Vaccines
Oregon making progress
Congratulations Oregon! Roughly 62% of Oregon residents over 18 have received at least one dose of vaccine. Governor Brown has announced that when the state reaches 70%, the economy will fully reopen.
Individual counties may reopen before the rest of the state if they reach 65% and submit a plan to the state for addressing inequities in their distribution. Multnomah County has just passed this 65% threshold, and other metro area counties are close behind.
You can track the leader board and follow your favorite county’s progress here.
Covid Vaccine, Jr.
For vaccinating your 12-15 year olds against Covid, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved. Side effects for youth are similar to those of adults. Those side effects are usually mild and similar to adults, including fever, fatigue, redness at the injection site, headaches, chills, and muscle and joint pain.
Pfizer is offered at the Oregon Convention Center and Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center.
Remember, children are not immune from COVID-19. 1.5 million cases, and more than 13,000 hospitalizations from the disease nationwide have been reported to the CDC among children ages 11-17. The vaccine is their best protection.
Where to get your vaccine
Baskin Clinic does not expect to receive COVID vaccines from the state. To find a vaccine location near you, visit the OHA website if you are in Oregon, or visit the Vaccine Locator if you live in Washington.
After the vaccine
In the Baskin Clinic, we are going to continue to err on the side of caution to protect our patients and staff. We will continue leveraging the convenience of the Spruce platform to make visits virtual
when appropriate. And we’ll continue requiring masks during in-person visits.
Elsewhere, there will be certain mandates that remain in place, such as wearing masks on public transportation and in hospitals, but we expect to find out more about that in coming weeks.
The CDC has come out with more specific guidance about recommended behavior after you are fully vaccinated. It’s rather detailed, and we invite you to read it on the CDC website.
Baskin Clinic is remodeling!
We have been planning some updates to our clinic suite for awhile now, and we’re very excited to put them into action. All new lighting. Fresh paint. A new exam room. And more! Please bear with us as we go through construction June 18th – July 4th. We’re aiming to make this fast and furious to minimize disruption.
-
During this time, all the visits that can be done virtually will be.
-
Visits that can’t be done virtually, like routine blood draws, will be done before or after construction.
-
For the urgent issues that need to be done in person, we’ve arranged a separate, temporary clinic space in the building. You’ll get instructions when you make your appointment.
Colon cancer screening change
Over 10.5% percent of new colon cancers are diagnosed in people under 50 years of age. This week, the US Preventive Services Task Force has updated its recommendation for colon cancer screening to include all adults beginning at age 45. This is significant because insurers typically pay for screenings approved by the USPSTF. For more information, read the statement.
We’re famous! Well, maybe almost famous. Well, at least we were on TV 🙂 Baskin Clinic was on Top Chef Portland’s Last Chance Kitchen! We make our appearance starting around the one-minute mark. Dr. Lester even has a speaking part!
Take care,
Baskin Clinic