Editor’s Notes
“Should I stay or should I go?” Recognize it as the refrain from the 1982 global rock hit of the same name by The Clash?
Well, the quandary-driven question is in the spotlight again for 2021—albeit in a decidedly different context—as we make our transition from summer to fall in the shadow of the now ubiquitous Delta variant, the highly-infectious mutated strain of the COVID-19 virus.
Sports fans may remember that in mid-July, a NY Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox had to be postponed because six fully vaccinated Yankee players tested positive for the Delta variant—this on a squad that was among the first MLB teams to reach the 85 percent vaccination threshold, which triggered lessening coronavirus protocols, such as dropping mask use in dugouts and bullpens. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman explained it this way: “The vaccines that we encourage everybody to get guarantee (not totally, but almost) not getting hospitalized and not getting death coming from COVID, but it doesn’t protect you from contracting COVID.” Moreover, transmission of the virus, even by those with mild symptoms, poses not only an immediate health risk to others, but also a possible long-term risk. According to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) chief population health officer and primary care physician Dr. Eric Herman, an estimated 10 to 30 percent of those infected end up as “long-haulers”—i.e., plagued by fatigue, trouble breathing, mind fog, and heart palpitations months after their initial illness. (OHSU has launched a “Long COVID-19 Program” for treatment.)
So given the current situation, do you stay or do you go to that sporting event or café or community gathering? That of course depends on what you perceive the “current situation” to be—and it doesn’t help that behavior deemed acceptable one month may not be so the next. July to August was a prime example: with vaccinations rising rapidly by early July toward the hoped-for herd immunity level, millions of Americans confidently crowded together, sans masks, in celebration of the July 4th holiday. Just a month later, the ultra-contagious Delta variant was wreaking havoc on the unvaccinated with ICU beds filling up again, deaths precipitously rising, and restrictions and mandates—public and private—imposed.
The onslaught of the Delta variant has been a game-changer for BWNA as well. Having made the decision in July to switch from Zoom back to Bethany Lutheran Church for the August meeting (mask-wearing to be optional), the board did an about-face two weeks prior to the meeting date when it became obvious that an in-person indoor gathering would be a mistake. President Tim Gillespie cited “an explosion of new cases” in Multnomah County with “a shocking 51 percent increase last week from the week before and the highest daily count yesterday in many months;” 80 percent were the Delta variant.
This information is also problematic for a bimonthly publication like ours. Fortunately, though, we have a handy 24/7 backup: the BWNA website (www.bwnapdx.org). I encourage you to keep informed by clicking on “Upcoming Events” and “Subscribe” (updates via e-mail). Staying or going is your call to make.
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