim in Ore- gon’s outdoors. The fact that the Little North San- tiam was heavily impacted doesn’t come as a surprise. The narrow canyon was engulfed in flames Labor Day evening and the next morning, according to people who nar- rowly escaped from the area. All five deaths from the Beachie Creek Fire occurred in the Little North canyon, including that of George Atiyeh , the environmentalist who spent a life- time working to conserve the Opal Creek forest from logging. The vast majority of houses and cab- ins in the Elkhorn area were also destroyed. “The North Fork area is a good exam- ple, for better or worse, of how a wind- driven fire can get funneled down a condensed canyon,” Schmidgall said. How did the fire ignite? The Beachie Creek Fire ignited in a remote, steep corner of the Opal Creek Wilderness on Aug. 16, following a light- ning storm, bringing evacuations to Jawbone Flats and the surrounding for- est. The fire smoldered at about 25 acres for weeks, growing little. But due to concerns over firefighter safety, it wasn’t completely put out, forest offi- cials said at the time, even as helicop- ters dropped water on it. The fire blew up on Labor Day night on historically high east winds that reached at least 75 mph. It eventually joined wildfires started by downed power lines in the Santiam Canyon to form a 193,282-acre blaze. It remains unclear where the original Beachie Creek Fire ended and where Tyson Wooters Measure FINANCIAL ADVISOR South | 503-362-5439 Continued from Page 1A Keizer Area Mario Montiel FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer | 503-393-8166 Surrounding Area Bridgette Justis Kelly Denney FINANCIAL ADVISOR Sublimity | 503-769-3180 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Dallas | 503-623-2146 Tim Yount David Eder FINANCIAL ADVISOR Silverton | 503-873-2454 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Stayton | 503-769-4902 OR-USW0002200-01 run into legal brick walls since 1997, when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled campaign contributions amounted to free speech under the state’s constitu- tion and could not be limited. In 2006, voters passed a measure es- tablishing contribution and spending rules while at the same time rejecting a measure amending the constitution. The former was contingent on voters approving the latter. This time around, the focus is on amending the constitution. Yes for Fair and Honest Elections Just about everything in the Little North Santiam canyon was touched, and often severely burned, by the wild- fire. The network of Marion County parks including North Fork, Bear Creek campground and Salmon Falls were hit hard, officials said. The impact appears to get worse up- stream, past the Elkhorn community on the border of Willamette National Forest. Beyond the destroyed bridge spanning Henline Creek, the popular Henline Falls Trail was burned, videos and pictures show. The impact continues up Forest Ser- vice Road 2209 and onto Opal Creek Trail, where a majority of trees were ei- ther burned, knocked down by the wind, or both. The Gold Creek Bridge remains in- tact, along with the Battle Ax bridge. Around Jawbone Flats, the fire ap- peared to burn somewhat less severely. Although it left only one building standing, there appears to at least be patches of green, Canfield said. “There’s a few trees still standing in the downtown Jawbone Flats area, but not a bunch,” he said. “There is some green in every picture.” Further up Opal Creek itself, there is also impact, including at Cedar Flats, the iconic grove of ancient western red cedars. “The report for Cedar Flats was that it was pretty hard hit,” Canfield said. “But there may still be a few of the big trees standing.” Long-term closures to Opal Creek Although the wildfire had the great- est impact, the winter is likely to bring more challenges to accessing the re- mote and narrow canyon. In addition to the bridge over Hen- line Creek being out, landslides are likely in places where the fire burned down to the soil. Residents in the Elkhorn area have already seen the Little North Santiam spike much quicker than normal after rain because there’s less vegetation and roots to limit runoff. Given all the challenges, it’s likely the area will remain closed for the fore- seeable future, officials said. The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, in the Co- lumbia Gorge, kept some trails closed for years — and some still haven’t re- opened. Zach Urness has been an outdoors re- porter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 12 years. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness can be reached at zur- ness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors. Elections, a registered committee in support of Measure 107, has reported receiving more nearly $125,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. Supporters believe passage by a large margin is imperative and will send a message to lawmakers, who will have their hands full next legislative session in the aftermath of the wildfires and the pandemic. They want to ensure campaign fi- nance reform doesn’t “get put on the back burner.” Capi Lynn is a veteran reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6710 or clynn@Statesman- Journal.com, or follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiL- ynnSJ.
