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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2020)
A7 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 Roe: ‘I want Sewer: ‘This early warning signal has limited utility’ to be in school’ Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 “And you see the board become enam- ored with them,” Jackson said. “It is a pow- erful thing to see. It helps the board feel the connection that a teacher feels when they serve a student for multiple years.” Though school board members are clearly motivated to serve students — and many often have children who are still in the school system — “if they serve them from a distance, it’s hard to feel that con- nection,” Jackson said. The student representative is a bridge, but Roe was also looking for connection. Her fi nal year in high school has been overshadowed by the coronavirus. She wishes that she’d gone to more of the high school dances now that the senior dances won’t happen. She hopes she will still be able to walk with friends for graduation. She hopes there’s a way to celebrate after- ward . She misses the casual conversations with friends and other students in school hallways. Before, when she was at school, she would often wish she was at home. “Now that I’m home it’s, ‘O h, I want to be in school,’” she said. After she graduates, Roe plans to go to college, either the University of Oregon or Portland State University. After work- ing through a speech impediment when she was younger, she wants to become a speech pathologist, ideally working with kids in a school setting. She realizes the pandemic could upend or delay her plans. “I think it’s harder to look forward to it because I know so much can change,” she said. “It’s not a for sure.” She contacted Jackson about the stu- dent representative role after hearing from her father that it was empty. A self-moti- vated, organized student, online school has worked for her in general, but, she said, “I like to be a part of Astoria and it’s harder this year to be more connected with every- one. Doing this I thought it would be nice to be able to stay connected.” The research she does as student repre- sentative to collect information about class and club activities puts her in contact with students she wouldn’t usually talk to and also provides an opportunity to catch up with others she hasn’t talked to in a while. She has noticed students seem to be com- ing up with even more activities and clubs this year, all conducted over the phone or online. Roe was nervous ahead of her fi rst report to the school board and left the call soon after giving her update . But she did hear the comment about how it made the board feel — like things were almost nor- mal again. “That was really nice to hear,” she said. of how the virus is spreading in an area and perhaps even provide an early warning of an impending outbreak. But it is an emerging science. Research- ers are still considering the implications of the data they collect and how best to interpret it. The sampling underscores the diffi culty communities face in getting a handle on the virus even as caseloads continue to grow and state restrictions once again limit businesses, social interactions and travel. “This will require careful study over sev- eral months,” said representatives of the Ore- gon Health Authority in statements provided to The Astorian, adding, “Unfortunately, in the midst of current widespread community transmission, this early warning signal has limited utility.” Weekly sampling began this summer. Asto- ria was added to the list in September and ini- tial data has only recently been made public. Collecting the sample takes maybe 15 minutes. The most diffi cult part seems to be removing a fi lter near the end of the process. But interpreting what is found in the Asto- ria samples is complicated by the city’s com- bined sewer overfl ow system, which collects rainwater runoff as well as wastewater. Asto- ria’s sewer fl ows can get down to about 1 mil- lion gallons a day and then surge to 20 million gallons a day during a winter storm, said Jeff Harrington, the city’s public works director . On stormy days, when the system might suddenly be fl ooded with water, it dilutes the concentration of the virus. This literally mud- dies the water when researchers go to look at a sample later and try to understand the presence — and prevalence — in a particu- lar area. “When you’re talking about COVID, you’re talking about something you can’t even see ... so it gets very dilute,” Harrington said. Astoria is unique in the state in that it is one of the few cities that still has a combined sewer overfl ow system, he added. It isn’t clear how much researchers will be able to drill down into Astoria’s coronavirus load. Still, the sampling could be a useful tool. In the summer, elected leaders expressed interest in perhaps paying for this exact kind of sam- pling. Not long after, Oregon State University approached the city about participating in the statewide study, Harrington said. In other communities, such as Newport, researchers have coupled wastewater sam- pling with door-to-door sampling. As a result, they have been able to provide a more precise snapshot . The testing helped local offi cials better understand if efforts to curtail the spread of the virus were working. Certain communi- ties found there was no evidence of the virus . However, as Tyler Radniecki, a principal investigator on the sewage surveillance team, noted in July, the samples are only just that: A snapshot. “The results tell us only what was occur- ring at the time of sampling, not what is hap- pening today,” he said in a statement at the time. “They should not be interpreted as an indication that any of these communities can relax their vigilance.” Researchers are now seeing evidence of the coronavirus in most communities’ water- sheds, the Oregon Health Authority told T he Astorian. “This is consistent with widespread com- munity transmissions and is not surprising given the case counts we are seeing state- wide, ” the health authority said. Minks: ‘We’re waiting for the virus to run its course’ Continued from Page A1 Andrea Cantu-Schomas, a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman, said the farm was immediately placed under quarantine, mean- ing no animals or animal products can