TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
THE OBSERVER — 5A
VACCINE
Continued from Page 1A
Busch was given his
fi rst shot, then a second
28 days later. He tracked
his temperature daily, kept
an e-diary and checked in
weekly.
He also was to check in
if he ended up ill.
Though he wasn’t ini-
tially told if he was given
the vaccine or a placebo,
he suspected he had the
real deal, which turned
out to be the case.
He never had any-
thing more than mild side
effects to the vaccine,
including some arm sore-
ness and a minor head-
ache. He was able to
operate as normal, and
didn’t have to be “holed
up” as he put it.
“I even went fi shing
out at sea for a week,” he
said. “They couldn’t call
me, but I got on the ship to
shore and called them.”
He was consistently
tested for COVID-19 and
had blood drawn on sev-
eral occasions during the
early stages of the study.
Steven Busch will actu-
ally be part of the study
for two years as long-term
effects are looked at.
The Moderna vac-
cine was developed
using mRNA rather than
the actual virus itself.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention website, mes-
senger RNAs, as they are
called, “…teach our cells
how to make a protein —
or even just a piece of a
protein — that triggers an
immune response inside
our bodies. That immune
response, which pro-
duces antibodies, is what
protects us from getting
infected if the real virus
enters our bodies.”
mRNAs have been
studied for about 10 years,
and Amy Busch said
they have been used on
other diseases, such as
ebola. The CDC site noted
mRNA vaccines have
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Lisa Chadwick of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints carries a box of food
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, outside the Northeast Oregon Regional Bank, La Grande.
FOOD
Amy Busch/Contributed Photo
Steven Busch, left, was part of the trial group for the
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2020. His daughter, Amy
Busch, right, is a public relations and development
director at Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness and also
received the COVID-19 vaccine. Both had similar minor
side effects to the inoculation.
been studied on the fl u,
Zika and rabies, as well.
“They’ve been with us
for so long, which is why
we were able to get a vac-
cine so quickly,” she said.
“It’s been really exciting
science. They are looking
at it for cancer, as well.”
Her background knowl-
edge of mRNAs made her
confi dent that even though
the vaccine was still in
its early stages, her dad
would be OK being part of
the trial.
“I was proud,” she said.
“I thought it was so cool
that he was willing to do
that for our communities
across the nation and for
the world, really. I was
kind of jealous. Being in a
small town we don’t really
have that opportunity. It
was in larger cities where
they could draw a larger
population.”
Like her father, Amy
Busch had very mild side
effects, including soreness
and a headache.
“I did it because I care
about this place,” she said.
“I care about the people we
serve at Wallowa Valley
Center for Wellness. If this
is a way I can give back to
my community this is how
I give back.”
Both see the impor-
tance of the vaccine, and
Amy Busch said people
who have concerns should
meet with their doctor.
“Our local doctors
and primary care pro-
viders are doing a really
good job at tracking the
research and tracking
the data. They have great
knowledge,” she said.
“They want to talk to our
community about the vac-
cine, go through the pros
and cons (with people). If
you have health concerns,
they will understand what
those health concerns are,
(and) why it would be
good if you get the vac-
cine or not.
“Having that heart-to-
heart is really important.”
Continued from Page 1A
Regional Food Bank
after receiving a request
for food from a church
member in Grant County.
He checked and found the
food bank was in need of
a boost and helped to get
a shipment of food to it.
Chadwick said his role in
the large donation was a
minor one.
The Northeast Oregon
Regional Food Bank,
based in La Grande, is a
part of Community Con-
nection of Northeast
Oregon Inc.
Rob Murphy of Deseret
Industries, a part of the
LDS Church, drove the
semi hauling the load.
He said he has delivered
numerous large ship-
ments of food and items
throughout the United
Continued from Page 1A
because providers have
72 hours to report doses
administered, and technical
challenges have caused
providers to lag in their
reporting.
OHA has been providing
technical support to vac-
cination sites to improve
the timeliness of their
data entry into the state’s
ALERT Immunization
Information System.
Oregon as of Monday
administered a cumulative
total of 683,887 fi rst and
second doses of COVID-19
vaccines, according to the
OHA. To date, 885,250
doses of vaccine have
been delivered to sites
across Oregon. The Health
Authority cautioned these
data are preliminary and
subject to change.
The OHA also noted
on Monday the decline
in vaccine administra-
tions is likely the result of
the winter weather that is
pummeling the region.
The Center for Human
Development continues to
hold COVID-19 vaccina-
tions clinics. According
to information on the cen-
ter’s vaccination webpage,
www.chdinc.org/get-vacci-
nated-update, the clinics on
Feb. 19 and Feb. 22 to pro-
vide the fi rst dose of
the vaccine are full.
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the situation worse,
increasing the need for
food.
“Demand is way up,”
Smith said.
Smith said signifi cant
fi nancial contributions
also helped the Northeast
Oregon Regional Food
Bank. Grocery Outlet
in Island City donated
$13,000 to the food bank
in 2020 following a fund-
raising drive, and the state
provided $60,000 in 2020
for food purchases due to
the pandemic. She said
the state normally does
not provide such funding.
Those funds, Smith
said, have played a big
role in sustaining the food
bank in early 2021.
And the shipment from
the LDS Church will go a
long way toward helping
Smith feel more at ease.
Smith described it
as “a huge relief.”
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States. In many cases he
has driven into disaster
zones, including commu-
nities hit by hurricanes.
Murphy said he never
tires of making deliveries
to those in need.
“It is a wonderful thing
to be a part of,” he said.
Smith said the timing
of the delivery was ideal.
She noted donations to
the food bank are down,
which is normal for this
time of year. She said
donations typically fall
the fi rst few months after
Christmas.
Supplies at the food
bank also are down
because of the COVID-19
pandemic. She said fewer
food drives have been
conducted during the
pandemic because they
involve more contact, put-
ting people at risk. And
the recession the pan-
demic has caused makes
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HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT SOME
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SO
HAVE
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That’s why between 2021 and 2023 the Oregon Department
of Transportation will be upgrading signs along the Interstate
84 and Interstate 82 corridors. To collect feedback about the
upcoming project we are holding an ONLINE OPEN HOUSE
now through Feb. 28. Please take a few minutes to visit the
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Overview: This project will upgrade and replace signs along 331
miles of I-84 from Cascade Locks to Idaho, and on all 10.7 miles
of I-82. All freeway and ramp signs will be replaced, with the
exception of traveler information (blue signs), milepost signs and
recently replaced signs.
The project will be completed in two
phases, with the first phase starting
later this year and the second phase
starting in 2023.
We appreciate your review and
feedback. It will help us construct a
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For more information please contact Tom Strandberg, ODOT Public Information Officer
at 541-663-6261, or email thomas.m.strandberg@odot.state.or.us