OREGON
A6 — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2021
Another wave of COVID-19 infections?
lent, but capable of infecting lots
of vaccinated people — that could
still be enough to bring Oregon’s
health system, still reeling from
the delta wave, to its knees again.
“Even with a low rate of hos-
pitalization, when we open up
so many people to being no
longer protected, it’s gonna put
a real strain on our health care
resources. It’s bad news,” Graven
said.
Researchers at OHSU
emphasize importance
of booster shots to
fight the new variant
By AMELIA TEMPLETON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Hospitals in
Oregon are still understaff ed and
struggling.
And now they’re facing a new
challenge: planning for omicron,
the new variant of COVID-19
that’s upending what we know
about the pandemic.
The fi rst three cases of omi-
cron were detected in Oregon just
on Monday, Dec. 13.
Now, local scientists are
warning that omicron could
become the dominant variant in
the state within a month or so,
poised to trigger a new fi fth wave
of infections.
“Oregon probably has a little
time, but each day is counting
now,” said Peter Graven, a data
scientist at Oregon Health and
Science University and author of
an infl uential COVID-19 state-
wide forecast. “The cases are
here and it means that certainly in
January we’re going to be dealing
with this big time.”
Graven says while just three
cases have been detected so far,
likely many more have gone
undetected. He points to places
like the United Kingdom and
Denmark, where the variant was
fi rst identifi ed about three weeks
ago — and is now driving up
infection rates.
Whether that fi fth wave is a
lion or a lamb will likely hinge
on two key factors: if Oregon can
quickly increase the number of
people who are vaccinated and
have received a booster dose, and
omicron’s virulence.
Why vaccination still
matters
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
A thin plastic sheet separates the intensive care unit from the COVID-19 ward at Grande Ronde Hospital on Monday, Aug. 30,
2021. Oregon-based scientists are warning that omicron could become the dominant variant in the state within a month or so,
poised to trigger a new fi fth wave of infections.
Losing herd immunity
So far, early evidence shows a
two-dose course of approved vac-
cines is signifi cantly less eff ective
at preventing mild infection and
transmission of omicron than it
was against past variants.
While the data is limited, sci-
entists say there are reasons to
believe two doses may off er some
protection against severe outcomes
like hospitalization and death.
However, booster doses appear
much more eff ective against omi-
cron than just an initial course of
vaccine.
“If you’re really interested in
doing the things that you can do
to protect yourself, boosting is
something that is really likely to
enhance your protective immu-
nity,” said Dr. Bill Messer, a clin-
ical researcher at OHSU who
treats COVID-19 patients and
studies viral evolution.
Only about 20% of Oregonians
have gotten a booster shot so far.
Graven says the bottom line is
that Oregon needs to drive up its
booster rate — otherwise many
more people will be susceptible to
getting infected as the new variant
spreads.
“We were getting very close to
herd immunity once again with
delta. Now, to have a lot of that
immunity be kind of thrown out
the window is a real problem,” he
said.
Graven says getting booster
doses to people in nursing homes
and other types of long term
care should happen immediately,
before the variant has time to start
spreading.
“They are still our most vul-
nerable group. They are the most
likely to get sick and then need to
go to the hospital. And many of
their vaccines were delivered fi rst,
which means they have had the
most time to wane. This is a pop-
ulation that needs to have their
booster,” Graven said.
Less virulent — but how
much less?
Graven and Messer both say
research is pointing toward omi-
cron causing less severe illness
than other variants — a second
key factor in what the next wave
of cases may look like.
Messer cautions that much of
the data on severity comes from
South Africa, a country with a
very young population, among
whom COVID-19 tends to pro-
duce milder illness in general.
But he believes the research on
virulence so far is good news.
“I am becoming cautiously
optimistic that omicron is less
virulent than delta or prior vari-
ants,” Messer said. “The real
question is how much less
virulent.”
If omicron is a little less viru-
Messer says its possible that
omicron is inherently less virulent
because of its mutations.
But another critical question
is whether the variant is causing
less severe infections because it
is re-infecting a lot of people who
have been infected previously and
causing breakthrough cases in
vaccinated people.
Experience with a previous
version of the virus may be giving
people’s immune systems a head
start against the variant, regard-
less of its new mutations.
“There’s probably still pro-
tection against severity of illness
for people who have been vacci-
nated,” Messer said.
He expects two types of
immune cells, memory T cells
and memory B cells, may still rec-
ognize omicron and begin to fi ght
it.
Memory B cells, which pro-
duce antibodies, may play a par-
ticularly important role in moder-
ating the severity of an infection
with a new variant.
Messer says the best way
to give your immune system a
head start against omicron is to
get boosted — or if you haven’t
been vaccinated at all, to start the
process.
“It’s helpful that it’s less viru-
lent,” he said, “but it still doesn’t
do the work that vaccination
would do to take the pressure off
our health care system.”
