Since early in the pandemic, Peter Graven, a health economist at the Oregon Health & Science University, has been trying to predict how COVID-19 will affect Oregonians and their health care system. The director of the university’s Office of Advanced Analytics likes to call the forecasts his “best guess,” but says his job is to “strangle” it with real-life medical and epidemiological data until it has a good chance of coming true. Of late, his weekly predictions have gained new prominence as officials, providers and members of the public prepare for the new, fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus.

OHSU says Medical technicians are testing 300 to 400 people per day. Appointments are necessary at this location.

“This is incredibly reassuring,” said Dr. Alison Edelman of Oregon Health & Science University, who led the research and said it’s important to tell women what to expect.

The study’s lead author, Alison Edelman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University, characterized the results to The Lily as “incredibly reassuring at a population level,” adding that they were also “validating for people who’ve experienced menstrual disturbance [following vaccination].”

After getting a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, women had an average menstrual cycle length of about one day longer than usual, according to a study published Thursday. "The bottom line is, we really think these findings are reassuring for health and reproductive health," and they dovetail with similarly reassuring data on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines regarding pregnancy and fertility, Dr. Alison Edelman, an OB/GYN and professor at the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland and the study's lead researcher, told CNN.

A news study comparing multiple sclerosis therapies, researchers report rituximab is more effective in reducing the rate of relapse than natalizumab; Dennis Bourdette, M.D., who was not involved in the study, says these particular findings might not affect how patients are treated, but the approach could prove valuable.

"I think it's reassuring and also validating," says Dr. Alison Edelman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. who led the study.

A research study led by Alison Edelman, M.D., finds some people may experience a slight, but temporary, change in the length of their monthly cycle following COVID-19 vaccination: “The identified changes to menstrual cycle length, overall, do not rise to the level of clinical significance. While this is reassuring, the study findings may also be validating to individuals who experienced menstrual disruption following vaccination.”

Article on how the state collects COVID-19 data, OHSU spokesperson Tracy Brawley provided the following comment: " ... even among patients admitted primarily for other conditions, a COVID-19 infection can worsen their condition and complicate their care.”

Peter Graven: a tidal wave of patients will hit health systems harder than ever before: “It’s going to catch people off guard. There is going to be a little shock."