The Observer., August 01, 2020, Page 5, Image 5

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020
CASES
THE OBSERVER — 5A
JULY COVID-19 CASES IN OREGON
Continued from Page 1A
accounted for.
The largest percentage
increase within a group
was in 10-19 year olds,
which shot up from 682
cases through June to
1,854 cases in July. That
increase was 172%, and the
group made up 12.3% of all
new cases. Youth under age
10 increased from 332 cases
through June to 798 cases
through July, a jump of
140%. They make up 4.3%
of all cases in Oregon.
While each age range
under 50 saw its count more
than double, the percentage
• The numbers of cases by age group in July, according to a
breakdown of data from Oregon Health Authority. Numbers may
not be exact due to individuals whose age was not available at
the time data was collected.
Age group
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80+
Total
July cases
466
1,172
2,247
1,680
1,617
1,063
652
393
256
9,561
of infections has continued
to drop for those 50 and
older — an age group that
has seen all but nine of the
VIRTUAL
SCHOOLS
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
OTEC’s service area.
Those videos are a key
part of OTEC’s emphasis
on promoting the four-
county region both as a
vacation destination and a
desirable place to live, work
and own a business, Gettle
said.
Although OTEC started
the video campaign about a
year before the coronavirus
pandemic began, Gettle
said she believes there is
a fortuitous aspect to the
coincidental timing.
With many businesses
in the region suffering
from the dramatic decline
in tourism — one of the
top three industries in
each of the four counties
— Gettle said OTEC was
poised to unveil the promo-
tional videos with a goal
of helping to revive the
industry.
She understands that
attracting hordes of tourists
isn’t necessarily desirable
now, with the pandemic
continuing to spread. But
Gettle said OTEC offi cials
are glad the videos were
ready.
“We’re just happy that
we had already started this
project and could deploy
it to help our communi-
ties,” she said. “We really
think our virtual tours are
going to be an important
piece for attracting visitors
once everything opens up.
We’re hoping that it’s going
to give people a taste of the
beauty and amenities that
our region offers so that
they’ll plan their next vaca-
tion here.”
Gettle is optimistic that
OTEC’s promotional videos
also will entice people to
consider the region as a
place to live and work.
The videos, in addi-
tion to taking viewers to
outdoor recreation spots
such as Phillips Reser-
voir and Anthony Lakes,
also include tours of local
businesses.
Gettle said she’s read
stories during the pandemic
predicting the upheaval
could provoke a migra-
tion from large cities to
rural areas, in particular
among workers who can
telecommute.
“There’s a greater ability
for people to work from
home,” she said.
Gettle said she believes
OTEC’s four counties, with
their relatively low cost of
living and outdoor ame-
nities, could prove attrac-
tive to workers, or business
owners, who want to move.
“We’re going to be posi-
tioned really well,” she
said. “With the videos
we’re putting our best foot
forward.”
Gettle said the four
county-specifi c videos cost
$6,000 each.
“We miss our students,
staff and families working
together and seeing each
other in person,” Mendoza
said.
The superintendent
said not being able to have
in-person classes at the
start of the school is dis-
couraging because of the
hard work staff did this
summer in an attempt to
achieve this goal.
“It is very frustrating,”
Mendoza said.
The superintendent
said he believes the ear-
liest the school district will
be able to provide on-site
instruction would be Oct.
5. But by then, he said,
COVID-19 rates may have
fallen to the point that state
metrics would make it pos-
sible for the school district
to offer in-person instruc-
tion to students in kinder-
garten through third grade
and special needs students
at all grade levels.
The most valuable and respected source of
local news, advertising and information
for our communities.
eomediagroup.com
La GRANDE
AUTO REPAIR
975-2000
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
MOST
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
AVAILABLE
Joe Horst
ACDelcoTSS
Other districts prep
for online teaching
Other Union County
school districts that have
plans in place to reopen
include Cove, set to reopen
on Aug. 31. Cove Super-
intendent Earl Pettit said
this district plans to offer
on-site instruction to all
students plus distance edu-
cation for those who have
issues which would pre-
vent them from coming to
school.
Pettit knows future
changes in state directives
could make it impossible to
offer on site instruction.
“We fully expect things
to change,” Pettit said.
“We are in a wait-and-see
mode.”
The Cove School Dis-
trict as a result has a dis-
tance education plan ready
for all students if state
rule changes make on-site
instruction impossible.
“We can fl ip a switch
and go fully online,” he
said.
Pettit said he is wor-
ried the concentration
on COViD-19 is keeping
educators throughout the
state from giving their full
attention to student per-
formance and the overall
health of students. He said
nationwide the number of
students of high school age
who are dying from sui-
Percent of July cases
4.87%
12.27%
23.50%
17.57%
16.91%
11.11%
6.82%
4.11%
2.68%
100%
322 deaths in the state. The
numbers break down as
follows:
•50-59 year olds (2,351
Observer fi le photo
cide and drug overdoses is
up dramatically. He said
the increase alone is more
than the number of teen-
agers who are dying from
COVID-19. Pettit said
this is why schools need
to get students back in
classrooms.
The ever-changing rules
involving the virus and
social distancing and edu-
cation has prompted the
Imbler School District to
delay its opening a week to
Monday, Aug. 31. Imbler
Superintendent Angie
Lakey-Campbell said this
is in hopes that after an
extra week the COVID-19
pandemic may subside to
the point her school district
has a better chance to offer
on-site instruction.
