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Coronavirus Update 3/12/2020, 7:30 am

Writer's picture: Lisa Reynolds, MDLisa Reynolds, MD
Mar 12, 20203 min read

Thu 3/12/2020 7:30 am


UPDATE 3/12/2020 at 7:30 am

Factual Update & What To Do


This is Lisa Reynolds, MD. Portland Pediatrician on the frontlines of the coronavirus epidemic. Mom and daughter. Candidate for Oregon HD36.


Factual update Coronavirus

A lot has happened over the past 24 hours.


  • WORLDWIDE: The WHO has confirmed what we already knew: Coronavirus is officially a pandemic [Once an epidemic spreads to multiple countries or regions of the world, it is considered a pandemic. However, some epidemiologists classify a situation as a pandemic only once the disease is sustained in some of the newly affected regions through local transmission.]

  • WORLDWIDE CONFIRMED CASES: 128,000 cases, 111 countries, 4,700 deaths.

  • US CONFIRMED CASES: 1,300 cases, 44 states, 37 deaths

  • OREGON CONFIRMED CASES: 21 cases confirmed, including two at a long term care facility (veteran’s home) in Lebanon.

  • OREGON’S Gov Brown is holding a news conference on coronavirus at 11 am today. Expected announcements:

    • No school closings at this time, but non-essential school meetings/gatherings should be cancelled.

    • Gatherings of more than 250 people will be banned (for 4 weeks)

    • Testing for the coronavirus will be at medical provider discretion (ie lifting state regulations). The collection process for samples to test for coronavirus has been simplified (no longer needing N95 masks, which are in very short supply, but regular mask, gown (SHORT SUPPLY), gloves, eye protection).

    • There are now FIVE hospital systems who can run tests for coronavirus

    • Employers should help with social distancing by staggering work schedules, limit meetings and increase “personal space”

  • OREGON UNIVERSITIES join hundreds across the US (including the two that my sons attend) in announcing a shift to online learning. This includes Univ of Oregon, OSU, PSU so far.

  • NATIONALLY: Trump has announced travel restrictions to Europe.

  • NATIONALLY: The NBA has suspended its season after a player tested positive for coronavirus. HIgh school and college basketball championship tournaments will play to empty stands.


Yes, this means massive disruption in our work and our education. (And I’m calling for even more disruption.) The lives of Oregonians and the safety of our health system depend on making the right choices right now.



What to do

  • Continue frequent hand washing/hand sanitizing. Stay home if you’re sick. Clean surfaces with clorox wipes. Try not to touch your face. These are necessary but insufficient steps.

  • Social isolation for high risk individuals: Those over 60 years old and those with medical risk (heart disease, lung disease, diabetes) should stay home. (CDC)

  • We need social distancing for everyone (the only action that has been shown to slow the disease in an outbreak):

    • Cancel large gatherings. Consider cancelling small gatherings too.

    • Restrict travel

    • Tighten restrictions at nursing homes. Screen all employees and visitors.

    • Learn and work from home wherever possible.

    • Close schools.

      • We can do hard things. We will organize food for the kids who rely on schools for their meals.

      • State and federal governments MUST take on the cost of coronavirus. We need to pay for the sick leave of stricken workers or family members as well as those whose work hours we curtail. We cannot let coronavirus and the economic fallout further jeopardize our vulnerable neighbors.

  • For houseless Oregonians, who are particularly vulnerable: Screening at shelters and isolating the sick, dispensing hand sanitizer, outreach.

  • If sick, get tested, once it becomes available. We need widespread testing ASAP. We need drive through testing (as in University of Washington). Testing helps us understand the pandemic as well as assess a patient’s prognosis and need for isolation.



REMEMBER THE CURVE. We need to #Flattenthecurve








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This website is written by Lisa Reynolds, MD, Portland, Oregon Pediatrician on the front lines of the coronavirus epidemic. Mom and daughter. Candidate for Oregon HD36.

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Lisa Reynolds, M.D., Announces COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery 

Legislative Framework

Proposed framework prioritizes health of all Oregonians, with phased restart of state’s economy

 

April 17, 2020 (Portland, OR) - Lisa Reynolds, M.D., a physician and candidate for Oregon House of Representatives-District 36 (NW/SW Portland), released a legislative framework called the Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act, with the goal of making this the first bill of the 2021-22 legislative session (HB-1). 

 

“In the next weeks and months ahead, I plan to work with state leaders, as well as community and business leaders, to help design Oregon's transition and recovery from the pandemic,” said Reynolds. “If we do this right, Oregon can come out better than ever. And of course, I will continue to reach out to Oregonians about what they need right now so we can help.” 

 

The Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act, a bold response to COVID-19’s unprecedented threat to Oregonians lives and livelihoods, consists of three major components:

 

  1. A large-scale and ongoing public health response that utilizes universal testing, contact tracing, and isolating the ill and the exposed.

  2. The moonshot goal of achieving widespread (“herd”) immunity (80-90 percent) to COVID-19 through demonstrated antibodies and/or vaccination. This is a prerequisite to full economic and societal opening.

  3. Post-pandemic massive investment to modernize Oregon’s healthcare system, schools and infrastructure through the sale of Oregon COVID Bonds.