leave the farm until further notice. Additionally, the farmer and staff, including four employees, were advised to self-isolate. So far, Cantu-Schomas said all of the mink appear to have recovered within a few days of initially showing symptoms, and no deaths have been associated with the virus. Cantu-Schomas said the farmer is con- tinuing to care for the mink while wearing enhanced personal protective equipment. The department will begin testing mink seven to 10 days after symptoms resolve, and, if neces- sary, will continue testing every 14 days until no more infected mink are found. “We’re waiting for the virus to run its course,” Cantu-Schomas said. “We have the virus contained, we have the farm in quarantine and staff are self-isolating.” Oregon has 11 permitted mink farms with an estimated 438,327 animals, making it the fourth-largest pelt-producing state behind Wis- consin, Utah and Idaho. Eight of Oregon’s mink farms are located in Marion County, one in Linn County and two in Clatsop County. Cases of COVID-19 in mink have been reported this year in Utah, Michigan and Wis- consin, as well as in several countries interna- tionally, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Spain. Fur Commission USA COVID-19 has been found at an Oregon mink farm. In Denmark, the world’s largest producer of mink skin and fur, 12 people were infected ear- lier this year by a mutated strain of COVID-19 that spread from minks to humans — prompt- ing the Danish government to order culling the country’s entire farmed mink population of 15 million animals. On Nov. 6, the World Health Organiza- tion wrote that mink can act as a reservoir of COVID-19 and “pose a risk for virus spill over from mink to humans.” However, the USDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention say there is no evidence that animals, including mink, play a signifi cant role in trans- mitting the virus to humans. The Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter Nov. 6 to the Oregon Department of Agri- culture and the Oregon Health Authority urging the agencies inspect mink farms for potential COVID-19 transmission, and provide informa- tion about cases publicly. Scholz, Oregon’s state veterinarian, said he has been in contact with the state’s mink indus- try and Fur Commission USA providing infor- mation about biosecurity. “The farmer did the right thing by self-re- porting symptoms very early and he is now cooperating with us and (OHA) in taking care of animals and staff,” Scholz said in a statement. Emilio DeBess, the Oregon Health Author- ity’s public health veterinarian, said his team is working closely with the farmer and those affected to ensure they have the necessary per- sonal protective equipment, supplies and can follow COVID-19 guidance. “Worker safety is critical to protect peo- ple and animals on mink farms,” DeBess said. “Our best weapon against the virus right now is education. We are providing testing, specifi c workplace guidance and support, and supply- ing additional PPE to the farmer, the employees and their families to help reduce further spread of the virus.” Finally, Cantu-Schomas said the Depart- ment of Agriculture will be working with the health authority , the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and USDA APHIS Wildlife Services around the farm to trap and test other animals, ensuring the virus does not spill out into the local wildlife population. 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Seattle 49 37 Mostly sunny 53 36 51 34 Sunny Partly sunny 51 34 Mostly sunny 52 38 52 39 50 39 Rain Showers possible Showers possible Aberdeen Olympia 47/36 46/36 Wenatchee Tacoma Moses Lake ALMANAC UNDER THE SKY TODAY'S TIDES Astoria through Sunday Tonight’s Sky: Full “Frost” Moon (1:29 p.m.). Astoria / Port Docks Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Time High (ft.) Time Low (ft.) 2:07 a.m. 7.2 7:27 a.m. 3.4 12:59 p.m. 8.8 8:18 p.m. -0.4 Cape Disappointment 1:40 a.m. 7.1 6:35 a.m. 3.7 12:41 p.m. 8.7 7:23 p.m. -0.5 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Hammond SUN AND MOON Sunrise today .................. 7:38 a.m. Sunset tonight ............... 4:31 p.m. Moonrise today ............. 5:34 p.m. Moonset today ............... 8:56 a.m. Full Last New First 1:53 a.m. 7.3 6:56 a.m. 3.5 12:50 p.m. 8.9 7:44 p.m. -0.7 Warrenton 2:02 a.m. 7.6 7:11 a.m. 3.5 12:54 p.m. 9.2 8:02 p.m. -0.3 Knappa 2:44 a.m. 1:36 p.m. Depoe Bay Nov 30 Dec 7 Dec 14 Dec 21 7.5 8:28 a.m. 3.0 9.0 9:19 p.m. -0.3 12:57 a.m. 7.3 6:02 a.m. 3.9 11:52 a.m. 9.0 6:54 p.m. -0.5 City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Honolulu Houston Los Angeles Miami New York City Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC Wed. Hi/Lo/W 45/29/s 60/39/c 38/26/pc 61/44/s 39/19/pc 85/70/s 63/53/s 76/50/s 67/51/pc 56/38/c 71/45/s 61/44/s 48/35/c 53/30/s 46/36/pc 44/26/pc 54/33/r 30/14/pc 85/71/pc 64/43/r 75/49/s 73/65/s 44/36/pc 69/45/s 61/45/pc 48/32/s Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. 39/26 Kennewick Walla Walla 42/26 Lewiston 45/24 42/27 Hermiston The Dalles 46/24 Enterprise Pendleton 37/19 40/24 44/28 La Grande 39/19 46/30 NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi/Lo/W Pullman 44/22 47/31 Salem 35/23 Yakima 39/24 Longview 49/37 Portland 48/39 Spokane 38/26 46/30 45/30 Astoria Temperatures High/low ................................ 56/34 Normal high/low .................. 51/38 Record high .................. 62 in 1999 Record low .................... 24 in 2019 Precipitation Sunday ..................................... 0.00” Month to date ........................ 9.67” Normal month to date ....... 10.75” Year to date .......................... 56.06” Normal year to date ........... 57.22” PURCHASE $20 IN GIFT CARDS AND RECEIVE A FREE 20OZ DRINK 1526 SE Discovery Lane, Warrenton IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING UNIQUE, VISIT THE GOLDEN WHALE Corvallis 45/28 Albany 44/30 John Day Eugene Bend 45/28 41/15 40/18 Ontario 42/19 Caldwell Burns 37/12 42/19 Medford 47/31 Klamath Falls 42/19 City Baker City Brookings Ilwaco Newberg Newport Today Hi/Lo/W 41/16/s 55/42/s 48/35/s 47/35/s 50/37/s Wed. Hi/Lo/W 39/16/s 54/41/s 51/35/s 47/31/s 54/36/s City North Bend Roseburg Seaside Springfi eld Vancouver Today Hi/Lo/W 53/36/s 47/31/s 48/34/s 44/30/s 47/33/s Wed. Hi/Lo/W 56/36/s 51/30/s 51/33/s 46/29/s 48/29/s