SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
LOCAL, STATE & NATION
Survey: 1 in 3 Americans leery about COVID-19 vaccine
By Mike Stobbe and
Hannah Fingerhut
Associated Press
NEW YORK — About 1 in 3 Amer-
icans say they defi nitely or probably
won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine,
according to a new poll that some ex-
perts say is discouraging news if the
U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity
and vanquish the outbreak.
The poll from The Associated
Press-NORC Center for Public Af-
fairs Research found that while 67%
of Americans plan to get vaccinated
or have already done so, 15% are cer-
tain they won’t and 17% say probably
not. Many expressed doubts about
the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
The poll suggests that substantial
skepticism persists more than a
month and a half into a U.S. vaccina-
tion drive that has encountered few
if any serious side effects. It found
that resistance runs higher among
younger people, people without col-
lege degrees, Black Americans and
Republicans.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the govern-
ment’s leading infectious-disease
scientist, has estimated that some-
where between 70% and 85% of the
U.S. population needs to get inocu-
lated to stop the scourge that has
killed close to 470,000 Americans.
STUDENTS
Continued from Page 1A
The charter school includes
Baker Web Academy and
Baker Early College.
Another 14 letters were
sent to the Pine Eagle School
District at Halfway and 17 to
Huntington. None was sent
to the Burnt River School
District at Unity where all
students’ immunization re-
cords were up-to-date, Staten
said. The remaining 74 letters
were mailed to families of
students attending Baker
schools.
This year, because of the
pandemic, immunizations
needed to update student
records will be given by ap-
pointment only at the Health
Department. There will be no
special clinics scheduled for
that purpose as there have
been in the past.
The department moved
from its former location on
Pocahontas Road to its new
offi ce at 2200 Fourth St. in
December. To schedule a
vaccination appointment, call
541-523-8211.
Staten urged callers to
be patient with the phone
system, which is operating on
N. Scott Trimble/TNS
A recent survey found that about 33% of Americans say they defi -
nitely or probably won’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.
More recently, he said the spread of
more contagious variants of the virus
increases the need for more people to
get their shots — and quickly.
So is 67% of Americans enough?
“No. No, no, no, no,” said William
Hanage, a Harvard University ex-
pert on disease dynamics. He added:
“You’re going to need to get quite
large proportions of the population
vaccinated before you see a real
effect.”
Nearly 33 million Americans, or
emergency status, awaiting
installation of a new phone
system. Voicemail messages
will be returned as soon as
possible, she said.
“Call and have patience,”
she urged those who need to
schedule immunization ap-
pointments for their children.
“We’ll get through it and we’ll
have a new phone system and
it will work.”
The Health Department
will be closed Monday, Feb.
15, because of the Presidents
Day holiday, but it will be
open as usual on Tuesday.
Offi ce hours are 8 a.m. to
noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays, except during
federal holidays.
“The school law is still in ef-
fect,” Staten said. “That hasn’t
changed because of COVID.
“We strongly encourage
parents to keep their kids
up-to-date on their immu-
nizations, especially in the
pandemic,” she said.
Staten said the Health
Department has been work-
ing with districts since school
started this year to ensure
that as few students as pos-
sible would be excluded this
month.
Students may be exempt
RIVERS
Continued from Page 3A
It includes extending the Snake River’s
designation in Oregon from the current 66.9
miles to 71.4 miles by including the reach
from Cache Creek to the Oregon-Washington
border. Portions of previously undesignated
creeks that drain into the Snake, Imnaha,
Grande Ronde and Wallowa rivers are includ-
ed. For example, the Snake River tributaries
Cache Creek, Knight Creek, Cook Creek and
most of Jim Creek would be designated as
Wild rivers.
The Imnaha River and its tributaries get
an upgrade, with the upper 6 miles of the
Imnaha designated Wild, the 58 miles from
Indian Crossing to Cow Creek designated
Recreational, and the last 4 miles, Cow Creek
to the Snake River, designated as Scenic.
