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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021
IN BRIEF
Pacifi c County urges masks
after virus cases surge
LONG BEACH, Wash. — Pacifi c County health
offi cials are urging all residents — regardless of vac-
cination status — to mask up again in indoor public
settings to help contain the coronavirus.
Over the past week, 61 new virus cases have
been reported in the county, a staggering total that
isn’t expected to slow down in the foreseeable
future.
As of Monday, the county’s case rate per 100,000
people over the past 14 days was 335, the highest
it’s been in more than three months and on pace to
become the second-biggest wave of cases the county
has faced during the pandemic, trailing only last
year’s winter surge.
In all, 1,186 virus cases have been reported in the
county and 47 people have been hospitalized. And in
back-to-back weeks, a county resident has died from
complications due to COVID-19, bringing the toll to
15.
Since March, 94% of county cases have occurred
in people who were not fully vaccinated.
“The COVID-19 vaccines continue to be highly
eff ective at preventing severe illness that can lead to
hospitalization and death, even among those infected
with the delta variant,” the county’s Public Health
and Human Services Department said in a statement.
“A small proportion of people who are fully vacci-
nated may still get COVID-19, but infections in fully
vaccinated people tend to be mild.”
— Chinook Observer
SPLASH
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
County requires masks at
county buildings to contain virus
Riley Phillips plays with her dog, ‘Willow,’ in the shallows of Youngs River on Wednesday afternoon.
Clatsop County now requires people to wear
masks in county buildings to protect against the
coronavirus.
The requirement stems from a recent surge of
virus cases and state and federal health guidance.
Gov. Kate Brown has required workers and visi-
tors to wear masks at state buildings.
— The Astorian
The delta variant is
breaking records and
‘clobbering’ Oregon
DEATHS
Aug. 4, 2021
In KERBER,
Brief
Edward J.,
84, of Warrenton, died at
home of natural causes. A
Deaths
private burial is planned
at Ocean View Cemetery
in Warrenton. Caldwell’s
Luce Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Aug. 2, 2021
CARTER,Shelley, 70, of
Long Beach, Washington,
died in Astoria. Hughes-Ran-
som Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
MEMORIAL
Monday, Aug. 9
Memorial
BURKHART, Dorothy Marie — Memorial at
11 a.m., Greenwood Cemetery, 91569 Oregon High-
way 202. Young’s Funeral Home in Tigard is in charge
of the arrangements.
ON THE RECORD
Assault
• Wayde
On
the William
Record
•
Peter
Cannon, 19,
McGaughey, 48, of Asto-
ria, was sentenced Thurs-
day to more than fi ve
years in prison for assault
in the second degree and
six months for tamper-
ing with physical evi-
dence. The sentences
run concurrently, and
McGaughey
received
credit for time served. He
committed the crimes in
October.
•
Joshua
Wyatt
Raniero, 29, of Gear-
hart, was indicted July
29 for assault in the third
degree, assault in the
fourth degree constitut-
ing domestic violence,
three counts of recklessly
endangering another per-
son and driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants.
Hoksila
of Sea-
side, was indicted July
29 for assault in the sec-
ond degree, assault in
the third degree, unlaw-
ful use of a weapon and
criminal mischief in the
second degree.
•
Xavier
Daniel
Lumadue, 24, of Asto-
ria, was indicted July
29 for assault in the sec-
ond degree, assault in
the third degree, unlaw-
ful use of a weapon and
criminal mischief in the
second degree.
• Jordan Lee Ailshie,
53, of Seaside, was
indicted July 13 for
assaulting
a
public
safety offi cer, resist-
ing arrest and disorderly
conduct in the second
degree.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Warrenton City Commission and Parks Advisory Board,
4 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., work session, City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Lewis & Clark Fire Department, 6 p.m., main fi re station,
34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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By ERIN ROSS and
AMELIA TEMPLETON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
One hundred thirty three
— that’s the number of Ore-
gonians in hospital intensive
care units battling COVID-
19, according to offi cial num-
bers out this week.
That’s the highest it’s been
in the last eight months, and
just 10 people fewer than
the highest number of ICU
patients all pandemic, set
when COVID-19 peaked in
December. In s outhern Ore-
gon, the records set over the
winter are being broken this
summer.
Dr. Renee Edwards, the
chief medical offi cer at OHSU
Health, said that in large mea-
sure the people she’s seeing in
the hospital are unvaccinated.
Many are sick with the more
contagious delta variant.
