Wednesday, April 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Distancing measures
are working in Oregon
Staying home does appear
to be slowing the spread of
COVID-19 in Oregon and
in Deschutes County 4 and
health authorities are urging
that measures stay in place into
May to keep numbers down.
The Oregon Health
Authority (OHA) reports that
new projections from health
researchers estimate that
Oregon9s <aggressive= social
distancing measures have pre-
vented as many as 18,000 cases
of COVID-19 and 500 hos-
pitalizations. However, OHA
states, these restrictions must
be maintained into May to
prevent new cases from rising
above current daily levels. A
link to the report on <COVID-
19 intervention effectiveness
and epidemic trends for Ore-
gon: a model-based analy-
sis= can be found with the
online version of this story
at www.nuggetnews.com.
Researchers <emphasize
the urgent need for enor-
mously increased testing
capacity. It will not be pos-
sible to relax social distancing
measures and avoid an epi-
demic rebound without sig-
nificantly increased testing.=
The latest model is based
on actual COVID-19 infec-
tion, hospitalization and death
data. Researchers lengthened
their assumptions on hospi-
tal length-of-stay based on
accumulation of additional
data from Oregon cases. The
results aid in planning the
state9s response. According to
the latest report, which extends
modeling until May 18:
" Under current social
distancing conditions, the
total cumulative infections
with COVID-19 in Oregon
on May 18 would be fewer
than 20,000. If the state were
to return to moderate social
distancing (i.e., reopen non-
essential businesses, keep
schools closed), new infec-
tions would quickly climb to
more than 60,000 by May 18.
" Active infections would
stay at currently projected lev-
els of more than 2,000 cases
per day through mid-May and
then begin to slowly subside,
if the state maintains current
social distancing. However,
if the state were to return to
moderate social distancing,
the number of active infec-
tions each day would spike to
more than 17,000 per day.
" The projected adult acute
care and intensive care bed
usage will remain below the
available capacity in Oregon
through the model period
(through May 18).
The models were prepared
by the Institute for Disease
Modeling in Washington.
Based on the data, researchers
predict there are about 7,000
active infections in Oregon at
this time.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state
health officer at OHA, said:
<Staying at home and main-
taining physical distancing is
difficult and has had serious
economic impacts that have
affected many people, but the
data continue to show that
Oregonians are saving lives
by staying home. The latest
projections are more conser-
vative than previous versions
of the model because they
account for variables such as
longer hospital stays or the
likelihood that COVID-19 has
been in Oregon longer than we
initially estimated. However,
even these estimates, show
we can slow new COVID-
19 infections and ultimately
begin to drive them down if
we can sustain today9s social
distancing measures.=
According to the model
released Saturday, the state
should expect to see fewer
than 500 hospitalizations
per day due to COVID-19 if
social distancing remains in
place; Oregon hospitals would
use fewer than 200 ICU beds
per day. Nearly 2,000 beds per
day would be needed by May
18 if current stay home orders
were relaxed.
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Loscutoff
Columnist
Ways
COVID-19
shut in can
promote
a healthy
lifestyle
Now is not a time to
constantly consume the
news. Focus on what CAN
be done, not about the per-
ils of the world around us.
Here are a few ways that
this shut in offers an oppor-
tunity to establish a health-
ier lifestyle.
• Changing eating
habits: No longer is the
excuse <I don9t have time
to eat healthy= valid.
Cooking offers a pleasur-
able expression of creativ-
ity, flavor, and comfort. It
doesn9t have to be hard,
We are keeping our
community safe by
limiting operations
to emergency
treatment only.
and it doesn9t have to be
gourmet. A staple in this
household is a veggie stir
fry with tofu, and a simple
soy, brown sugar, and rice
vinegar sauce. Simple,
easy, and minimally messy.
• E x e rc i s e s na c ks :
Snacks? Not literally
snacks but, a break for a
brief exercise does wonders
after sitting for a while.
First it gets blood moving,
the muscles stay limber and
active, and it helps clear
the mind. A morning and
evening walk have been a
great opportunity person-
ally to clear my head and
re-write the inner tone, as
it9s easy to get down and
depressed during this time.
• M e d i t a t e , re l a x ,
decompress: Is the inner
voice tearing apart the pos-
itivity in the world? Is the
mind racing back and forth
from one thing to another
constantly looking for dis-
tractions on social media?
Is focus and serenity hard
to come by? Meditation,
sitting quietly, and journal-
ing are all ways to improve
one9s mental state. Simply
looking off into the dis-
tance and being quiet is
helpful.
• Organize the envi-
ronment for success: It
probably isn9t apparent
until now how much the
things surrounding a per-
son can influence their
mindset. Look to build and
adapt the household into
a relaxing, cozy, and spa-
cious area that promotes
good vibes. Lighting,
decor, soft spaces, all can
create a comforting expe-
rience. A favorite here is a
chair next to the back win-
dow with a warm lamp and
a throw blanket.
" Sleep for heaven¾s
sake! Wonderful sleep is
possible, and there9s no
better time than now. Does
staying up watching TV get
anything accomplished?
Will continuous scroll-
ing through a phone help?
Take this wellness oppor-
tunity to tune in sleep. A
cool, blacked-out room
will do best. Avoid any
screens or TV watching in
bed, and keep lighting low.
It9s amazing what a good
night9s sleep can do!
Shout out any ideas and
let9s continue to make the
best of this situation!
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