Rick Hawley has watched his home state react to COVID-19 with skill and expertise, providing citizens with a high-quality range of help that makes it easier to minimize the spread of this disease. As this disease spreads and changes, though, regions need to pay special attention to potential issues. Thankfully, he believes that Oregon remains on the right track for managing this concern better than most states in the nation.
Rick Hawley of Oregon Believes in His State
Rick Hawley is proud of his state for taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and doing what it can to minimize the risk of spread. Throughout the state, a total of 6.51 million total shots have been given, with around 2.76 million people being fully vaccinated. This rate puts the state at 65.4%, one of the higher rates in the nation and well above the 60.8% rate throughout the rest of the country.
This higher risk of vaccination is helped by areas like Portland, which has taken many different steps to provide a more consistent vaccine availability. In addition, outreach programs have helped poor individuals get this vaccine, including homeless individuals. As a result, commonly under-served areas of Oregon’s population have been getting the vaccine at higher levels than other regions.
As a result, Rick Hawley of Oregon believes that the state will have some of the nation’s lower infection and spread rates. Though omicron does throw things into a bit of a confusing state, the Oregon state health department believes that cases will fall below 200 people per day very soon. It has already fallen from a peak of 1,187 people to about 384 daily new cases as a result of vaccination minimizing the spread of the variants of this pandemic virus.
In fact, the most recent projections find that around 82% of Oregonians are immune to COVID-19 through vaccination or recent infection. With an increase of just three percent, experts believe the spread of delta and omicron could be slowed even further. However, the lack of information about this newest variant does have many in the state concerned and ready to change approaches as needed.
For instance, Rick Hawley knows that booster shots are likely to become more common in the months ahead. As those who received early shots are getting sicker at a higher rate, boosters can help to prevent the spread of this disease further. In addition, increased outreach programs and education may help, including helping those who experience the commonly more difficult symptoms of a booster shot, which may cause some pain and even fever-like symptoms in people who receive it.
What has helped Oregon is a population that is ready to do what is necessary to manage this problem and which remains flexible to the unique demands it places on them. This factor is something that could see Oregonians taking back to their homes again if needed. While it is not likely to get to that point, mask protocols may become more prominent again. It all depends on omicron and any other variants that may become an issue in the coming months and years ahead.