OREGON
Saturday, March 26, 2022
thE OBSErVEr — A7
Is Oregon’s ‘unprecedented’ flu vacation over?
Hospitalizations due to
flu this year are just a
fraction of normal
By AMELIA TEMPLETON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — For two years,
Oregon had some of the most strin-
gent masking and social distancing
rules in the country.
COVID-19 was the target; the
influenza virus was staved off too.
Oregon has had no discern-
ible flu season since the pandemic
began.
There have been just nine hos-
pitalizations due to the flu in the
Portland metro area so far this year,
compared to 600 or so in a typical
year.
Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical
director for communicable dis-
eases and immunizations at Oregon
Health Authority, says it’s the first
time in his 30-year career the state
has had an extended vacation from
the flu.
the Observer, File
This spring, Oregon state public health officials are reporting an increase in the
percent of positive flu tests for the fourth week in a row.
“This is really unprecedented, at
least in my public health lifetime,”
he said.
But there are now signs the
vacation is over. Oregon, Wash-
ington and California lifted
their mask mandates earlier this
month, and in Oregon state public
health officials are reporting an
increase in the percent of posi-
tive flu tests for the fourth week
in a row.
During the week of March 6-12,
3.1% of influenza tests were pos-
itive, up nearly five times higher
from a month earlier at 0.6%.
It’s unusual: Flu season in
Oregon typically peaks in January
or February.
It is possible that with masks
off, a full-blown flu season could
develop in Oregon in the next
few months.
Not only are masks no longer
required, but fewer people than
normal — less than half the pop-
ulation — have gotten their flu
shot this year.
The CDC recommends a flu
shot for everyone 6 months and
older.
Cieslak says most people are not
going to die when they get the flu,
but it is worth getting vaccinated to
avoid several days of misery: head-
aches, body aches and missed work
or school.
The shot is available at most
pharmacies, and there are a variety
of options people can try.
Dislike needles? The vaccine is
available as a nasal spray for people
ages 2-49 who aren’t pregnant.
People 65 and over can request
a version with a stronger dose —
more likely to cause arm pain, but
also more protective against the
virus.
If vaccines don’t beat back the
surge, the changing seasons likely
will. In Oregon, flu season typi-
cally ends by May.
Cieslak says there are theo-
ries, but nobody knows for sure
why the virus spreads during
the winter in the northern hemi-
sphere and summer in the southern
hemisphere.
It could be, he says, that it
surges when people spend more
time together, cheek to jowl,
indoors. Or, it survives better when
the humidity in the air is low.
The early warning signs for
flu season are harder to inter-
pret than the COVID data people
have become accustomed to fol-
lowing. Flu is so widespread that
individual cases aren’t reported
to the state or the CDC. Instead,
OHA tracks spread by looking at
the percent of laboratory tests for
influenza that are positive, and
the number of flu-related hospital-
izations in the tri-county Portland
metro area.
“Maybe we’ll be saved by the
calendar,” Cieslak said. “But flu
always surprises me, so I don’t bet
on anything. I got my vaccine.”
Oregonians support Black Lives Matter movement
By COURTNEY VAUGHN
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — A majority
of Oregonians polled say
they support the Black Lives
Matter movement, but res-
idents are split on whether
society is in a better place
because of it.
Results of an Oregon
Values and Beliefs Center
survey conducted in February
show about six in 10 Oregon
residents polled (59%) sup-
port the Black Lives Matter
movement. Among them,
36% showed strong support.
Three in 10 said they oppose
the movement and about one
in 10, or 9%, were unsure.
According to the Oregon
Values and Beliefs Center,
support for the movement is
higher among those with more
education and income, with
support being highest among
Multnomah County residents.
Still, surveyors noted a
lingering political divide
among Oregonians on the
perceptions of the social jus-
tice movement, with 87% of
Democrats in support and
69% of Republicans opposed.
In 2020, the deaths of
three Black individuals —
two at the hands of police
— catapulted the social jus-
tice movement into prom-
inence. In February 2020,
Ahmaud Arbery was mur-
dered by three white men in
Georgia who mistook him
for a burglar while he jogged.
The following month, Bre-
onna Taylor, a 26-year-old
EMT, was shot and killed
by police in Kentucky while
sleeping in her home. In May
2020, the murder of George
Floyd by Derek Chauvin, a
former Minneapolis police
officer who knelt on Floyd’s
neck until he died, catalyzed
the public into action. The
high-profile cases forced a
spotlight on policing, racism
and implicit bias in America,
sparking nationwide protests
and marches.
While Black Lives Matter
marches and demonstrations
took place in major cities,
Portland saw sustained pro-
tests in 2020 that garnered
international media attention
and defined the city for much
of that time. Downtown Port-
land saw sometimes violent
clashes between protesters
and local and federal police.
Police drew scrutiny from
the public and lawmakers for
their repeated use of tear gas,
pepper spray and munitions
that left one man with a frac-
tured skull.
Antifascist protesters
drew strong criticism for
demonstrations that ended in
repeated damage to down-
town businesses. Some Ore-
gonians say that drowned out
MORE INFORMATION
The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is committed to the highest level
of public opinion research. To help obtain that, the nonprofit is building
a large research panel of Oregonians to ensure that all voices are repre-
sented in discussions of public policy in a valid and statistically reliable
way. Selected panelists earn points for their participation, which can be
redeemed for cash or donated to a charity. To learn more visit oregonvbc.
org/about-the-panel.
the overall message and over-
shadowed the need for police
reform.
Robert Williams, who
lives in Multnomah County,
told the Oregon Values
and Beliefs Center that the
ongoing protests may have
hurt the message.
“Getting awareness of the
issue is necessary. I believe
the extended violence that
accompanied actions was
instigated by non-BLM
agency,” Williams said.
While a majority of those
polled support Black Lives
Matter, Oregonians are torn
on the social impact of the
justice movement.
OVBC polling shows 36%
of Oregon residents think
society is in a better place
as a result of the social jus-
tice movement that followed
Floyd’s death. Survey results
show 38% think the country
is worse off and 19% of those
polled said we’re in the same
place as before Floyd’s death
and the ensuing calls for
reform.
“I think that BLM edu-
cated so many white Ameri-
cans, resulting in (two) major
impacts,” Susan Heath of
the Willamette Valley said.
“Some whites responded
with compassion and con-
cern (and may or may not
still be involved in the move-
ment), while others responded
with fear and bigotry and
joined the white nationalist
backlash.”
Pollsters note a significant
age gap in response to the
question of societal impacts.
Oregonians ages 75 and older
are much more likely (48%
versus 28%) than those ages
18-29 to think our culture is
in a better place.
“Overall, Republicans
tend to be more pessimistic
on the issue, with 69% saying
our culture is in a worse
place, whereas 58% of Dem-
ocrats think we’re better off,”
OVBC noted in a summary
of results, saying optimism
on the issue tends to increase
with higher income and edu-
cation levels.
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