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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, MARcH 20, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Make virus data more transparent
O
ne year after Clatsop County
recorded its first coronavi-
rus case, we have learned
a lot about epidemiology, risk and
public perceptions about science and
government.
What we have not learned much
about are the 804 local virus cases
that caused 18 hospitalizations and
seven deaths.
Sensitive about patient privacy,
the Public Health Department has
chosen to only share the age range,
gender and broad geographic loca-
tion of virus cases.
Even that data has gaps.
Nicole Bales, who has been
reporting on the coronavirus for The
Astorian since the pandemic began,
spent months working with county
staff to reconcile the information the
county has publicly released into
digestible form.
“A Coronavirus Snapshot,” the
graphic that appears on our front
page on Saturday, documents local
virus cases by month. We have been
publishing a version of the graphic
since last summer, hopeful that one
day each of the cases would have a
demographic profile. That’s appar-
ently not going to happen.
For the first time, though, we are
able to break down virus cases by
age range and gender, offering read-
ers a deeper look into COVID-19 on
the North Coast. The graphic does
not contain precise numbers for each
age range, since we were unable
to reconcile the information for 18
virus cases.
The graphic also does not detail
virus cases by zip code. Early in the
pandemic, the county rejected a pub-
lic records request by The Astorian
for the data. The district attorney
turned down the newspaper’s appeal.
The graphic also does not describe
virus cases by race. The Public
Health Department has said Hispan-
ics are disproportionately reflected in
the case count, a pattern seen across
Oregon, but the county has not dis-
closed the data.
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
News outlets have sought more information about the coronavirus from the Oregon
Health Authority and county public health departments.
We have been fortunate on the
North Coast. Our rates of hospital-
ization and death from COVID-19
have been comparatively low. So far,
we have fared better than Colum-
bia County to the east, which has had
1,301 virus cases and 23 deaths, and
worse than Tillamook County to the
south, which has had 462 cases and
two deaths.
Over time, we anticipate research-
ers will unpack the reasons why the
virus spread more rapidly — and
was more deadly — in some regions
than others.
Transparency
We recognize that our Public
Health Department and most of our
county and city leaders emphasize
the guidance from federal and state
public health experts to contain the
virus and do not politicize the pan-
demic. We also know most local res-
idents and businesses respect the
mask and social distancing require-
ments and take precautions to protect
themselves and others.
Our Public Health Department
has been more transparent about
virus cases than many other counties.
But, as we said last summer when
we called on the county to disclose
workplace virus outbreaks, that stan-
dard isn’t enough.
Government has an obligation to
provide more information in a pub-
lic health emergency. Transpar-
ency is essential, not only so people
might be better informed about virus
risk, but also to justify government
restrictions on individuals and busi-
nesses and to hold public agencies
accountable for virus response.
State law gives the Oregon Health
Authority and county public health
departments unbridled discretion
over information obtained while
investigating disease outbreaks. The
information is considered confi-
dential and exempt from disclosure
under the public records law.
Nothing in the law, however, pre-
vents the health authority or county
public health departments from pub-
lishing statistical compilations and
reports that do not identify individ-
ual cases.
In practice, that means public
information about the coronavirus is
whatever the state or counties say it
is on any given day.
The East Oregonian, our sister
paper in Pendleton, sought demo-
graphic data on virus cases for
months but was rebuffed by Uma-
tilla County and the Oregon Health
Authority. Reporters, in particular,
wanted more detail on how Hispan-
ics were represented in the coun-
ty’s caseload. The county was wor-
ried about the potential stigma for
Hispanics, while the health authority
cited the confidentiality provision of
the law.
This month, the Umatilla County
Public Health Department released
its own report that found Hispanics
accounted for 41% of the county’s
COVID-19 cases in 2020. “County
officials had been saying for months
that the Hispanic community was hit
hard by COVID-19, but we knew the
public deserved to see the evidence
that showed this,” Bryce Dole, an
East Oregonian reporter, said in an
email.
Change the law
Senate Bill 719, sponsored by state
Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland,
and state Rep. Karin Power, D-Mil-
waukie, would make it so aggregate
data relating to disease investigations
is not confidential or exempt from
disclosure under the public records
law unless it could reasonably lead to
the identification of individuals.
Tom Holt, on behalf of the Soci-
ety of Professional Journalists, told
legislators in written testimony that
the Oregon Health Authority’s pub-
lic records “denials, even while spin-
ning the same data for PR purposes,
goes well beyond an innocent mis-
reading of the law and warrants cor-
rection by the Legislature.
“The health authority has and con-
tinues to make recommendations and
decisions that affect all Oregonians,
and there is a clear public interest
in the high-level data used to make
those recommendations and deci-
sions. And not just vague charts or
other summaries selectively released
by an agency.”
In Clatsop County, our county
commissioners have talked about the
importance of transparency during
the coronavirus pandemic but have
done little to press the Public Health
Department to release more infor-
mation. We hope they will join us
in encouraging the Legislature to
change the law so we might be able
to close some of the data gaps.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Perfectly reasonable
W
hen Dick Hughes made the unneces-
sarily provocative assertion in “Ore-
gon goes with its gut” on March 16 that
Democrats make up only 35% of the elec-
torate, yet are 61% of the Legislature, he
neglects the fact that, according to the Ore-
gon Secretary of State’s Office, Republicans
make up only 25% of the electorate.
Another 32% of the electorate are non-
affiliated. If these voters split among Dem-
ocrats and Republicans in similar propor-
tion, it’s perfectly reasonable that 61% of the
Legislature will be Democrats.
JON BRODERICK
Cannon Beach
Important work
I
want to extend a huge “thank you” to
the health care workers and staff at
Coastal Family Health Center, who volun-
teered their time on Sunday so that I, along
with many others, could get the Johnson &
Johnson COVID-19 vaccination.
Thank you, and bless you for the
important work you do.
MARTI WAJC
Seaside
Paying attention?
he question is, is anybody paying atten-
tion? You can thank President Joe Biden
for fuel prices jumping 40 cents a gallon
since January.
You can thank the Democrats in Salem
for raising taxes every time they show up for
work. It seems the only thing they are inter-
ested in is forcing us to pay more and try-
ing to take away our right to keep and bear
arms.
Take a look at every city and state that
has been run by Democrats. What do you
see? Crime rates skyrocket, homeless pop-
ulations pop up on every street corner and
T
Democrats screaming for more money to fix
the problems they have started.
How many more illegal aliens will Gov.
Kate Brown bring to Oregon?
President Biden is still welcoming them
with open arms.
I guess since most of the drugs that enter
America are coming in through Mexico,
open the borders, let’s get more competition
going — cheaper drug prices must be what
they’re working on. I want my drugs like I
want immigrants: Just the legal ones, please.
Let’s get our country back on the right
track. Let’s fix our problems first. Step one,
get off your butt and vote. Step two, vote
Democrats out of office.
JAMES HOFFMAN
Gearhart