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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, July 8, 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
A misfire in Salem on virus data
T
he Oregon Legislature
missed a chance to give the
public better tools to hold
the government accountable during
disease outbreaks like the coronavi-
rus pandemic.
Senate Bill 719 would have
changed state law and made it eas-
ier to obtain aggregate information
about disease investigations that
does not identify individual cases
or sources.
This simple revision would have
corrected an obvious defect. Under
the law today, information obtained
by the Oregon Health Authority or
county public health departments
during disease investigations is
considered confidential and exempt
from disclosure through the state’s
public records law.
As The Astorian and other news
media discovered during the pan-
demic, that means public informa-
tion about the virus is whatever the
state or counties say it is on any
given day.
Giving the government sole dis-
cretion over what information to
disclose during a public health
emergency undermines trust. How
can the government ask people to
wear masks, maintain social dis-
tance, restrict their movements,
alter their businesses and get vacci-
nations while keeping critical data
secret?
We recognize the Oregon Health
Authority has sought transpar-
ency during the pandemic, disclos-
ing a host of statewide and county
metrics to help track COVID-
19. The Clatsop County Public
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Transparency can help improve public trust in pandemic response.
Health Department also shared the
age range, gender and broad geo-
graphic location of local virus cases
until May.
But there are information gaps.
The public should not have to rely
only on what the state or counties
choose to share.
For example, we would like
to see a breakdown of local virus
cases by zip code to measure the
geographic spread of the disease
in Clatsop County. The state has
shared some zip code data, but the
county has declined to reconcile
the figures locally.
We think the county should also
detail local virus cases by race,
since public health leaders have
said Hispanics make up a dispro-
portionate share of the case count.
We believe the county should
explain how many of our local
cases are tied to tourism. At sev-
eral moments during the pan-
demic, county and city leaders
warned about the risk from visi-
tors, yet no data has been released
on whether contact tracing found
direct links.
One of the most frustrating
experiences during the pandemic
is watching the state and counties
cite patient privacy to withhold
aggregate information about virus
cases, only to eventually release
the information on their own.
In March, at the one-year anni-
versary of the first local virus case,
we invited Clatsop County com-
missioners to publicly join us in
encouraging the Legislature to
change the law. They didn’t.
We also asked County Manager
Don Bohn in a Q&A in March
whether the county would release
a breakdown of virus cases by race
and zip code. They haven’t.
The state Senate Committee on
Health Care held a public hear-
ing and work session on SB 719
and recommended that the legisla-
tion pass. The bill was referred to
the Joint Committee on Ways and
Means, where it stalled.
The Oregonian reported that the
Society of Professional Journal-
ists negotiated with the state over
ways the bill could have balanced
public disclosure and patient pri-
vacy, suggesting a compromise
was possible.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has
shown that science-based health
information saves lives. At the
same time, state and local pub-
lic health officials need to protect
patient privacy,” Erica Heartquist,
a spokeswoman for the Oregon
Health Authority, said in an email
in June, according to the newspa-
per. “SB 719 balances those criti-
cal goals.”
The Legislature should pass the
bill next session.
‘THE COVId-19 PANdEMIC HAS SHOWN THAT SCIENCE-BASEd HEAlTH INFORMATION
SAVES lIVES. AT THE SAME TIME, STATE ANd lOCAl PuBlIC HEAlTH OFFICIAlS NEEd
TO PROTECT PATIENT PRIVACy. SB 719 BAlANCES THOSE CRITICAl GOAlS.’
Erica Heartquist | a spokeswoman for the Oregon Health Authority
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A clean slate
T
o all the graduates of 2021: Congrat-
ulations! To the graduates who were
unable to have their last opportunity to
play sports, this is to you.
Turning 16 my junior year, I was young,
dumb and full of trouble. All I was think-
ing was girls and football. I was not much
for academics, so I failed my junior year of
English.
I was told if I took summer school at
Clatsop Community College, all would be
well. While getting Bs in English, geome-
try and history, as well as learning how to
weld, I spent any other time preparing my
body and mind, improving on my honor-
able mention junior year of football.
After earning a starting position, and
one week before our first game, some
bureaucrats rescinded my eligibility to
play ball. I truly felt heartbroken and used.
I missed the next six weeks of a nine-
week season. I also allowed that situation
to become an exceptionally large bag of
rocks to carry for the next 40 years.
Many of you may feel as I did, cheated
out of our, however far-fetched, dreams.
Please know you are not alone. I can guar-
antee a few of your classmates are experi-
encing the very same feelings that you are.
You must look forward. Use this situation
as an opportunity. Like a clean slate, it is up
to you to be the best you possible. I now say
shoot for the sun, for when it does begin to
get too hot, you have the moon to land on.
TROY J. HASKELL
Astoria
A good review
utstanding! We came for the fire-
works, and enjoyed more of the area’s
offerings. We’ll be back!
JAN BARRETT
Vancouver, Washington
O
Dismayed
W
e are tourists visiting Seaside, and
what a lovely place it could be.
Except for the heat wave, the mild weather
is much enjoyed.
We were dismayed to see all the trash
in the streets and on the beach. If there are
cleanup efforts, we have not seen that, but
perhaps the city can help out. Put more
trash containers on corners.
How about more benches for the
elderly? And more incentives for busi-
nesses to clean up their areas. We went
fishing off one of the bridges, and all we
caught were plastic bottles.
It is difficult to recommend this area
under these circumstances. It has so much
potential for tourism.
VICKIE THORSON
Tucson, Arizona
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