Think Out Loud

Epidemiologist shares hopes and fears for the future

By Julie Sabatier (OPB)
March 10, 2021 6:19 p.m. Updated: March 11, 2021 10:36 p.m.

Broadcast: Thursday, March 11

A water slide leads to a swimming pool. No people are present.

A mallard takes off after a bath on top of the closed Sellwood Pool in Portland, Ore., Friday, May 15, 2020. Portland Parks & Recreation announced February 18, 2021 that outdoor public pools will be open this summer in a limited capacity.

Bradley W. Parks / OPB

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The COVID-19 pandemic is at an inflection point. More people are getting vaccinated every day, but we’re also seeing a rise in variants as the virus mutates. We talk with Kim Repp, Washington County’s chief epidemiologist, about best-case and worst-case scenarios for the summer and fall, and how both vaccines and variants are changing the way we think about the pandemic.

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