FROM PAGE ONE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022
CHILDREN
Continued from Page A1
in the fall the state was
averaging roughly 2,500
pediatric cases per week.
At the end of the week of
Dec. 26, the case count
skyrocketed to 4,851. That
record-high number nearly
doubled in the following
week, reaching 8,885
cases in the fi rst week of
January. Throughout the
recent increase, OHA
reported that the positivity
rate was highest among
children ages 12 to 17.
Since the COVID-19
vaccine became available
to ages 12 to 15 in May
2021 and to ages 5 to 11
the following October,
Oregon has seen a steady
increase in juvenile vac-
cinations. As of Jan. 13,
67% of children ages 12
to 17 had received at least
one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine, and 33.4% of
Oregon’s children from
age 5 to 11 had been vac-
cinated with at least one
dose. That total comes
out to 312,323 individ-
uals ages 5 to 17 who have
received at least one dose.
Union County’s total
pediatric case rate is
currently ranked in the
middle of all counties in
Oregon. Union County’s
rate of 10,321 cases per
100,000 is the 16th highest
out of the 36 counties in
the state, while Wallowa
County’s rate of 9,657 is
the 21st highest.
Union and Wal-
lowa counties have not
been immune from the
recent surge in pedi-
atric cases. Union Coun-
ty’s case total for chil-
dren increased from single
digits in late November
and early December to 15
per week on Dec. 26 and
296 after Jan. 2. In Wal-
lowa County, fi ve pedi-
atric cases were reported
on Dec. 26 and seven on
Jan. 2
Union County schools
have felt the steady impact
of absences among stu-
dents and staff , with most
schools seeing about fi ve
students out at a time in
the latest update from Jan.
14. The Elgin School Dis-
trict recently experienced
a surge, with 30 students
absent at both Elgin High
School and Stella May-
fi eld Elementary School.
Students are encouraged
to stay home if they are
experiencing common
COVID-19 symptoms.
In addition to pedi-
atric cases, the absence of
teachers due to COVID-19
can become a major
obstacle due to a lack of
substitute teachers across
the county.
PLOW
Continued from Page A1
Already an hour into
his shift, ice had begun to
amass on the corners of the
windshield. The windshield
wipers squeaked inces-
santly as they battled the
accumulating snow. If not
addressed, the windshield
would freeze over until just
a small circle of visibility
remained. At least one sec-
ondary headlight was com-
pletely encased in ice; the
other was encased in snow.
Hurd resigned to leaving
the wipers on despite the
noise — a chirping metro-
nome for a long night.
It’s a Sisyphean task to
keep the roads clear during
heavy snowfall.
ODOT plow operators
are assigned sections of the
interstate and state roads
to keep clear. Mostly, they
handle I-84, but they also
are responsible for plowing
La Grande’s Island Avenue.
Sometimes, they pair up
when conditions are poor,
running tandem down the
freeway and clearing it all
in one fell swoop.
“You can only plow
so fast, so you just keep
making laps and keep
plowing and plowing,”
Hurd said of plowing during
heavy snowfall. “Hopefully
you don’t have to close the
GUARD
Continued from Page A1
focus 100% on caring for
the patients.”
According to Clyne, each
hospital in Eastern Oregon
would receive an average of
fi ve citizen-soldiers.
“We have been told that
Blue Mountain Hospital
District is set to receive fi ve
members of the Oregon
National Guard next week,”
Derek Daly, chief execu-
tive offi cer of Blue Moun-
tain Hospital District, said.
“We are thankful for these
staffi ng resources and the
support from the National
Guard. We plan to utilize
these team members to help
in non-clinical positions,
such as environmental ser-
vices, across our campuses.”
Caitlin Cozad, mar-
keting and communications
director with Good Shep-
herd in Hermiston, said the
hospital is expecting six
guard member to support
the hospital.
Wallowa Memorial Hos-
pital welcomed fi ve soldiers
on Jan. 17.
“Wallowa Memorial Hos-
pital was grateful to wel-
Maj. W. Chris Clyne/Oregon National Guard Public Aff airs
Staff Sgt. David Seymour, from C Company 3rd Battalion, 116 Cav-
alry Brigade, Oregon Army National Guard, informs soldiers of mis-
sion requirements at the Anderson Readiness Center in Salem on
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. The deployment is the second iteration
of nonclinical support for Oregon hospitals by the National Guard,
which will grow to more 1,200 guard members by the end of January,
fi lling critical hospital staffi ng shortages.
come fi ve National Guard
members,” said Brooke
Pace, director of commu-
nications and public rela-
tions at Wallowa Memorial
Hospital “We plan to utilize
this additional personnel
in various departments,
from Environmental Ser-
vices to hospital and clinic
screening. The presence of
fi ve additional staff mem-
bers helps ensure that we
will continue to provide pre-
mier care to the people of
Wallowa County in the face
THE OBSERVER — A5
of yet another COVID-19
surge.”