Key elements of
Imbler’s reopening plan
include students attending
school on-site Monday
through Friday with half
days on Fridays for stu-
dents identifi ed as needing
additional support and
on-line learning for all
other students. Students in
grades 7-12 would stay in
cohorts each day.
While elementary
classes will be fairly tra-
ditional, sixth- through
12th-grade classes will be a
combination of traditional
classes and online classes.
North Powder waits
for changes
The North Powder
School District’s plans
for reopening are on hold
as school offi cials wait
to see if there are further
‘Hearing Health
Awareness Month’
Audiology & Hearing Aid Associates is flying the
flag for raising local awareness of healthy hearing
48 million
1 out of 3
people over
age 65
People with hearing loss
wait an average
of 7 years
before seeking help
14% of those
aged 45-64
have some degree
of hearing loss
have some type of
hearing loss
2 out of 3
people over 75
15 million people
have a hearing loss
helped drag its overall total
down to 3.5%.
Through the fi ve months
of the pandemic, individ-
uals under age 50, which
according to 2018 census
data make up about 63.6%
of the state’s population,
were responsible for 70.3%
of the state’s cases. The
oldest three demographics
in Oregon Health Authority
data, which have made up
91.3% of those who have
died with COVID-19, make
up 23.5% of the population,
but now have just 16.8% of
cases in Oregon, and 13.6%
in July. Through June,
they made up 20.2% of all
cases. Each age group 50
and under has a higher per-
A lone janitor works in this March photo at the end of an empty hall at La Grande High
School. Those halls will remain empty a while longer as La Grande schools move to
teaching online for fall term.
August is
Americans have a
significant hearing loss
total cases) accounted
for 11.1% of cases in July
(1,063) down from 14.4%
through June and from
its overall percentage of
12.7%.
•60-69 (1,532 cases)
made up 6.8% of cases in
July (652) after accounting
for 9.9% through June and
8.3% overall.
•70-79 (939 cases) saw
just 4.1% of the month’s
cases (393), down from
6.1% through June and 5.1%
overall.
•And those 80 and older
(638 cases), the hardest-hit
group in terms of mor-
tality rate, saw just 256 new
cases in July, just 2.7% of
the month’s total, which has
in the United States
with hearing loss avoid
seeking help
If you are
concerned about a
friend or loved one
with a hearing loss,
then August is the
month to start the
conversation about
health hearing.
Schedule your
complimentary
hearing screening
today
Call 541-612-7555
Visit lagrandehearing.org
Call or text 541-612-7555
upon arrival, our waiting
room is closed. You will
be asked to complete a
pandemic screening form
upon your avvival.
rule changes. Superinten-
dent Lance Dixon said he
believes there is a chance
the state may change its
COVID-19 metrics to assist
small school districts, such
as North Powder, to open
for on-site education.
One element of the
state’s COVID-19 met-
rics that bothers Dixon is
they apply to school dis-
tricts based on the preva-
lence of the virus in coun-
ties and in Oregon overall.
This means a high number
of cases of the virus in
other parts of their county
can hurt a school district’s
ability to reopen in a com-
munity with no or a low
number of COVID-19
cases.
Dixon said this is not
fair, stating that in Baker
County, for example, the
Baker School District’s
number of COVD-19 cases
should have no affect on
the Huntington School Dis-
trict, which is 44 miles
southeast of Baker City.
centage of cases relative to
its portion of the popula-
tion, while the 50-59 group
is right at its population
ratio.
The state’s rate of pos-
itive cases, which through
June was 3.51%, has
bumped up to 4.35%. More
than 160,000 test results
came back in July, with the
number of positive tests at
9,015 for a monthly positive
percentage of 5.6%.
There were 114 deaths
attributed to COVID-19
during July. The 1.19%
mortality rate in the month
took Oregon’s overall rate
down from 2.33% to 1.74%.
Oregon has tested about
9.5% of its population.
Dixon hopes North
Powder can provide on-site
education but realizes this
may not be possible, which
is why the district has a
distance education pro-
gram ready as a supple-
ment or backup.
The North Powder
superintendent said the
state’s continuing changes
regarding COVID-19 rules
and education make it dif-
fi cult to plan. Dixon said,
though, it is important to
maintain an optimistic
attitude.
“You have to keep
moving forward or you will
give up,” Dixon said.
Dixon is not a fan of
distance education, noting
students taking online
classes have a hard time
getting to know their class-
mates and teachers.
“I didn’t get into educa-
tion 30 years ago to teach
students over a computer,”
he said, “but that is the
reality and what we have
to do.”
He noted two of his
children who attend the
North Powder School
District did not like
taking distance educa-
tion classes last spring,
when all schools in the
state began offering online
learning programs. He said
they want to get back to
attending school in tradi-
tional fashion.
TREASURE
VALLEY
STEEL, INC.
Manufacturing Zee & Cee Purlins
In-HouseCustom Cut Exact Lengths
• 24 Colors
• Custom Trim
• 2 1/2” Corrugated
• Delivery Available
• Full Soffitt Line
• 3 ft. Gulf Coast Panel
• 3 ft. PBR Panel
• 3 ft. Mesa Panel
• 3 ft. Tuff Rib Panel
• Standing Seam
DELIVERY
• 2 ft. Delta Rib
AVAILABLE
• 3 ft. Pro Panel
40 Year Full Paint Warranty • WeatherX Paint System
ONTARIO
541-889-4214
BOISE
208-336-7505
1460 N. Verde Dr.
Toll Free 1-866-887-8335
6619 S. Supply Way
Toll Free 1-888-717-8335
WWW.TREASUREVALLEYSTEEL.COM