A4 The BulleTin • Wednesday, april 14, 2021
Sign up for a vaccine
Free COVID-19 testing
On Monday, all Oregonians 16 and older are eligible to sign up for a vac-
cine. Deschutes County Health Services is recommending that residents
pre-register by going online to www.centraloregoncovidvaccine.com.
The Deschutes County Health Services and the Oregon Health Authority
will offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing to anyone from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday at the Bend-La Pine Schools Education Center, 520 NW Wall St.
Vaccine
Continued from A1
Johnson & Johnson vaccines
are no longer administered at
the mass vaccination center at
the Deschutes County Fair &
Expo Center in Redmond.
Mosaic Medical, which has
15 clinics serving 27,000 pa-
tients in Central Oregon, said
in a statement it was temporar-
ily pausing use of the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine in align-
ment with OHA and CDC rec-
ommendations.
“We have received several
calls from Mosaic patients
who have received the J&J vac-
cine, and we are sharing with
them the information that the
events under investigation are
extremely rare — out of more
than 6.8 million people who
have received the J&J vaccine
in the U.S., six have devel-
oped a rare but serious type
of blood clot,” said pharmacy
services director Albert Noyes.
“If the patient has received the
J&J vaccine in the past three
weeks and is experiencing se-
vere headache, blurred vision,
abdominal pain, leg pain or
shortness of breath we will
connect them immediately
with emergency medical ser-
vices, or their provider when
appropriate, for further evalu-
ation.”
Noyes also said mild head-
ache and flu-like symptoms 24
to 48 hours after vaccination
are common and expected
symptoms related to immune
response.
Cieslak said severe symp-
toms include pain in the legs
— which could indicate a
blood clot — severe headache
and abdominal pain. Anyone
experiencing the symptoms
should contact a doctor or lo-
cal public health agency. In-
formation is also available by
calling 211.
There have been no reports
of any similar severe side ef-
fects to the Moderna and
Pfizer two-shot vaccines.
Federal health officials will
begin meeting Wednesday to
look at the data on the severe
cases and see if there is a direct
connection between the vac-
cine and the illnesses.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, act-
ing commissioner of the Food
and Drug Administration, said
Tuesday during a press confer-
ence in Washington, D.C., that
a review of the vaccine would
likely be “a matter of days.”
Cieslak said the state would
resume using the one-shot vac-
cine as soon as it gets “a green
light” from federal officials.
The halt in using Johnson
& Johnson vaccines will not
change plans to open up vac-
cine eligibility to everyone
age 16 and older on Monday.
Availability has lagged eligibil-
ity throughout the vaccination
priority phases and the same is
expected to occur next week.
“People will have to wait a
little longer” to get vaccinated,
Cieslak said.
Oregon officials had already
been bracing for a steep drop
in available doses of the vac-
cine due to a botched batch of
15 million doses that had to
be destroyed at a Baltimore fa-
cility.
Oregon received over 60,000
doses last week, but the break-
down in the supply chain due
to the mishap in Baltimore
reduced the flow to 8,000 this
week and down to 2,000 next
week.
OHA reported Tuesday
that 928,874 Oregon residents
have been completely inocu-
lated, mostly with the two-shot
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Another 539,753 people have
received their first dose of a
two-shot vaccine. The second
shots are given three to four
weeks after the first.
OHA has estimated that up
to 3.2 million Oregonians are
16 and older, the age group
currently approved as safe to
vaccinate. Several research ef-
forts into a vaccine for children
are underway, but none has
been given federal approval.
Asked if the pause would
fuel vaccine hesitancy among
Oregonians, Cieslak said that
those predisposed to not be
vaccinated will likely latch on
to the issue.
“There are some people
who are going to decline vac-
cination regardless,” he said.
“If they were thinking vacci-
nations were harmful anyway,
this will give them additional
fuel.”
But the pause was actually a
way to show the public that se-
rious reactions, no matter how
tiny a percentage, will be inves-
tigated. He expects the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine to be back
in use relatively soon. What-
ever vaccine is available, he en-
couraged residents to sign up.
The vaccines are “effective
on a disease that has killed a lot
of people,” he said.
Gov. Kate Brown was inocu-
lated with the Johnson & John-
son vaccine March 6 to show
the state’s confidence in the
vaccine. She has reported no
side effects. The vaccine was
also given to several lawmak-
ers and staff during an April 7
clinic in Salem.
COVID-19 has infected 31.2
million people in the United
States and caused over 562,000
deaths, according to the Johns
Testing is available to anyone with or without symptoms. No identification
is required to be tested. Participants are asked to wear a mask and register
online at doineedacovid19test.com. Staff will be onsite to register those un-
able to preregister.
Matt Rourke/AP
A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in March at a vaccination site.
U.S. health regulators recommended a “pause” Tuesday in using that
vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.
Hopkins Coronavirus Re-
source Center.
