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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2022)
»INSIDE »IN m inessJournal.co CoastRiverBus Volume 17 • FREE Chronicling Published Monthly March 2022 Issue 3 bia-Pacifi c Region ss in the Colum the Joy of Busine : Feature story ol contr for r Bar Pilots Traffi an c disp Columbia Rive atcher Inside: Page 3 First wom esses Family busin amid the pandemic Expanding and adapting Page 4 Boat of the Month The Navios Unite Page 10 LYDIA ELY/THE Sam Steerman sits at her desk in the Columbi a River Bar Pilots dispatch offi ce ASTORIAN in Astoria. al Mold remov fungus Business helps with pesky Page 11 DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 149TH Y YEAR, NO. 110 $1.50 State hears feedback on paid leave Lawmakers pushed back the deadlines By PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Clatsop County has among the highest rates of vaccination against the coronavirus in Oregon, but booster shots lag. Booster shots against the virus lag on the North Coast County Public Health Department will survey residents to help û nd out why Residents 20 to 49 have a 67.3% vaccination rate, compared with 27.5% who have received a booster. And residents 18 to 19 have a 53.4% vaccina- he Clatsop County Public Health Depart- tion rate, compared with 16.2% who have received ment is planning a community survey to bet- a booster. ter understand the reasons behind the less- Statewide, 75.5% of Oregon residents 18 and older than-expected rates of booster shots against the are fully vaccinated, compared with 44.4 % who have coronavirus. had a booster . The gap persists despite evidence that Boosters have been widely available since last a booster dose signiû cantly decreases the severity of fall, when the fallout from the illness and the risk of hospitaliza- delta variant 4 the worst wave tion and death from COVID-19. of the pandemic locally in terms The survey from the Public THE GAP of hospitalizations and deaths 4 Health Department will reû ect the PERSISTS DESPITE community9s experience during was still felt in the community. Yet the number of residents who have the vaccination campaign, which EVIDENCE THAT received the extra jab continues to began early last year, and help the A BOOSTER DOSE county address ongoing concerns, lag behind the county9s vaccina- tion rates . such as information that needs to SIGNIFICANTLY As of Friday, 86.5% of resi- be clariû ed or myths that need to dents 65 and older have completed be countered . DECREASES THE their initial vaccination series 4 The plan to take stock comes SEVERITY OF the two-dose Pû zer and Moderna as Gov. Kate Brown lifted Ore- vaccines, the one-dose Johnson gon9s mask mandate, the surge of ILLNESS AND & Johnson vaccine 4 compared the omicron variant recedes and with 64% who have received a the virus case and hospitalization THE RISK OF booster, according to the county. counts dwindle . The governor HOSPITALIZATION intends to lift the state emergency Residents 50 to 64 have a 77.5% vaccination rate, compared over the virus in April. AND DEATH with 45.9% who have received a See Boosters, Page A6 booster. FROM COVID-19. By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian T 100% RESIDENTS 65 AND OLDER RESIDENTS 50 TO 64 RESIDENTS 20 TO 49 RESIDENTS 18 TO 19 86.5% 64% 77.5% 45.9% THOSE WHO HAVE COMPLETED INITIAL VACCINATION SERIES 67.3% 27.5% 53.4% 16.2% THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED A BOOSTER SHOT An advisory panel is seeking public comments as it writes rules for how Oregon will oû er paid fam- ily and medical leave . The Legislature approved the program in 2019 and it was set to start this year. But last year, lawmakers extended the deadlines to January 2023 for the program to collect its û rst payroll taxes and Sept. 3, 2023 for the û rst payment of beneû ts. Workers will pay 60% and employers will cover 40% of the fund. Oregon will join eight states and Washing- ton, D.C., with similar programs. Workers who earn at least $1,000 during the pre- vious year would qualify for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave, with the max- imum beneû t set at $1,215 per week. <We remain on track and on budget,= David Gerstenfeld, the acting director of the Oregon Employment Department, told reporters in a brieû ng on Wednesday . Oregon9s program is more generous than a pro- posal last year by President Joe Biden for a federal pro- gram, which would oû er up to $4,000 per month. The U.S. House has passed a program that proposes four weeks of beneû ts, but it is part of a broader plan of social supports 4 known as Build Back Bet- ter 4 that has stalled in the U.S. Senate. It is highly uncertain whether a federal program will emerge. Nine members will advise the Oregon Employ- ment Department on rules required to carry out the law. Gerstenfeld said one rule will focus on how workers obtain beneû ts. <Topics include how much money someone may receive in a beneû t year, how people apply for paid- leave beneû ts, how we will verify whether someone is eligible, and if and how workers must give notice to their employers to use paid leave,= he said. <This is an opportu- nity to provide feedback on these rules. There will be more in the coming months.= The advisory committee has scheduled a second vir- tual meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday . It held a similar meeting March 10. Advance registration is required for participation: bit.ly/3w1Cdq2 The Oregon Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Science teacher in Knappa a long way from home Geografo part of a cultural exchange By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian J asmin Geografo was one of many who û ed urban areas during the coronavirus pandemic in search of rural places with less people and more opportunities for outdoor activities. But in Geografo9s case, the jump was thousands of miles and across the Paciû c Ocean. Through a cultural exchange program, Geografo found her way from Manila, the capi- tal of the Philippines, to the North Coast, where she was hired as a science teacher at Knappa High School in December. The exchange program oû ered several diû erent locations in the United States , but the coastal set- ting sparked her curiosity the most. <I like the landscape here,= Geografo said. <The topography of the area is best for me because Manila is highly urban- ized and overpopulated, so when I came here, it was such a refreshing time for me.= F or Geografo, the move was as much about per- sonal growth and discov- ery as it was escaping online education and over- Jasmin Geografo is on an exchange program from the Philippines. crowded cities . <I needed to go through this process of meeting new people and investing in a very unfamiliar place,= she said. < ... I think this is what I needed to mature and grow professionally, as an individual, and as a member of my community in the Philippines and as a new member in the com- munity that I have here now.= See Geografo, Page A6