hoodrivernews.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 A9
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
HEALTH: ‘... We can help keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe’
continued from A1
ing, said OHA, nor is believed
to have had a close contact
with another confirmed case
— the two most common
sources of exposure — public
health officials are considering
it a likely community-trans-
mitted case, meaning that
the origin of the infection is
unknown.
The individual spent time in
a school in the Lake Oswego
School District and OHA states
that they may have exposed
students and staff there. Public
health officials are investigat-
ing potential exposures there
and will contact employees
and families of children to let
them know next steps, said
OHA.
The Hood River County
School District sent out an
email to parents after the first
case was confirmed, stating
that custodial staff have put
increased emphasis on clean-
ing high-contact areas and that
the district is coordinating with
local health officials. Parents
were also reminded to keep
their children home if they
are sick.
“We understand that it is a
concern and would like to re-
iterate that at this time, again,
HRCSD does not have any
reports of infected individuals
but we need everyone’s help
to maintain a healthy and
safe school and community,”
said Superintendent Dr. Sara
Hahn-Huston in the email.
The second case is a Wash-
ington County resident who is
an adult household contact of
the initial presumptive positive
case, said OHA in a statement
released March 1. The individ-
ual was identified as a contact
of the first person during the
public health investigation.
The individual did not require
medical attention and remains
isolated at home, said OHA.
A third presumptive posi-
tive case, confirmed Monday,
March 2, is an adult Umatilla
County resident hospitalized
in Walla Walla, Wash. The case
was one of Oregon’s pending
cases and is not linked to trav-
el to a part of the world with
known cases of COVID-19,
said OHA. As with the other
two confirmed cases, it is con-
sidered a case of community
transmission.
Preliminary reports indicate
the Oregon resident attended
a youth basketball game at a
gymnasium at Weston Middle
School on Saturday, Feb. 29,
and Athena-Weston School
District officials have since
closed the gym and will con-
duct a deep cleaning “out of
an abundance of caution,” said
OHA in an official release. Or-
egon and Washington health
experts are working together
to determine if there are other
locations where the individual
may have interacted with other
people in recent days, after
symptoms of COVID-19 first
appeared.
Health officials will an-
nounce if there are any addi-
tional locations where people
may been exposed, if they are
determined, said OHA.
“My thoughts are with the
Oregonians who have contract-
ed this virus, as well as their
families. The developments
of the last 48 hours in Oregon
and across the globe are con-
cerning, and we are taking this
extremely seriously,” said Gov-
ernor Kate Brown in an official
statement released Sunday
evening, before the third case
was confirmed. “State and
local health professionals are
working around the clock to
identify, treat, and contain
each case of this disease. My
commitment to Oregonians is
that our state agencies will be
as accurate, transparent, and
swift as possible in conveying
the information we have to the
public, especially when new
cases of the coronavirus are
identified,” Brown said.
“Oregonians have a history
of bringing out the best in each
other in uncertain times,” she
continued. “By staying calm
and, yes, by doing the same
simple things that protect us
during cold and flu season
— washing our hands, prop-
erly covering our coughs and
sneezes, and staying home
from school or work if we’re
feeling sick — we can help
keep ourselves and our loved
ones healthy and safe.”
Brown convened a Coro-
navirus Response Team on
Friday, before any cases had
been confirmed in Oregon,
and Brown stated Sunday that
OHA’s COVID-19 incident
management team has been
working with state agencies
and local health authorities to
prepare for this scenario since
January.
General questions and con-
cerns regarding the corona-
virus and the state’s response
can be directed to the state’s
helpline by dialing 211.
For more information, and
to check for updated informa-
tion about the coronavirus,
visit the websites for OHA,
www.oregon.gov/oha or the
World Health Organization,
www.who.int/westernpacific/
emergencies/covid-19. Links
to the Center for Disease Con-
trol’s webpage and the John
Hopkins University Corona-
virus Tracker are available via
the Hood River County’s web-
site, www.co.hood-river.or.us
(for the County Health Depart-
ment’s page, click “Health De-
partment” under the County
Departments tab).
HOW TESTING WORKS
The testing process is two tiered, according to Oregon Health Authority: The first test is done by the Oregon
State Public Health Laboratory and a second test to confirm is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). Only after the results of the second test are received can the presumptive case be
confirmed.
Testing is only done upon request of a health care provider and is based on symptoms (fever, cough, short-
ness of breath, etc.), travel to an affected area and exposure to a person or persons who have traveled to an
affected area. Testing only occurs in state public health labs and at the CDC.