Oregon has had one of the
lowest infection and death
rates in the country, with OHA
reporting 171,398 positive
cases through Tuesday and
2,446 deaths.
Infections have been on the
rise again over the past few
weeks after a long decline fol-
lowing the peak levels of Jan-
uary.
Most of the deaths through-
out the pandemic have been in
adults 70 and older. About 75%
of that population in Oregon
has now been vaccinated.
The high immunization
level of those most vulnera-
ble to severe illness and death
from COVID-19 has slowed
hospitalizations and deaths
during the current rise in over-
all infections.
e e
e e
Suzanne Roig of The Bulletin
contributed to this report.
gwarner@eomediagroup.com
COVID-19
Continued from A1
Case counts were 432 for
the week of March 28 to April
10. The state evaluates each
county every week and places
them on either a warning
week or a movement week up
and down the risk scale.
Over the past two weeks,
St. Charles Bend had a low of
three patients with COVID-19
to as many as nine, Johnson
said.
A review of the case counts
by ZIP codes prepared by
the Oregon Health Author-
ity shows that Redmond had
5,039.6 cases per 100,000 peo-
ple as of April 7, compared to
the southern ZIP code in Bend
that had 4,233.3 cases per
100,000.
Data scientists use the num-
ber of cases per 100,000 resi-
dents in any size ZIP code to
make that rate comparable
with other ZIP codes.
By comparison, the ZIP code
data show a rate of 18,309.5
cases per 100,000 for the Warm
Springs area where some of the
members of the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs live.
The ZIP code area for the Sun-
river area shows a rate of 186.6
per 100,000 people.
In the past couple weeks,
there has been a growth in
cases from spring break travel
and social gatherings, said
Carissa Heinige, Deschutes
County Health Services Case
Investigation Branch direc-
tor. Cases are stemming from
barbecues where people aren’t
wearing masks or maintaining
6 feet of distance, Heinige said.
“The best thing our com-
munity can do to prevent cases
is to sign up for a COVID-19
vaccine,” Heinige said in an
email. “Outdoor events are less
risky, but we encourage people
to remain diligent about wear-
ing a mask and distancing.”
The one large unknown
that’s looming is how prevalent
variants are in the community,
Johnson said. The next four
to six weeks could provide
more information. St. Charles
Bend, which cares for the re-
gion’s COVID-19 cases, has
been seeing lower numbers of
hospitalizations despite more
people testing positive for
COVID-19, he said.
“I’m hesitant to say how
bad it could be,” Johnson said.
“It won’t be as bad as it was
in mid-December, when we
were in our peak. The models
say that we could reach half
as much as that. The hospi-
tal could see a daily census as
much as 30.
“It’s hard to say.”
e e
Reporter: 541-633-2117,
sroig@bendbulletin.com
OBITUARY
U.S. to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by 9/11
BY LOLITA C. BALDOR AND
ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press
President Joe Biden will
withdraw all U.S. troops from
Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the
20th anniversary of the ter-
rorist attacks on America that
were coordinated from that
country, several U.S. officials
said Tuesday.
The decision defies a May
1 deadline for full withdrawal
under a peace agreement the
Trump administration reached
with the Taliban last year, but
leaves no room for additional
extensions. A senior admin-
istration official called the
September date an absolute
deadline that won’t be affected
OSU
Continued from A1
“There was an extensive
amount of community engage-
ment that helped to inform the
board chair,” said Clark.
Johnson has numerous qual-
ities that made her stand out as
a potential interim president,
Clark said. One of them is her
longevity with the university.
With the exception of a six-
month sabbatical at Lincoln
University in New Zealand,
Johnson has continuously
worked for OSU since 1984,
according to her resume. That
year, she began as an assistant
professor for OSU’s college of
forestry, and she slowly worked
her way up the university ranks
until she was named vice presi-
dent of OSU-Cascades in 2009.
Johnson’s lengthy tenure
with the university, plus her
12 years leading one of OSU’s
campuses, gives her the needed
experience to run OSU, said
Clark.
“Here is someone who’s
had leadership responsibilities
of one of our two campuses,
who’s engaged in fundraising
and community relationships
in Central Oregon, and (has
built) legislative relationships,”
he said of Johnson. “All of these
are important qualities for an
interim president.”
If Johnson is chosen as in-
terim president, it is too soon
to tell whether the board of
trustees would later hire her
permanently as OSU’s presi-
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Pool
President Joe Biden speaks
during a ceremony Tuesday to
honor slain U.S. Capitol Police of-
ficer William “Billy” Evans.
by security conditions in the
country.
While Biden’s decision keeps
U.S. troops in Afghanistan four
dent, Clark said.
University leadership would
then find an interim OSU-Cas-
cades vice president, and then
undergo an extensive outreach
process to select a permanent
replacement for Johnson at
OSU-Cascades, Clark said.
