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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2021)
4 Wednesday, January 27, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Sisters continues to navigate pandemic Sisters continues to ride a rollercoaster of ups and downs in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Sisters students returned to in-person edu- cation at local schools as Governor Kate Brown adjusted the rules under which students could return to class. The surge in cases that has battered Oregon since the fall appears to have been abated, with daily case reports in Deschutes County declining from peak levels 4 though they continue to add up. The Sisters 97759 zip code has seen 161 total cases as of January 20. The region is not out of the woods. Last week, St. Charles Health System reported an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the St. Charles Redmond hospital campus. An outbreak is defined as a cluster of cases that are related. To date, 33 caregivers had tested positive for COVID- 19, their cases are investi- gated in collaboration with Deschutes County Health Services and the Oregon Health Authority. The hos- pital later announced that the source of the outbreak had been traced to a single patient. According to the hospi- tal, the patient 4 who had underlying health condi- tions that at times made it difficult to wear a mask 4 was admitted to St. Charles Redmond on December 31 and was initially tested twice for COVID-19. Because both tests resulted negative, St. Charles caregivers continued to wear droplet precaution personal protective equip- ment (PPE). On January 6, the patient was tested a third time for COVID-19, and that test resulted positive. After performing an inves- tigation with the assistance of Deschutes County Health Services and the Oregon Health Authority, St. Charles9 Infection Prevention team determined the Redmond caregivers9 droplet precau- tion PPE was overwhelmed by prolonged exposure to the highly-symptomatic COVID- positive patient. <The important learning from this outbreak is that neg- ative COVID-19 test results are not foolproof,= said Dr. Jeff Absalon, St. Charles9 chief physician executive. <In spite of negative test results, if a patient is highly symp- tomatic, we will need to treat them as if they are COVID- 19 positive and aerosolizing, in which case the higher level of PPE is required.= The incident illustrates the difficulty of identifying and evading infection. <We hope our community understands and will help us by following all COVID-19 restrictions, both inside and outside of our facilities,= said Redmond hospital CEO Aaron Adams. <The number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to be high through- out the region and we need your help to ensure we have a healthy workforce to care for you and your loved ones.= The hospital emphasizes that it continues to be criti- cally important for individu- als to wear masks, as well as practice physical distancing and good hand hygiene. In a press conference on Friday, Governor Brown and the Oregon Health Authority offered a timeline for vaccinations. Vaccination timelines JANUARY 25: • Phase 1A: 67 percent of first doses administered (approximately 270,000 first doses administered) • Educators eligible for vaccination WEEK OF JANUARY 31: • Phase 1A: 72 percent complete (approximately 290,000 first doses to administer) WEEK OF FEBRUARY 7: • Educators: 57 percent complete (approximately 85,000 first doses to administer) • Seniors 80 and over eligible WEEK OF FEBRUARY 14: • Seniors 75 and over eligible (approximately 36 percent of total senior/educator population vaccinated) WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21: • Seniors 70 and over eligible (approximately 32 percent of total senior/educator population vaccinated) WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28: • Seniors 65 and over eligible (approximately 29 percent of total senior/educator population vaccinated) WEEK OF MAY 2: • Provide enough doses to achieve 78 percent of total senior/educator population vaccinated) Vaccine delivery has proved to be rocky. NPR reported last week that vac- cine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna face significant challenges in meeting targets. <The companies promised to deliver 100 million doses apiece to the United States by the end of March,= NPR reported. <But they9ll need 2017 HONDA NDA ACCORD HYBRID EX EX-L L $ 1 9,900 Sisters Car Connection 541-815-7397 192 W. Barclay Dr., Sisters BANR ENTERPRISES, LLC Residential & Commercial Contractor — Downtown Sisters — Protect what you’ve worked for. 541-588-2414 204 2 0 W. Adams Ave., Ste 203 new yarn Amano’s Awa DKWEIGHTFROMPERU 55% Baby Alpaca • 26% Merino Wool 19% Pima Co on BANR can help you from clearing to concrete… demolition to design. When the going gets tough, even the tough call us! CCB#165122 541-549-6977 WWW.BANR.NET | SCOTT@BANR.NET When life feels dreary... May JOHN H. MYERS, LLC Make it easy for you and your loved ones. Call for a free 30-minute consultation. Best Price! No Hassles! CARFAX Certifi ed! and low-mileage consignments! The Law Offi ce of WILLS & TRUSTS One owner, black heated leather, 27K miles, 49 mpg city Bring us your trade-ins to make huge leaps in a short time to meet that goal. In the last few weeks, they9ve each been steadily delivering about 4.3 million doses a week, according to an NPR exami- nation of vaccine allocation data. But to hit their targets of 100 million doses on time, they each need to deliver 7.5 million doses a week for the next nine weeks.= Meanwhile, Oregon has reported three cases of the variant COVID-19 virus strain originally detected in the United Kingdom. That variant is considered to be more contagious. So, Sisters celebrates small signs of progress, while keeping a wary 4 and weary 4 eye on the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the vac- cine developed to quell it. And OHA continues to urge adhering to the personal pro- tocols that can inhibit spread: " Maintain six feet of physical distance; " Wear a face covering when outside the house; " Practice good hand hygiene; " Avoid gatherings with people you don9t live with; " People who experience symptoms 4 even mild ones 4 are urged to consult with a medical provider quickly to get instructions on how to care for themselves and their household members, and whether to get tested. Faith, H e & Chari bring us together. Give us a call 541-389-6859 SISTERS COMMUNITY CHURCH www.sisterschurch.com