top of page
Search

We Must Improve Oregon’s Response to the Coronavirus (COVID19) Pandemic

  • Writer: Lisa Reynolds, MD
    Lisa Reynolds, MD
  • Mar 11, 2020
  • 3 min read

We Must Improve Oregon’s Response to the

Coronavirus (COVID19) Pandemic

Lisa Reynolds, MD Mar 11, 2020 8:30 p.m.

As a pediatrician, I am on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Every day for nearly two weeks, I’ve sat (masked) in exam rooms with families, helping them decipher what is the best next step for their child who is not all that sick but who MAY have coronavirus. Parents want to be good community members - shouldn’t they keep their child home? But parents also need to get back to work. With just a cough or runny nose, can’t they go to school? Decisions like this can determine the course of the pandemic right here at home. Yet there is no clear message, few facts, and not nearly enough bold measures being taken to stem the spread of the new coronavirus here in Oregon.


Yet we are just across the river from Washington, which is struggling with almost 300 confirmed cases and 24 deaths. King County County had a 64% increase in cases from Monday to Tuesday, March 9 and 10. California has almost 200 confirmed cases at this time. Oregon has 21 cases in 8 counties.


And we know this is the tip of the iceberg.


Oregon, however, is ignoring the math and falling down on its job to protect the public. We need 60 days of honesty, clarity and fast action by the Oregon Health Authority and Gov. Kate Brown, who together can convene the state, regional, county, and local authorities to work together to slow the spread of the virus and better inform the public.


Why? If unchecked:


Coronavirus will infect 70 percent of Oregonians. Quickly. This is almost 3 million Oregonians.


At a predicted death rate of 2 percent, coronavirus will kill 60,000 Oregonians.

Even if we see a fraction of these numbers, the number of deaths would be untenable.


We can, and must, “check” coronavirus with LEADERSHIP. We can, and must:


LEARN FROM OTHERS: Let’s learn from Washington. At the very least, we should be mirroring what Washington is doing.


MAKE HARD DECISIONS: We need a state task force that is working 24/7 to adopt, communicate, and implement strong policies to curtail the coming onslaught of illness and death. This needs to be a singular priority for our government officials. We need to close schools and limit gatherings. I am glad University of Oregon and Oregon State announced plans for a five week closure this afternoon.


COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC: We need daily press briefings with public health officials giving clear and direct instructions for Oregonians. “Wash your hands” isn’t enough. We need a stand-alone state webpage with constantly updated data and social media posts with unified messages from state and county health departments that clearly communicate these direct instructions. We need to use our emergency communications system to update Oregonians. We need detailed information on the cases already diagnosed and then strictly quarantine and isolate contacts. Yet, officials from Oregon Health Authority have not released basic demographic information on residents who have tested positive for coronavirus - a breach of standard public health protocol that helps the public understand who has been getting sick and how the virus is spreading. This is seeding misinformation and mistrust.


INCREASE TESTING: Testing helps us understand the pandemic as well as assess a patient’s prognosis and need for isolation. Oregon needs to increase testing capacity ASAP. We need more CDC kits and we need to access private labs for testing. We need to loosen restrictions on who can be tested and set up drive-through public testing using every resource necessary.


ACQUIRE AND DISTRIBUTE PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT: For our first responders and medical personnel need more N-95 masks, plastic gloves, medical-grade hand sanitizer, and more. We’re all running out.


TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER: We need a plan to feed our students and families who rely on schools for their nutrition. We need to pay employees to stay home if they are sick or vulnerable or are caretakers of the sick and vulnerable.


Taking these steps would mean massive disruption in our work and school and social routines. But Oregonians’ health and safety depend on leaders making these tough choices. WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.


 
 
 

Comments


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.

© 2023 by The Artifact. Proudly created with Wix.com

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. 

 

bottom of page