Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
MoNdAY • April 19, 2021
COVID-19 in the U.S.
SUNNY DAYS
NEAR SUNRIVER
Vaccine
push hits
halfway
mark
Halted J&J shot could be back in
use this week; worldwide, virus
has killed at least 3 million
BY HoPE YEN ANd JoNATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Half of all adults
in the U.S. have received at least one
COVID-19 shot, the government an-
nounced Sunday, marking another mile-
stone in the nation’s largest-ever vaccina-
tion campaign but leaving more work to do
to convince skeptical Americans to roll up
their sleeves.
Almost 130 million people 18 or older
have received at least one dose of a vaccine,
or 50.4% of the total adult population, the
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention re-
ported. Almost 84 million
adults, or about 32.5% of
Percentage of
the population, have been
U.S. adults who
fully vaccinated.
The U.S. cleared the 50% have received at
least one dose
mark for adults just a day
of a COVID-19
after the reported global
vaccine
death toll from the corona-
virus topped a staggering
3 million, according to totals compiled by
Johns Hopkins University, though the actual
number is believed to be significantly higher.
In other developments, the nation’s top
infectious diseases expert indicated Sunday
the government will likely move to resume
use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19
vaccine this week, possibly with restric-
tions or broader warnings after reports of
some very rare blood clot cases.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a series of news
show interviews, said he expects a decision
when advisers to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention meet Friday to dis-
cuss the pause in J&J’s single-dose vaccine.
“I would be very surprised if we don’t
have a resumption in some form by Fri-
day,” he said.
50.4%
See Vaccines / A4
Corvallis
Every day
counts, even
in a pandemic
Photo by RYAN BRENNECKE • The Bulletin
How 2 Oregon doctors helped
shorten quarantine guidelines
BY TRoY SHINN
Albany Democrat-Herald
‘Morale is very low’ amid
state hospital shortages
BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
The Oregonian
Oregon State Hospital employ-
ees were hit with bad news at the
end of March.
An unprecedented 20% of the
hospital’s full-time nursing staff was
out on leave, marking the latest ef-
fects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And beginning April 1, another
wave of workers from throughout
the hospital would be required to
assist with the day-to-day care and
supervision of patients — roles for
which many staffers had limited ex-
perience and training.
TODAY’S
WEATHER
Employees have since reported
increasingly dangerous working
conditions as they have sustained
frequent and severe from pa-
tients and suffered exhaustion and
burnout from working overtime.
They’ve also started pressuring
hospital leaders to take immediate
action to ease the strain.
Meanwhile, administrators
asked a judge Tuesday to halt new
admissions for two weeks, citing
a spike in people waiting to be ad-
mitted into the hospital.
State hospital administrators
said they’re aware of staff com-
Partly sunny
High 62, Low 36
Page A10
INDEX
Comics
Dear Abby
Horoscope
finger in the holes in the dam,”
said Kim Thoma, an administra-
tive specialist and president of a
union that represents many hospi-
tal employees.
Did you ever wonder why the federal
guidelines for COVID-19 quarantines de-
creased last year from 14 days to 10? You
might be surprised to learn that two Ore-
gon doctors had a hand in it.
It can be easy to miss “Corvallis, Ore-
gon” on the list of dozens of cities on the
Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion’s website. A study published online
shows the names of doctors and where
they work, noting who contributed to the
data that ended up shortening the length
of COVID-19 quarantines.
Corvallis appears twice: Once for Or-
egon State University’s Dr. Doug Auker-
man, a senior associate athletic director
for sports medicine; and once more for Dr.
Adam Brady, an infectious disease expert
and member of Samaritan Health Services’
coronavirus task force.
See Hospital / A4
See doctors / A10
The Bulletin file
oregon State Hospital, located in Salem, is the state’s psychiatric hospital.
plaints, and said they continue to
focus on quality care and safety.
But employees say they’re grow-
ing increasingly concerned with
conditions.
“It’s all been like sticking your
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C
ourtney Cronin rides through a patch of sunlight while pedaling down the Sun-Lava Path toward Sunriver after
riding to the Lava Lands Visitor Center with Jamie Emmerson and Blake Emmerson (not shown) on their recumbent
trikes Saturday. The sunny weather and mostly clear skies are forecast to continue Monday with a high of 62 degrees.
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