SOUTH BEND - Director at Pacific County Public Health & Human Services Katie Lindstrom was kind enough to take time from her busy schedule to offer her expertise to the public about a wide range of questions from the Herald about the COVID-19 pandemic and several areas related to it.
Lindstrom graduated from Oregon State university with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Social Sciences in the late '90's because she "knew that I wanted to work in a helping field, but wasn't quite sure what that would be exactly." After a few years of working in social services in the Portland area, Lindstrom was hired by Pacific County and said she "quickly fell in love with both Pacific County and public health." She has worked for the Pacific County Health Dept. for almost 19 years, originally as the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator and then moving into human services management as deputy director after a few years when she was promoted to be the director of the department in December of 2019.
Outside of work, Lindstrom said she "enjoys spending time with my teenage son and daughter and our two cats, and when the weather allows, I love to get outdoors to kayak and enjoy the beauty of the area."
Below is Part I of Lindstrom's interview. Part II will run next week.
Herald: Now that Omicron and COVID-19 have subsided, is it a fact that another virus, BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1, have become the dominant forms of the coronavirus in certain parts of the country, is manifesting and will hit the public before too long? So, is it a mistake for too many Americans believing the Covid-19 pandemic is over?
Lindstrom: BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 are sub lineages of the BA.2 (original Omicron) variant. Currently, the majority, over 90 percent of COVID cases in Washington State are BA.2 with BA.2.12.1 making up around 8 percent of cases. There is a chance that BA.2.12.1 will become dominant, but we don't know for sure yet. The bad news is that the omicron variant and sub lineages are more contagious than previous variants like Alpha or Delta, but the good news is that they also seem to be less virulent. It's impossible to predict which variants will occur or become dominant, but the Washington State Dept. of Health does monitor variants and their sub lineages. Those interested in learning more about variants and how they are monitored should check out the Washington State Dept. of Health COVID-19 Sequencing and Variant report found at https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/420-316-SequencingAndVariantsReport.pdf?uid=6266bd70603bd.
Herald: Of the vaccines offered, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and a few of the lesser-known others, is there one that you believe is the most effective and safest to use?
Lindstrom: All of the vaccines will reduce a person's risk of catching COVID and even more importantly, will drastically reduce the risk of hospitalization or death if you do get COVID. All three of the vaccines have also been shown to be very safe and effective. That said, the two MRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, have been shown to reduce this risk the most with Moderna having a slight edge over Pfizer. Johnson and Johnson does provide some protection and can be very useful - especially in folks who may have an allergy to a component of one of the MRNA vaccines or for those who simply prefer the one dose vaccine over the two dose regimen. Bottom line, any vaccine is better than no vaccine. The good news is that all three are available in Pacific County and people can pick whichever one they want for both initial series and boosters. An up to date listing of clinics can always be found at www.pacificcountycovid19.com/get-vaccinated.
HERALD: How many people have been vaccinated in Pacific County and how many in north county?
Lindstrom: The majority of people in Pacific County have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Breakdown by area is as follows: Peninsula area, which includes all areas from Ilwaco up to Ocean Park/Surfside has 78 percent of residents with at least one dose initiated and 71 percent are fully vaccinated. In the north county area, 59 percent of the population has initiated vaccines and 53 percent are fully vaccinated.
Herald: What is the current goal of the EOC and/or PC Health Dept. in regard to people still getting vaccinated, wearing masks and staying six feet away from people?
Lindstrom: We have a few primary focus areas currently. First, we are distributing free at-home test kits to all Pacific County residents. These can be picked up at either health department location or any Pacific County Timberland Library. It is important for folks to have these at-home test kits on hand and then to use them if they develop any symptoms of COVID-19 or if they have been exposed to COVID-19 and then to stay home and isolate if they test positive. Current CDC guidelines state that individuals positive for COVID-19 should isolate for a minimum of five days after symptom onset or until their symptoms resolve and no fever, whichever is longer. If you have been exposed to COVID and you are unvaccinated, then you should quarantine for at least five days and then wear a good quality face mask around others on days five through10.
We are also focusing on getting good quality (n95) face masks out to the public. These face masks do a good job of protecting the person who is wearing the masks and are strongly recommended for everyone while in crowded indoor settings when case rates are high, and for those who are at high risk due to age of underlying health conditions when case rates are moderate. These n95 masks are available for free at the same locations as the free at-home tests.
Another focus area is to provide education to the public about COVID-19 treatment options. Pacific County providers have both monoclonal antibody treatments and antiviral medication available for individuals who are at high risk due to age or underlying health condition. The sooner a person takes these medications the more effective they are at decreasing risk of hospitalization or death. If you are high risk, talk to your healthcare provider at first sign of symptoms (and positive test) to discuss your options.
Herald: With COVID still on the rise in several communities nationwide, do you think it's a good idea to have the mask mandate ended for public transit and airlines? Is it safe for people to travel on airplanes without a mask?
Lindstrom: We would still recommend folks wear quality masks while in crowded indoor settings like airplanes or buses. This is especially true if you are at high risk of severe disease due to age or underlying health conditions. It's important to note, while cloth face coverings do provide some protection for the wearer, they are most effective as a source control measure (i.e. helping to reduce the spread of COVID from the mask wearer to others). High quality face coverings like n95 or kn95s are good source control AND provide maximum protection for the wearer as well. Again, folks can pick up free n95 masks at any library or health department location.
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