On this day, July 9, 1921, during the boom times of the 1920s, the Montgomery Ward building opened in NW Portland. It has since been converted to office space and is now known as Montgomery Park.
Also on this day, July 9, 1945, a THIRD big Tillamook fire occurred near the Salmonberry River, and was joined two days later by a second blaze on the Wilson River, started by a discarded cigarette. This fire burned 180,000 acres before it was put out. The cause of the blaze on the Salmonberry River was mysterious, and many believed it had been set by an incendiary balloon launched by the Japanese, and brought to Oregon by the jet stream.
Also on this day, July 9, 1811, a party of the Montreal-based North West Company employees led by David Thompson in 1807, the British began land-based operations and opened trading posts throughout the region. Thompson extensively explored the Columbia River watershed. While at the junction of Columbia and Snake Rivers, he erected a pole on with a notice stating "Know hereby that this country is claimed by Great Britain as part of its territories"
Western governors say it’s OK to take the vaccine
Oregon, Washington and Nevada joined California’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup in October, which has worked concurrently and independently to review the FDA’s actions related to COVID-19 vaccinations. The Workgroup completed their concurrent and thorough review of the federal process and has confirmed the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. The Workgroup panel is made up of nationally acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health. It has been pointed out that the workgroup is more political than scientific -- a way for governors of blue states to show their distrust of the Trump administration.
“With recommendations from the FDA, CDC, and, now, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, Oregonians can rest assured that some of the best doctors, scientists, and immunologists in the world have reviewed the data and affirmed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective,†said Governor Kate Brown. “We will work as quickly as possible to deliver vaccines to the public, starting with frontline health care workers and those who have been hardest hit by COVID-19. Please keep doing your part to keep your family and loved ones safe—wear a mask, stay home when you are sick, and avoid gatherings. Together, we can do this. Hope is on the way.â€
With a 95% effective rate for the vaccine and a 99.9% survival rate, the public has a choice.
There is a lot of concern regarding the content of the vaccine. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use synthetic ingredients (mRNA) that contains information about the coronavirus’s signature spike protein. It is not a proven technology, but said not to alter human DNA in any way. Still, with all this extra review, the public still does not know the full content of the vaccine.
MIT Technology Review asked experts. There are the obvious ingredients, but concluded that Pfizer is holding back a little. “The spike gene sequence can be tweaked in small ways for better performance, by means that include swapping letters. We don’t think Pfizer has said exactly what sequence it is using, or what modified nucleosides. That means the content of the shot may not be 100% public.†At the end of the day, Pfizer flat-out says, “no microchips.â€
So what should we expect? CDC website states in its COVID-19 information page that they don’t know how long immunity will last from a vaccine. “It’s conceivable that the vaccines provide long-lasting protection, or fade away in under a year and require a booster.â€
The Pfizer vaccine should be a choice, but is this announcement more to do with a catastrophic disaster special session to put its mark on every Oregonian?
--Donna Bleiler| Post Date: 2020-12-14 08:38:31 | Last Update: 2020-12-14 22:15:52 |