Close to home
But as to why the Oregon
National Guard deploys sol-
diers to support and logis-
tical assignments at the hos-
pitals instead of ones with
medical training has a sur-
prising reason behind it,
according to guard offi cials.
Medical staff in the Oregon
National Guard often hold
positions at local hospitals
for their non-military job,
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Tesmond Hurd’s snowplow is fi lled with sand — an additive and dispersing agent to help increase traction
on the freeways — before beginning his plowing route along Interstate 84 in Union County on Wednes-
day, Jan. 5, 2022.
freeway down.”
If the road maintenance
department was short-
staff ed, the drivers might
not be able to keep up with
the snow.
The Observer recently
reported on a possible
shortage of ODOT snow-
plow operators. Craig
Slipp, the manager for
ODOT Region 5 — the
area encompassing most
of Eastern Oregon — told
The Observer there were
12 open road maintenance
positions. Hurd said his
department in La Grande
was fully staff ed, however.
When it’s snowing, the
plow operators lay down
sand for traction; they use
salt in drier conditions.
Hurd said he had seen fi rst-
hand the immediate impact
sand can have when freeing
stuck motorists.
ODOT keeps barns full
of both materials for plows
to refi ll. The sand and salt
also fulfi ll a secondary
purpose of increasing the
weight of the snowplow,
increasing its individual
traction capabilities. It is
diffi cult to extricate a snow-
plow that has been disabled
by the snow.
Hurd said there were
a number of reasons why
ODOT makes the deci-
sion to close the inter-
state. Recently, unchained
semis had closed down the
freeway, as did snowdrifts
formed by heavy winds
and fresh snow, creating
whiteout conditions on the
interstate — for motorists
and snowplow operators.
“If we can’t see and
we’re running off the road,”
Hurd said, “we’ll make the
call to close it.”
Clyne said.
Many citizen-soldiers
will be deployed to the com-
munities in which they live,
according to Clyne.
“One of the eff orts that
we’ve been making is to try
to get (soldiers) in the loca-
tion where they live,” Clyne
said. “One of the things that
we pride ourselves in is that
we serve in the communi-
ties where we live. That’s
one of the eff orts and pri-
orities that leadership has
made, (to give guard mem-
bers) that chance to serve as
close to home as possible.”
The omicron variant
has been rapidly spreading
across Oregon and the
nation, driving record-
breaking infection rates
and leading to shortages of
testing kits and long lines
at drive-thru testing clinics.
According to OHA data,
it is the prevailing variant
in Oregon as of Jan. 2,
accounting for nearly all
new infections. At least
one sequenced infection
has been traced to Eastern
Oregon, according to the
OHA.
Data shows hospitaliza-
tions from the new circu-
lating variant are lower, but
the higher number of people
infected has led to hospital-
ization levels similar to the
previous delta variant.
The number of hospital-
ized patients at Oregon hos-
pitals due to COVID-19 is
811 and climbing, as of Jan.
14, according to OHA data.
The previous peak in hospi-
talization was Sept. 1, 2021,
with 1,178 patients hospital-
ized due to the delta variant.
The Oregon National
Guard was called in last
August to help understaff ed
hospitals during the delta
variant surge. Those sol-
diers remained at the hospi-
tals until mid-December.
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Robert “Bob” Ray Miller
August 29, 1945 – January 3, 2022
Robert “Bob” Ray Miller, 76, of Cove, passed away
on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, at Grande Ronde Hospital. At
his request, there will not be a service.
Bob was born on Aug. 29, 1945, in Kansas to Lloyd
and Donna Miller. He resided in Idaho’s Treasure Val-
ley until 1977 and then moved to the Grande Ronde
Valley. He married Vera Rudolph on July 13, 1974.
Bob worked as a Partsman for car dealerships in La
Grande and Baker City. He enjoyed building rock walls.
Later in life, he loved walking and spoiling his dog. His
proudest moments were spent with his family.
Bob is survived by his daughters, Kathy Kirby
(Bert) of Union, Oregon, and Susan Drinnon (Scott)
of Bremerton, Washington; daughter-in-law, Mar-
gie Prickett of Nampa, Idaho; nine grandchildren; 20
great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and
many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by
his wife, Vera Miller; son, Doug Prickett; and parents,
Lloyd and Donna Miller.
Online condolences may be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
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