Pfizer approved starting at age 12 now. Good news.
8 Likes
I just saw that Pfizer is going to be approved for ages 12 - 15. I saw my niece yesterday and her daughters (ages 12 and 14) and my niece was so hoping the approval would happen prior to summer so that her girls could get the vaccine and have a more normal summer. Iām so happy this is happening!
5 Likes
My youngest is in that age group and I too was hoping the vaccine would be approved in time for summer activities. Iām wondering how many days/weeks between approval and actual shots. Looks like it goes to CDC the next day and they will issue guidelines. But then what? Adult one was available in a matter of days if not hours, if memory serves.
Anyone know if WA (specifically Vancouver area) is allowing non-residents (so, from Oregon) to get the vaccine? WA seems to have much better availability than the Portland area.
Availability in Portland seems to have made the big shift this week. You can make appointments for the convention center site at all4oregon.org and there are numerous openings in the next few days. Check Shutdown | Vaccine Spotter for appointments available at pharmacies. No need to go to Vancouver anymore.
Thank you! My Portland friend who has complained for weeks of being unable to get an appointment was able to schedule with that site 
5 Likes
Great! It has been a struggle. I went to Salem to get mine and I know folks who have gone out to Hood River. But supply is up and demand is down, so things are easier for those who want shots. There is a site near my home that has been ātargeted groups onlyā and last weekend the sign said, āwalk-ins welcomeā.
āMaine is the first state in the nation to report vaccinating half its eligible residents against COVID-19.ā Weāre number one! 
1 Like
@MaineLonghorn , I will be in your state next week, fully vaccinated. What is the current rule in Maine regarding masks outdoors?
While this is definitely good news, it clearly indicates that population demographics play a huge role here. Maine is 94.4% white (and as we know, this group is more inclined to get vaccinated), has 21.2% people aged 65 and over (thus triggering higher initial vaccine allocation and adoption), and 18.5% are 18 and under. Compare that to WA: 78.5% white, 15.9% 65 and older, and 21.8% are 18 or younger. The numbers are from the US Census.
4 Likes
Weāve been in Maine for the last week and are amazed at the contrast with home (AZ). Except for signs on the doors of some non-food retail establishments, in AZ, there seems to be no mask or distancing requirements at all and no mask enforcement anywhere. In Maine, we were asked for proof of vaccination when checking into our hotel and were surprised the first time (and every time thereafter) we entered a restaurant to be asked for a name and phone number for contact tracing purposes and to see dividers or serious distance between booths/tables. LL Bean even has curtain dividers between sinks in the restroom! Everyone is masked everywhere, even outside, and we havenāt seen any chin diapers. I love this state. 
13 Likes
yet maine currently is in the top 10 cases /100K of States. Not sure why. AZ is near the bottom.
1 Like
I came back from a road trip thru Idaho, Utah, California and Oregon. Itās fascinating to see how each state enforces (or not) masks.
Idaho: no mask, no social distance in public space, Kroger posted signs āMasks requiredā but only about half wore it.
Utah: Marks were worn pretty consistent in the tourist areas except we saw sign on one gas station āMasks at your discretionā to accommodate the maskless clerk!
California: Good mask compliance, even more strict along the coastal Central and Northern California. Hotels only stocked disposable items in rooms. They even removed coffee pots, we placed paper cup to get our single drip coffee. No room service which was fine by us.
Oregon: First night there we could still dine in at limited capacity. 4 weeks later when we passed thru on the way home, all indoor dining shutdown due to their recent covid surge.
I volunteer at Lumen field mass vaccination site and it is so well run. Multiple translation service, wheelchair assistance, free parking, volunteers and paid staff everywhere. Yesterday, they cancelled 30 vaccinators since they only filled 3200 slots out of 7000. Walk ins welcome in the afternoon. Take you longer to walk from the parking garage than thru the queues! Huge difference from 2 months ago.
1 Like
Are you sure? That seemed odd to me so I checked Worldometers and aligned it to cases, then deaths, per capita:
Maine is #48 of 51 for both (they include DC). AZ is #7 for cases and #6 for deaths.
2 Likes
I have to travel from CA through Idaho in three weeks and am planning on one night in a hotel there. Based on your experience, would you recommend trying to get all the way through to Bozeman, which might have some precautions in hotels? This will be my first hotel night since the whole pandemic started and I am a little wary.
This treads a bit off topic for the thread, I apologize for that. I am not ready to lose the mask around strangers yet.
Here are the current California mask rules for comparison: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/
this is in the last 7 days.
1 Like
Tennessee, feels like 2019. No masks at all. Anywhere
True, but overall Maine is doing far better than most places. <5% of the state has had a positive test in the last year. Most states are over 10.
This latest āsurgeā is surprising to me especially in Michigan. I tend to think of the areas closest to the international airports to be most vulnerable to new surges. I think itās the variants causing the uptick. But even still, the 25 cases per day is very very low compared to where we were in December through February. My area was over 150 at the peak and over 100 for well over a month.
All that being said. If 5-20 percent have had it over the last year and some overlapping number of 50% have full immunity, that still still leaves a very large number of people still able to catch it. 25/100K is 0.02% of the population testing positive per day.
Also, since last April Iāve kept a spreadsheet at work tracking the number of cases and deaths per state each day. Typing it in helps me to focus better. I went back and looked. Last May 31, NY had nearly 30,000 deaths. Almost all of those were in 3 months. They are at 52,000 now a year later. But thatās what the virus did in a densely packed population completely unchecked.