KWSO News for Wed., Mar. 31, 2021

Tomorrow there will be Pfizer Vaccinations for 16 & 17 year olds at the Health & Wellness Center.  And also – there is a Johnson & Johnson (1 dose) Vaccine Clinic tomorrow at the Warm Springs Presbyterian Church.  Katie Russell from Warm Springs Community Health talks about vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use for those 16 and older.  The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for 18 and older. Again – To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment call 541-553-2131.

Researchers have detected the so-called U-K variant of coronavirus in Grants Pass and McMinnville. This variant is more contagious than the version that initially triggered the pandemic.  OPB’s Jes Burns reports that researchers at Oregon State University have been sequencing coronavirus collected in wastewater samples from cities around the state to see if the new variants are circulating.  OSU geneticist Brett Tyler says the most recent round of sampling revealed the presence of the variant first detected in the UK in Grants Pass and McMinnville, with possible detections in Forest Grove and Albany, saying “Right now, most certainly, we’re in a race between these variants and the vaccination program, and everything we can do to give that vaccination program help in getting ahead, we should be doing.”  The CDC reports that only 16 cases of this coronavirus variant have been confirmed in Oregon, but these latest findings suggest the actual prevalence is much higher.

After a week of cancelled floor sessions, due to multiple confirmed COVID-19 cases within the Capitol, Oregon’s House of Representatives returned action. A computer program, that will read hundreds of pages of proposed bills, also debuted on Tuesday after Republicans again denied a motion to suspend the full reading of bills before final vote — a tactic that can add hours, even to simple legislation, and has been used by the party in the minority as frustrations about priorities of the 2021 session increase. The motion, which failed to muster a two-thirds majority, lead to chilly reactions from Democrats — calling Republican lawmakers’ actions “reckless and pointless.”

Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden started a series of live on-line town halls  on Monday in Clackamas County.  Virtual Town Halls are also scheduled for residents of Linn, Lincoln, Tillamook, Hood River, Jefferson, Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, Josephine and Polk counties.  The Jefferson County event is  Next Monday morning at 10:30 (link to watch.)   Deschutes County is Monday afternoon at 5:30 (link to watch)