Sams sworn in as National Park Service director
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
The former headquarters of Pendleton Grain Growers in Pendle-
ton now belongs to La Grande-based Braseth Properties. PGG an-
nounced Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, the cooperative paid members,
avoided bankruptcy and is heading fi nalizing dissolution.
Pendleton Grain Growers
pays members $12.1M,
heads to dissolution
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton Grain Growers in a
press release Thursday,
Dec. 16, announced it
avoided bankruptcy and
paid $12.1 million in
patronage, a distribution
of profi ts, to members at
the cooperative’s annual
meeting Dec. 15.
Members who did not
attend the annual meeting
will receive checks in the
mail.
“The PGG board antic-
ipates distributing addi-
tional funds, in cash and
patronage,” according to
the press release, “as the
dissolution of the co-op is
fi nalized.”
Pendleton Grain
Growers in 2014 faced
years of losses, while
the co-op’s banks called
in loans, threatening
liquidation.
“The PGG board took a
diff erent approach and in
the seven years since, suc-
cessfully avoided bank-
ruptcy, repaid all debts,
met pension obligations,
found operators to purchase
most businesses, provided
employees with new jobs or
severance and resolved all
environmental issues,” the
press release stated.
Tim Hawkins, chairman
of the PGG board, said
in the press release it was
the board’s commitment
that made the avoidance of
bankruptcy possible.
“It was understood this
would take years to achieve
and the board chose to
commit to it,” Hawkins said
in the press release. “The
results of the board’s com-
mitment have been spec-
tacular, and we were able
to return more patronage
than ever imagined, and
we leave behind no debt
unpaid, no known problem
unresolved.”
According to PGG, the
key events that made this
turnaround possible were
CoBank refi nancing the
co-op’s debts, the quick clo-
sure of losing operations
that could not be sold, the
sale of grain operations in
2016 to United Grain Cor-
poration, the improvement
and sale of remaining oper-
ating businesses and the
development and sale of
other properties.
Hawkins said dissolving
the board in “a healthy,
careful way” resulted in
a better outcome than
expected.
“In the end, we will
return funds to mem-
bers three times greater
than the patronage PGG
had recorded at its low
point,” he said in the press
release. “The outcome is a
huge win for PGG and the
community.”
WASHINGTON — In the photo
accompanying the news that Chuck
Sams has been sworn in as the 19th
director of the National Park Service,
he and his new boss, U.S. Secretary of
the Interior Deb Haaland, shake hands
as the Lincoln Memorial looms in the
background.
Sams now is directly responsible
for managing the Lincoln Memorial,
and in a statement Thursday, Dec. 16,
in a press release, Sams previewed his
stewardship of America’s parks, his-
torical sites and monuments.
“I am honored to serve as director
of the National Park Service and
thank President Biden and Secretary
Haaland for entrusting in me the care
of one of America’s greatest gifts: our
National Park System,” he said in the
statement. “I am also incredibly proud
to work with the dedicated employees
of the National Park Service. I have
no doubt that together, we’ll be able to
expand access to the outdoors, protect
America’s public lands, and upgrade
our nation’s infrastructure system
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law.”
When the U.S. Senate unani-
mously confi rmed him in December,
Sams, an enrolled member of the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation, became the fi rst
National Park Service/Contributed Photo
Chuck Sams, the new director of National
Park Service and an enrolled member of the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation, shakes hands in this undated
photo with U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Deb Haaland. Sams is the service’s fi rst per-
manent director in fi ve years.
American Indian to serve as park
director. He now serves under Haa-
land, a member of the Laguna Pueblo
in New Mexico and also the fi rst
Native person to hold her role.
“Everyone should have access to
the outdoors no matter where they
live, how much money they have, or
what their background is,” she said in
the press release. “Chuck Sams under-
stands the importance of connecting
people to nature, and I am thrilled to
work with him as the Interior Depart-
ment works to make our national park
system accessible to all Americans.
Under his leadership, the National
Park Service will continue to protect
our public lands for generations to
come and make critical investments
in the vast infrastructure that sustains
our public lands and national parks.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon,
took to Twitter to express his support
for Sams and what his appointment
means:
“Today is a great day for every-
body who treasures America’s
national parks & for all of us as Ore-
gonians with Chuck Sams now the
@NatlParkService director,” Wyden
tweeted. “My friend Chuck will be a
great steward of our beloved national
parks.”
During his confi rmation hearing,
Sams was repeatedly questioned
about how he would address the
park system’s maintenance backlog
and staffi ng shortages. Sams will be
expected to address some of those
issues with federal funds created
through recent legislation. American
Indian tribes across the country are
also hoping Sams’ history in tribal
government will lead to co-manage-
ment agreements where ceded tribal
land intersects with national parks.
Prior to his appointment, Sams
represented Oregon on the Northwest
Power and Conservation Council. But
Sams is probably best known locally
for his many years in CTUIR gov-
ernment, rising all the way to interim
executive director before resigning in
March.
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