The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory has materials to process up to 80 tests a day and is building
surge capacity if needed, according to OHA. Supplies are on hand to perform approximately 1,500 tests, and
CDC has pledged to replenish Oregon’s capacity as needed.
As of March 1 (most recent update), 11 tests came back negative, two came back positive, and six tests are
pending; 86 people are under monitoring, meaning that they individuals do not have COVID-19 symptoms but
who may have been exposed through close contact with a confirmed case or from travel to mainland China.
A total of 231 people under monitoring completed monitoring without developing symptoms since January 24,
according to OHA data.
TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY
Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person when in close
contact with an infected person exhibiting symptoms. Common symptoms in an infected person who has
coronavirus (COVID-19) include a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.
Health officials recommend following the same prevention protocols you would use for the flu:
■ Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
■ Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds: If soap and water are not readily available,
use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
■ Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
■ Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
■ Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.
■ Take care of your health overall: Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well
and exercising all help your body stay resilient.
■ If you feel sick, or develop a cough or fever, stay home from work or school.
■ Consult the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s travel website (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices) for any
travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the U.S.
FFA: State Convention is March 19-22
continued from A1
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
L OST L AKE W ATER L INE D AMAGED
The City of Hood River water boil notice for areas south of Summit Drive was lifted as of 2:30
p.m. Feb. 29 after test results confirmed no evidence of harmful bacteria in the water system
following the damage to the water line on Lost Lake Road by a private construction crew. City
of Hood River water is safe for drinking, city officials stated. Crestline Construction and City
Public Works crews repair the line on Friday, two miles from the Dee Highway intersection.
The city advises affected water customers to flush all household plumbing prior to consuming
water as a precaution. Resulting air in the lines is normal. Indications of air in your water lines
include spitting or burping at the faucet, cloudiness in the water that rapidly dissipates when
allowed to settle (i.e., in a glass set on the counter) and bubbles or foam. Some sediment may
be present. Continue flushing your household plumbing until the sediment is removed. In ad-
dition, discard ice from ice-makers and thoroughly sanitize the machine. Water filters should
be replaced and any other appliances that use water that will later be consumed should be
sanitized according to the manufacturers’ directions.
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Show Team. If elected to state
office, Brun will spend the next
year traveling the country as
an Oregon FFA Foundation
Ambassador and will attend
Eastern Wyoming after her
term ends.
“FFA helped me find out
other aspects of myself, like
public speaking, and it’s defi-
nitely a huge aspect of my life,”
Brun said. “It’s helped me find
my path to my future career.”
The LDE requires compet-
itors to prepare a 6-8 minute
speech on a current agricul-
tural-related topic. Students
research a topic of interest and
then put together “a creative,
informative speech,” that is
then presented to a panel of
judges, who score the student
based on the speech’s content,
composition and delivery.
Advocating for a local issue
in her speech was important
to Brun, and after researching
issues in the Hood River Valley
area, she decided she wanted to
do something about orchardists
and water, ultimately combin-
ing the two.
“It’s really fun to research a
topic and dive deep into those
topics,” Brun said. “It’s fun to
advocate for topics you’re inter-
ested about.”
Brun competed with her
speech, titled “Allowing Ag-
riculture and Fish to Coex-
ist in the Hood River Valley,”
at Mount Hood District-level
competition and placed sec-
ond, advancing to the Feb. 24
sectional competition. There,
she placed first, qualifying her
for the FFA State Convention in
Redmond later this month.
Her research involved in-
terviewing local stakeholders
throughout the region, and it’s
something she’s continuing to
do between stages of compe-
tition.
“It’s really cool talking to
local stakeholders because you
never really know until you
find the deep down facts and
you never really stop learning,”
Brun said.
Meeting with stakeholders is
one aspect of the Oregon FFA
Foundation Ambassador posi-
tion that interested Brun.
The election takes place
during the state convention,
with several rounds of inter-
views and eliminations at the
end of each round. The finalists
present a 2-3 minute speech on
a topic of their choice.
Ambassadors serve as FFA’s
representatives to the agricul-
ture and business industry,
attending trade shows and con-
ferences, participating in busi-
ness and industry tours, and
speaking at various functions
within the industry, and help-
ing mentor FFA members.
Brun continues to mentor
members of her old 4-H club
and takes joy in watching them
learn leadership skills and grow
in confidence.
“It’s really exciting to see
people that you helped mentor
grow into the people they’re
meant to be,” she said.
See related photos, page A8.