The upper 17.4 miles of Lightning Creek,
the upper 16.9 miles of Horse Creek, and the
upper 17.1 miles of Cow Creek, all on the
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, would be
designated Wild.
In Big Sheep Creek, the new legislation
would classify as Scenic the 12-mile segment
from the Eagle Cap Wilderness boundary to
the USFS boundary as well as another lower
3.4 mile stretch that also fl ows through USFS
management.
Similarly, Joseph Creek and many of its
tributaries would receive designations includ-
ing 38.1 miles of Joseph Creek designated as
Wild and 19.5 miles of upper Chesnimnus
Creek labeled as Recreational. Devil’s Run
Creek and Peavine Creek would be desig-
nated as Wild, as would portions of Deadhorse
and Cottonwood creeks.
The Grande Ronde River Basin includes
about 210 miles of newly designated streams.
That includes 42.2 miles of the lower river
designated Wild, as well as 10 miles of the
river’s headwaters in the Elkhorn Mountains.
The stretch from the confl uence with the Wal-
lowa River to the Umatilla National Forest
would be designated as Recreational. Grande
Ronde tributaries receiving designations in-
clude the upper portions of Catherine Creek,
about 10% of the population, have
received at least one dose, and 9.8
million have been fully vaccinated,
according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The poll of 1,055 adults, taken Jan. 28
through Feb. 1, provides insight into
the skepticism.
Of those who said they defi nitely
will not get the vaccine, 65% cited
worries about side effects, despite
the shots’ safety record over the past
months. About the same percent-
from immunizations in
Oregon either through a
medical exemption verifi ed by
a physician or a nonmedical
exemption based on personal,
religious, or philosophical rea-
sons. To qualify for the non-
medical exemption, parents
may either watch an online
vaccine education video and
submit a certifi cate of comple-
tion to the school or talk with
a health care provider and
have the provider sign a vac-
cine education certifi cate to
present to the school.
A bill has been introduced
in this session of the Or-
egon Legislature seeking to
eliminate the nonmedical
exemption, which has been
an option for Oregon families
since 2016.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity stated in a press release
issued Wednesday, Feb. 10,
that schools have the option
of blocking remote learn-
ing access for kids whose
immunization records aren’t
up-to-date by Feb. 17.
Baker Charter School, as
it has always done because
most students do the majority
of their studying online, will
take that option, said Melanie
Trindle, charter school execu-
age said they don’t trust COVID-19
vaccines. And 38% said they don’t
believe they need a vaccine, with a
similar share saying that they don’t
know if a COVID-19 vaccine will
work and that they don’t trust the
government.
Of those who probably will not get
the vaccine but have not ruled it out
completely, 63% said they are wait-
ing to see if it is safe, and 60% said
they are concerned about possible
side effects.
“I don’t trust pharmaceuticals.
I really don’t. And it doesn’t sound
like it’s going to be safe,” said Debra
Nanez, a 67-year-old retired nurse
from Tucson, Arizona.
Baron Walker, a 42-year-old
laid-off insulation installer from
Parkersburg, West Virginia, said he
is in the “probably not” column, at
least for now.
He said that if he were elderly, or
lived in a densely populated area,
he might consider the vaccine more
strongly. But he is in rural part of
the country, he has been wearing
a mask and social-distancing, and
he feels there is a good chance the
nation will achieve herd immunity,
he said.
“I feel like I have plenty of time
before I get a chance to get (the
tive assistant.
“Students enrolled in our
school and not up-to-date get
a letter, and we will block ac-
cess to online classes until all
records are updated,” Trindle
said
That will not be the case
for students attending
Baker School District classes
through online programs
started this year because of
the pandemic.
“We will still gather infor-
mation and encourage them
to get the vaccinations,” said
Superintendent Mark Witty.
“But since they’re online, the
state’s not requiring us to
exclude them if they haven’t
gotten all their vaccinations.”