 

Oregon COVID Bonds would allow Oregonians, as well as others around the country and the world, to invest in Oregon. “This will allow the state to build a healthcare system that improves the health of every Oregonian, to complete long-neglected infrastructure projects and to modernize our schools,” stated Reynolds.  

 

“I want everyone to understand that the 2021-22 legislative session must be focused entirely on pandemic response and recovery,” said Reynolds. “I believe we can rebuild Oregon and make us stronger and more equitable in the process.” This legislative framework also accounts for a lack of federal leadership, positioning Oregon as a national leader.

 

The latest numbers in Oregon show that the state is predicted to peak on April 26. As a result of Governor Brown’s Stay Home Order, Oregon’s hospital systems have sufficient capacity to care for those sickest with COVID-19. Reynolds says that eventually, the cumulative number of new illnesses and deaths will plateau. Oregon will then enter a period of transition, and once sufficient herd immunity is achieved, we can move into post-pandemic recovery.

 

“As a physician, I have prepared my entire career for this moment,” says Reynolds. “We cannot rely on the status quo or politics as usual. We need leaders with medical expertise who can work across the aisle and bring fresh perspectives at this critical time in our history. We need courageous and bold action to make sure that Oregon comes out of this crisis stronger and more equitable than before.” 

 

Reynolds, who was recently endorsed by the Portland Tribune “[for] her invaluable insight for these troubling times”, also says that, “every state policy and every state agency will need to prioritize spending and services through the lens of the pandemic.” 

 

Read the full legislative framework here. Visit Reynolds’ COVID-19 website at oregoncoronavirusupdate.com or her campaign website LisaForOregon.com. Follow Dr. Reynolds on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (@lisafororegon).

 

###

 

Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act Legislative Framework

 

Following is a legislative framework for a successful and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic called the Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act (HB-1). This legislative framework was drafted by Lisa Reynolds, M.D., candidate for Oregon State House of Representatives-District 36. Dr. Reynolds, who will solicit feedback from voters about what the Oregon State Legislature needs to focus on in the upcoming 2021-2022 legislative session. 

 

Dr. Reynolds will also work with state leaders, as well as community and business leaders, to identify the most impactful and cost-effective steps to get Oregonians back on solid ground. The Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act is a bold response to COVID-19’s unprecedented threat to Oregonians’ lives and livelihood. The framework consists of three major components:

 

  1. A large-scale and ongoing public health response that utilizes universal testing, tracing of all contacts, and isolating the ill and the exposed. Extensive, if not universal, testing, both for the presence of the virus, that is, contagiousness, and presence of antibody, or immunity, is necessary before any significant reopening of the economy. Testing must be followed up with tracing of the contacts of all COVID-19 cases, and isolation for those infected or exposed.

  2. The moonshot goal of achieving widespread (“herd”) immunity (80-90%) to COVID-19 through demonstrated antibodies and/or vaccination. This is a prerequisite to full economic and societal opening. True economic reopening requires widespread immunity, either through previous COVID-19 illness or through widespread vaccination.

  3. Post-pandemic massive investment to modernize Oregon’s healthcare system, schools, and infrastructure through the sale of Oregon COVID Bonds.

 

Any full scale ‘re-opening’ in the near future would risk Oregonians’ lives. Rather, restrictions must be lifted methodically and incrementally. The state needs to start planning for a massive vaccine campaign as soon as the vaccine is available. Oregon should be the first state with demonstrated ‘herd immunity’ so that Oregonians can resume safe interactions with friends, family, and neighbors. 

 

HB1: The Oregon Pandemic Recovery Act of 2021-2022 Outline

 

Intra-Pandemic: Stay Home, Save Lives

  • Goals

    • Primary Goal: Save as many lives as possible

    • Secondary Goal

      • Educate and feed children

      • Protect the vulnerable from economic damage

  • Strategic Initiatives

    • Test/trace/isolate - build a public health workforce 

    • Tech for schools - provide robust learning for every Oregon student

    • Table - feed the hungry, allocate unemployment benefits, provide rent relief and continue to ban evictions

 

Transition: reopening (gradual and partial)

  • Goals

    • Primary Goal: Save as many lives as possible

    • Secondary Goal:

      • Safe return to economic life (incremental, methodical)

      • Safe return to school 

  • Strategic Initiatives

    • Universal testing/tracing/isolation - database

    • Statewide Alert system for Oregonians for disease hot spots

    • Build a vaccine fund - and a system to vaccinate all Oregonians

 

Post-Pandemic (herd immunity; post-vaccine) - a stronger, more equitable Oregon

  • Goals

    • Economic recovery 

    • Prepare Oregon for its greatest decade of economic growth

    • Improved lives for all Oregonians

  • Strategic Initiatives

    • Oregon COVID Bonds - to raise and invest $4B/year for 5 years

      • Basics

        • Modernize public health and healthcare systems

        • 21st-century schools from PreK-post secondary

        • Build Infrastructure - bridges, public transport, bike lanes

        • Build Housing - affordable & supportive housing

      • Boosts: Climate action

        • Give preference and priority for projects that reduce carbon, increase climate resiliency, and increase economic opportunity equitably. 

 

The proposed funding would be through COVID-19 Bonds. This approach would allow Oregonians, as well as others around the country and the world, to invest in Oregon. This will allow the state to build a healthcare system that improves the health of every Oregonian, to complete long-neglected infrastructure projects and to modernize our schools. 

 

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