Aug 27, 2021
How did Oregon get to the point where the Delta Variant is
crippling the state's hospitals? Where did the COVID 19 virus
really start? And will Pfizer's new full approval of its vaccine
from the FDA change the minds, of the unvaccinated people among
us?
These are some of the questions that I asked of two experts who
are in Oregon this week. Chunhuei Chi is the Director of the
Center for Global Health at Oregon State University, and a
professor who teaches about global health. He explained to me how
the delta variant is different, it has mutations that make it more
contagious and more able to outsmart the body's immune system. He
also believes there's been a lot of misinformation, from the World
Health Organization and China, about exactly where and how the
virus originated. And he thinks we will be able to overcome the
pandemic and live safely with the virus, within months.
Since the COVID 19 vaccines first became available, Marketing Professor Aimee Huff from O.S.U.'s School of Business has been studying why some Oregonians have chosen to not get them. Now, she believes the FDA's decision to grant full approval will encourage more people to have confidence in the shots.