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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2023)
June 07, 2023 Page 9 FDA Approves First Ever RSV Vaccine for Adults photo courtesy of Kaiser press release RSV should be taken seriously, especially in older adults The U.S. Food and Drug Administra- tion approved the first respiratory syncy- tial virus (RSV) vaccine for ages 60-old- er for use in the U.S, and since then many people have been calling Kaiser Permanente to ask when they can get it. Dr. Katie Sharff, Chief of Infectious Disease for Kaiser Permanente North- west, says the approval of the RSV vac- cine Arexvy is great news, though the vaccine will not be available until fall. “The CDC needs to provide clinical guidance first and then the vaccine will need to be distributed, so it may take a little longer than some people expect. But it’s still great news because respi- ratory viruses like RSV should be taken seriously, especially in older adults.” In the U.S. alone, the CDC estimates between 60,000-160,000 older adults are hospitalized by RSV every year, and somewhere between 6,000 to 14,000 deaths are attributed to RSV in adults 65 and older. “The virus can be life-altering in older adults because it can cause lower respiratory tract disease and life-threat- ening pneumonia. Furthermore, it can cause other underlying health conditions to worsen,” said Dr. Sharff, “causing worsening of heart failure or COPD.” Additionally, there is an RSV vaccine that could be given to pregnant people to prevent severe RSV disease in in- fants that will likely seek FDA approval in August. As we saw with last season, RSV infection can cause significant bur- den in infants and young children with an estimated 58,000 hospitalizations an- nually in children under 5 years old in the U.S. Many people are eagerly awaiting the vaccines, especially after last year’s long and severe RSV season. “We need to re- main patient, but we expect the vaccine will be available for distribution this fall, which will be just in time for the typical cold/flu/RSV season. Portland Police Address Online Rumors... Continued from Page 2 couraged to contact the detectives. Another of the cases that is being listed in this group involves a death investigation on April 24, 2023, at 3:09p.m. in the 9500 block of South- east Flavel Street. East Precinct offi- cers responded to a report of someone found deceased inside a tent. Officers assisted the Medical Examiner (ME) on the case, but the ME is primary investigator as they have the exper- tise to determine cause and manner of death. There is no indication that foul play was suspected by the ME re- sponder on scene, or the officers who were there to assist, and the PPB Ho- micide Unit has not become involved in the investigation. PPB currently is not involved with the Ainsworth State Park (Multnomah County), Polk County, and the Clark County death investigations. We have spoken to those agencies regarding these investigations but as of now we are not actively participating in them. It is common investigative practice, whether it is retail theft, robbery, sex- ual assault, or murder cases, to consid- er possible connections to other cases both in and out of our jurisdiction. Like with all investigations of this na- ture we are routinely in contact with our law enforcement partners. That has happened here, but that should not suggest a connection has been made. PPB is asking that our community be aware of the facts about these cases before sharing speculation. PPB is as- suring our community that if we learn of an articulable danger, we will notify the public about it. PPB will continue to coordinate with other law enforce- ment agencies to ensure we are doing all we can to pursue justice for any and all crime victims. Protest signs condemning a measure in Portland City Council that would ban homeless camps during the daytime in most public places are lined up next to one of the doors of City Hall in Portland, Ore. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 (AP Photo/ Claire Rush) Ban on Daytime Camping Amid Sharp Rise in Homelessness Oregon cities to update their public camping restrictions by July 1 (AP) — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednes- day whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a deepening years-long homelessness crisis. Portland is among progressive West Coast cities moving to adopt stricter rules on camping while grappling with intertwined homelessness, housing, men- tal health and addiction crises. In Port- land, homelessness jumped more than 30% between 2019 and 2022, according to federal data. Homeless people would have to dis- mantle their camp every morning and remove their belongings and any litter during the day. People who break the rules would receive a warning for the first two violations. After three viola- tions, people could be fined up to $100 or be sent to jail for up to 30 days. The measure would prohibit camping be- tween 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in city parks and near schools, day cares and con- struction sites and on some sidewalk areas. But while there appears to be an increasing appetite for camping regula- tions in Oregon’s largest city, advocates said the new rules would further burden homeless people and strain nonprofits already working at capacity. Mayor Ted Wheeler said at Wednes- day’s City Council meeting that his goal is to get enough shelter and housing to eliminate unsanctioned camping in Port- land. The City Council voted in Novem- ber to create at least six large, designated campsites where homeless people will be allowed to camp and gradually ban street camping altogether once the sites are op- erational. “There are currently hundreds of unsanctioned, sometimes dangerous and often squalid homeless camps across all 146 square miles of the city of Port- land. These homeless camps ... represent nothing short of a humanitarian catastro- phe,” Wheeler said. Before testimony got under way, dozens of protesters rallied with mega- phones outside City Hall to voice their opposition. At times, advocates inside the City Council chambers cheered those speaking against the measure and jeered people supporting it, including Wheeler, prompting him to threaten to move the meeting online if decorum was not re- spected. Business and property owners were among those who testified in sup- port of the ordinance, saying some cus- tomers and employees don’t feel safe shopping or going to work because of encampments. Council members are ex- pected to vote next week, according to Wheeler’s office.
