To meet increasing demand for critical care, OHSU is temporarily converting a 12-bed hospital unit that normally provides post-operative care into an intensive care unit for patients without COVID-19 and will admit young adults into the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital pediatric intensive care unit.

Marcel Curlin, M.D., says third COVID-19 shots for the immunocompromised “clearly help, there’s no question about that,” and that vaccination can prevent virus transmission by preventing people from getting sick to begin with.

While describing a national committee’s recommendations to change the residency application, selection and transition process, George Mejicano, M.D., says: “Even if all the recommendations are not implemented seamlessly, I believe good things will occur."

Judith Guzman-Cottrill, D.O., co-authors essay with recommendations for how schools to resume in-person learning while also preventing COVID-19 infection: “Employing public health measures that have been shown to work in school settings -- and doing so with an equity lens, before another surge hits -- is critical for all of our children, families, teachers and staff.”

Dawn Nolt, M.D., describes how less than 3% of Oregon’s COVID-19 cases have occurred in people who had previously been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

COVID survivor Rick Barde, who was on ECMO at OHSU and hospitalized for two months, is sharing his experience to encourage others to get vaccinated: “People need to take this seriously. I am a walking, talking example of what COVID does. It’s horrible."

The Oregon Poison Center at OHSU, Robert Hendrickson, M.D., and Marcel Curlin, M.D., support the FDA’s recommendation to not use the antiparasitic ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19; there is no data that supports its use and its intentional misuse can cause health problems.

OHSU is among many regional hospitals that are postponing some non-emergency procedures due to capacity issues related to the current COVID-19 surge.

An editorial by Dana Braner, M.D., and Matthias Merkel, M.D., Ph.D., asks people to get vaccinated, wear face masks, continue regular preventative care and more, to avoid placing children at risk: “We simply do not have enough space, staff or resources to provide care to those in need. This includes our most vulnerable, precious population: children."

Renee Edwards, M.D., says that OHSU’s emergency department is “bursting at the seams” at an Aug. 25 media availability with leaders from Portland-area hospitals, who pleaded for more people to get vaccinated.