Living With COVID
With COVID Numbers rising and new variants driving the latest surge, it is something that some health care professionals say we are just going to have to live with. Dr. Willie Foster is the head of the Peace Harbor Emergency Department and he says that while we may have to live with the virus, it has become for the most part a treatable disease. Medical research continues to find ways to battle the new variants while updating the current ways.
“I think it is continuing to do surveillance of what variant is out there and tweaking our vaccines. Continuing to work on new drugs to treat it.
Foster says while there are still individuals that will die from the virus, there are less and less people succumbing to it. He also said that while during the initial phases of the pandemic patients were being transported to Riverbend, Peace Harbor is now keeping some patients locally. Vaccinated patients tend to have less difficulty battling the virus and it is more manageable at this point.
NOVAVAX Approval
After approving the Novavax vaccine for emergency use last week the CDC has now officially recommended the shot for individuals 18 and older. Novavax is a more traditionally manufactured vaccine and differs from the MRNA technology used in Moderna and Pfizer and is not a vector vaccine like Johnson and Johnson which uses the body’s own cells to fight the virus. Novavax uses the same technology that has been used for years in vaccines like the Hep B, flu and shingles. The vaccine must now pass a review by the Western States Scientific Review Workshop before it can be administered in Oregon.
Surplus Sale-Reedsport
July 29th and 30th the City of Reedsport will have a surplus sale of items that it has used or has collected over time. The two day sale includes office furniture, electronic equipment, tools, bicycles and some vehicles. The sale will take place across from the Umpqua Discovery Center on Riverfront Way from 1-6 on Friday and 9 to noon on Saturday.
Gas Prices
While prices are still above the $5.00 mark across Oregon, Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon says the prices have been falling. This past week represented the fifth week in a row with decreases with Oregon dropping 12 cents to $5.27 a gallon for regular. Florence is averaging $5.13 a gallon this week falling from a record high at more than $5.50 in early June.