The delta variant has been
blamed for a recent surge in
COVID-19 cases across the
country, with many states
posting record-high case
counts. While vaccines pro-
tect people from catching
COVID-19 and getting seri-
ously ill, the delta variant has
undone all the progress vac-
cines made at slowing trans-
mission of the virus.
And the patients falling
ill with the delta variant are
younger than in past waves.
They seem to get sicker,
faster, and appear more likely
to get seriously ill. It’s no lon-
ger a disease that just hospi-
talizes the old.
“Patients who are present-
ing with this delta variant who
are being hospitalized do tend
to be sicker and more likely
to require ICU level care,”
Edwards said.
Since
the
pandemic
started, doctors treating
COVID-19 have learned how
to treat patients and how to
keep them out of the ICU.
That means that once patients
are admitted to an ICU, they
are extremely sick.
“PTSD is common in this
Astoria parks
employee tests
positive for virus
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
An Astoria Parks and
Recreation Department
employee tested posi-
tive for the coronavirus,
city leaders announced
Friday.
Further details about
the person’s condition
were not available. It
is the third coronavirus
case city offi cials have
reported this year and
the second to come from
the parks department,
which includes a num-
ber of facilities and ser-
vices, including multiple
public parks, the Astoria
Aquatic Center and the
Lil’ Sprouts day care.
So far, the positive
case has not impacted
city operations or facil-
ities, City Manager
Brett Estes said. It is not
related to another posi-
tive case from the parks
department in July.
The city’s fi rst con-
fi rmed coronavirus case
was in April, when a
public works employee
patient population, because
they’re drowning in the air,”
said Sabra Bederka, an ICU
nurse at Providence in Port-
land. “They literally cannot
get air into their lungs, no
matter how hard they try, no
matter how hard we try. And
they’re terrifi ed. It’s a panic
situation.”
Then it’s on nurses to calm
the panicking patients down
tested positive.
The third case comes
as concerns rise about
the more contagious
delta variant of the virus.
Astoria has not
required employees to
get vaccinated, though it
has encouraged them to
get the shot and allowed
for time off if needed,
Estes said. City Hall
is once again allow-
ing people to come into
the building to access
services and in-person
public meetings have
resumed.
But, in light of Gov.
Kate Brown’s announce-
ment requiring masks
at state buildings and a
recent announcement by
Clatsop County requir-
ing visitors to wear
masks when conduct-
ing in-person business at
county offi ces, Estes said
the city is reviewing its
policies.
“What I can say is
we’re not looking at
closing any facilities or
making any changes like
that which would limit
service,” Estes said.
and reassure them.
“It’s terrifying for us,
because we’re in the middle
of it,” Bederka said.
She said that after recov-
ery, some patients are trig-
gered every time they become
short of breath.
Before delta, COVID-
19 was a disease that took
its time. Patients would
be sick for a week or two
weeks before they required
hospitalization.
Not any longer . “Now, it’s
this, ‘I started feeling sick two
days ago,’ and now they’re in
the hospital,” Bederka said.
“It’s clobbering them, quickly
and mercilessly.”
Bederka said she’s los-
ing “too many” people. And
many of them are young —
even in their 20s and 30s.
“They’re my age and
younger, and they’re still not
making it. And they’re leav-
ing families and young chil-
dren behind.”
Physical recovery can take
a long time.
“We can’t fi x you,”
Bederka said. “We can treat
you, but we can’t cure you.
You have to cure yourself.
It’s a waiting game: It’s see-
ing how much your body can
recover from the damage that
has already been done by this
virus.”
Southern Oregon’s Jack-
son and Josephine coun-
ties have reported the high-
est numbers of infections and
hospitalizations since the pan-
demic began.
“We are in a bad place for
our public health and health
care infrastructure, and for
the health of our community,”
Jackson County Health Offi -
cer Dr. Jim Shames said. “Our
public health and health care
systems are nearing capacity,
at capacity or have surpassed
it.”
Asante Health said its
three hospitals are at capacity.
They are no longer perform-
ing elective surgeries and are
not accepting transfer patients
from other hospitals that nor-
mally send patients in need of
critical care.
In addition, Asante is
unable to discharge patients
to long-term care, because
those facilities are full as well.
“We’re boarding about 60
patients a day who no longer
need hospital-level care, but
there are no open LTCs to dis-
charge them to,” said Asante
spokeswoman Lauren Van
Sickle.
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Astoria Public Library
New hours effective August 2, 2021:
Our open hours will be:
Monday 9-1 PM
Tuesday 9-5 PM
Wednesday 9-5 PM
Thursday 9-5 PM
Friday 9-5 PM
Saturday 9-1 PM.
Sunday Closed.