On Wednesday from 3 to
4 p.m., the board of trustees will
host a community forum with
Johnson, which will be lives-
treamed at OSU’s website, ac-
cording to Clark. Johnson will
talk a little about herself, then
answer questions from those
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months longer than initially
planned, it sets a firm end to
two decades of war that killed
more than 2,200 U.S. troops,
wounded 20,000, and cost as
much as $1 trillion. The con-
flict largely crippled al-Qaida
and led to the death of Osama
bin Laden, the architect of the
Sept. 11 attacks. But an Ameri-
can withdrawal also risks many
of the gains made in democ-
racy, women’s rights and gover-
nance, while ensuring that the
Taliban, who provided al-Qa-
ida’s safe haven, remain strong
and in control of large swaths
of the country.
Biden has been hinting for
weeks he was going to let the
May deadline lapse, and as the
watching at home, he said.
Christine Coffin, OSU-
Cascades spokesperson, said
she and other university staff
are excited for Johnson to po-
tentially lead the entire univer-
sity system.
“We are incredibly proud
of the impact Vice President
Johnson has had at OSU-Cas-
cades for more than a decade,”
she wrote in an email.
Johnson declined to be in-
terviewed for this article.
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7854,
jhogan@bendbulletin.com
days went by it became clear
that an orderly withdrawal of
the roughly 2,500 remaining
troops would be difficult and
was unlikely. The administra-
tion official said the drawdown
would begin by May 1.
Biden’s choice of the 9/11
date underscores the reason
that American troops were in
Afghanistan to begin with —
to prevent extremist groups
like al-Qaida from establishing
a foothold again that could be
used to launch attacks against
the U.S.
The administration official
said Biden decided that the
withdrawal deadline had to be
absolute, rather than based on
conditions on the ground.
Find it all online
bendbulletin.com
Leroy E. Hall
of Redmond, OR
June 1, 1930 -
November 20, 2020
Arrangements:
Arrangements Entrusted
To: Redmond Memorial
Chapel
www.redmondmemorial.
com ; 541.548.3219
Services:
Graveside Services are
Scheduled for 12:00 pm,
Sat., April 24, 2021 at
Redmond Memorial Cem-
etery. A Memorial Service
will follow at the Redmond
VFW Hall at 1:00pm
Contributions may be
made to:
Local Charity of Your
Choice
Phyllis Arlene Lapora
of Redmond, OR
Nov 6, 1922 - April 7, 2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals, Red-
mond 541-504-9485 www.
autumnfunerals.net
Services:
No Services will be held at
this time.
OBITUARY DEADLINE
Call to ask about our deadlines
541-385-5809
Monday-Friday 10am-3pm
Email: obits@bendbulletin.com
Jared Alexander Walker
August 17, 1980 - March 26, 2021
With deepest sorrow,
we announce that Jared
Alexander Walker, our
most
beloved
son,
brother, family member,
and
friend
passed
suddenly, March 26,
2021, at the age of 40, in
Houma, Louisiana.
A Celebrati on of Life was
held on Tuesday, April
13th, 2021.
Jared was born in Dubuque, IA, on August 17, 1980. He
grew up living most of his life in Bend, OR and Kailua-
Kona, HI. He loved baseball and the beach life of Kona
as well as biking and snowboarding in Bend. Jared
graduated from Mt. View High School, in Bend, OR, class
of 1998.
Jared always fi lled a room with laughter and made sure
everyone around him felt comfortable. Growing up he
loved going to the movies, playing baseball, and hanging
out with his family and friends. He enjoyed all sports,
but especially baseball. As he grew older, Jared’s love of
baseball, grew into a love of life. He embraced his family
and friends and always had a way of making a person
smile. His sense of humor was infecti ous. Jared will,
most certainly, be remembered for his quick wit and fun-
loving atti tude.
Jared will be missed everyday by his father, John Walker,
of Kailua-Kona, HI, mother, Debrah (Tad) Walker and
sister, Cameron Walker, of Bend, OR, his loving aunt,
Dianna Calhoun, of Lakewood, WA, uncles Douglas
Walker, of Steilacoom, WA, Bruce Walker, of Shelton, WA
and Charles Busch, of Lakewood, WA, cousins, Michelle,
Greg, Ethan, and Aiden Christenson, of Lakewood, WA,
and Samantha (Brandon) Russel, of Portsmouth, VA,
step grandparent Claudine (Sue) Walker, of Bend, OR and
Jared’s adored friends, Christy Billiot, Jesse Whitf ield,
Rilyn Billiot, and Kobe Ford, of Houma, LA.
We know Jared is now with his beloved paternal
grandparents, Douglas and Jacqueline Walker and
maternal grandparents William and Dorothy Busch and
step grandparent, Clinton Walker.
We love and miss you so much my son.
Chauvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of
Jared Alexander Walker.
htt ps://www.chauvinfuneralhome.com/obituary/
jared-walkerIn lieu of fl owers, the family requests that
donati ons be made to St. Charles Hospice or to the
Alzheimer’s Associati on, Central Oregon Chapter.