Staten said no one will be
refused the vaccines based on
an inability to pay. A $21.96
administrative fee is collected
vaccine) anyway, to fi nd out if there
are bad side effects and whether it’s
even worth getting it,” Walker said.
In interviews, some Americans
expressed concerns about the
revolutionary speed with which the
vaccines were developed — less than
a year.
“I feel like they rushed it,” Walker
said.
That was echoed by Matt Helder-
man, 31, of Greer, South Carolina.
“I’d like to see more safety data,”
said Helderman, a video editor and
associate producer for a Christian
TV program. He also said that he
would like to see more clarity on
whether the vaccine is effective
against new variants.
Health offi cials are trying to
counter concerns about the vaccine
with science.
The latest evidence indicates
that the two vaccines being used in
the U.S. — Pfi zer’s and Moderna’s
— are effective even against the
variants, Fauci said.
Also, while the development of
the vaccines was unusually fast, it
was the culmination of many years
of research. And the vaccines went
through clinical trials involving
thousands of people who were moni-
tored for 60 days after their last dose.
from those who are unin-
sured and cannot pay the
full amount. If they cannot
afford the administrative fee,
the immunizations will be
provided without charge, she
said. The state pays the cost
of the vaccine in those cases.
The Oregon Health
Authority noted in a press
release issued Wednesday
that the COVID-19 vaccine
is not currently required for
children. In fact, the current
emergency use authorizations
from the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration do not allow for
children younger than 16 to
receive the Pfi zer vaccine and
for those younger than 18 to
receive the Moderna vaccine.
The law does, however,
require all children in public
and private schools, pre-
schools, Head Start and certi-
fi ed child care centers to have
up-to-date records on their
required immunizations or to
have an exemption.
“Immunization is the
best way to protect children
against vaccine-preventable
diseases such as whooping
cough and measles,” Stacy de
Assis Matthews, school law
coordinator in the Oregon
Health Authority Public
Health Division, said in the
press release.
“Just two years ago, we
saw several measles cases in
the Northwest. We don’t want
another disease outbreak on
top of COVID-19,” de Assis
Matthews said. “Immuniza-
tions are the most effective
way to stop the spread of
measles, to keep kids and
school communities healthy
and safe.”
Proposed additions to
wild and scenic rivers list
PINE CREEK NEAR HALFWAY
• Sections of Pine Creek (1.3 miles), West
Fork (0.6), Middle Fork (1.1), East Pine
Creek (7.9), Trail Creek (4.4), Clear Creek
(9.1), Fish Creek (8.4), Lake Fork Creek
(13.4), Elk Creek (8.1)
EAST SIDE OF ELKHORN MOUNTAINS
• Sections of Dutch Flat Creek (6.7 miles),
Van Patten Creek (1.6), Rock Creek (7.3),
North Fork Rock Creek (3.3), Killamacue
Creek (4) and North Fork of North Powder
River (2.5)
BURNT RIVER SYSTEM
• North Fork (9.3 miles), Lower Burnt River
(6.9), West Fork (3.8), Middle Fork (6.1),
South Fork (5.3), Bull Run Creek (2.6)
EAGLE CREEK (WALLOWAS)
• West Eagle Creek (6.3 miles), East Eagle
Creek (3.7)
8.7 miles of Lookingglass Creek, and 9.5 miles
of Indian Creek.
Additional protection is provided for the
North Fork of the John Day River, the South
Fork of the John Day River, the Powder River
and the portions of its tributaries on the
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, including
Dutch Flat, Van Patten, Rock and Killamacue
creeks.
More than 2,500 individuals and organiza-
tions nominated approximately 15,000 miles
of streams according to Wyden and Merkley’s
joint press release announcing the bill.
The Nez Perce Tribe nominated 109.7 miles
of streams for inclusion in the new legislation,
including 21.05 miles of Joseph Creek owned
by the Bureau of Land Management along
with the Nez Perce Tribe, and 18.83 miles of
Broady Creek on U.S. Forest Service and Nez
Perce Tribal land as well as a small amount of
private property.
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