OFF PAGE ONE
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
COVID-19:
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weekly average of 546.8 cases.
Umatilla County has the third
highest average, at just more than
402 cases. Crook County is fourth
with an average of 337 cases,
followed by Jefferson County at
331.9 cases per 100,000.
Sherman County, with fewer
than 2,000 residents, has the high-
est positive test rate at 33.3%,
based on a rise from zero to three
cases. Umatilla County has the
second highest positive test rate at
29.1%, followed by Deschutes at
22.7%, Union at 21.7%, and Tilla-
mook at 19.8%
The seven-day average of new
infections in the U.S. topped
267,000 on Dec. 29, a new record.
Omicron in
Eastern Oregon
There has yet to be a verified
case of the omicron variant of the
coronavirus in Umatilla County,
according to Alisha Lundgren,
assistant director of Umatilla
County Public Health. But she
said we can be sure it has moved
into Eastern Oregon.
Lundgren on Dec. 30 said up to
13 cases of the variant had been
discovered in Oregon to that
point.
“That signifies that it is present
in our state,” she said.
For the variant to be verified,
it must be sequenced, though,
she said, and researchers do not
sequence many cases. Lundgren
said, 90% of all new COVID-19
cases can be attributed to omicron
in Oregon, Washington and
Idaho. This percentage is likely
the same in Eastern Oregon, too,
she said.
As a result of the variant,
Lundgren said she expects to see
more hospitalizations because
of how transmissible omicron
is, though not necessarily severe
cases filling intensive care units.
While omicron is more infec-
tious than other variants, she
said, it is potentially less severe
than the delta variant. But it will
take time to research omicron
before its severity is known. She
said she expects scientists will
have more information in the
coming weeks.
In the meantime, she said,
people should continue to do
the same things they were doing
before the onset of omicron,
including getting vaccinated,
wearing masks, employing social
distancing and limiting gather-
ings.
“I know that a lot of these
(actions) are things that we’ve
been talking about since the
beginning of the pandemic, so it
doesn’t seem like anything new,
but they are helpful strategies
and considerations for individu-
als and families as more illness
starts spreading,” she said.
Lundgren added winter
weather may trouble our efforts,
though, and people gather
together indoors.
“This has an impact,” she said.
To deal with the danger of
omicron in increasing cases,
Umatilla County Public Health
Firefighter:
Continued from Page A1
Bluegrass State’s second larg-
est city, his wife, Amity, grew
up in Union. Their relationship
became geographically possible
when she moved out of state to
attend Eastern Kentucky Univer-
sity, but as luck would have it,
that’s not where they met.
The pair met while both were
vacationing in Daytona Beach,
Florida, on spring break. The
couple eventually married and
started a family as they pursued
different career tracks — Manny
Kirkland in firefighting and
Amity Kirkland in the medical
field.
As Amity did her schooling to
become a doctor, Manny decided
it was time to switch career fields
and become a firefighter more
than a decade after talking with
the family friend. The couple
moved north to Cleveland, Ohio,
in 2010 and Kirkland hooked on
with the fire department at High-
land Hills, a small town nearby.
When the family needed to move
again so Amity Kirkland could
do her residency at a U.S. Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Dayton, Ohio, Manny
Kirkland once again found a job
in a surrounding community, this
has made adjustments, accord-
ing to the assistant director. It has
reached out to the Oregon Health
Authority for additional support
on contact tracing and case inves-
tigation. Umatilla County Public
Health also has tried to interview
COVID-19 cases more efficiently.
OHA orders
12 million test kits
The high-speed spread of the
omicron variant is driving the
spike, along with a stubbornly
slow decline of the delta variant
that peaked in September.
Omicron now accounts for
a majority of new cases in the
United States, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Cases are expected to continue
to rise in Oregon, with positive
test rate at 15% on Dec. 30, which
is three times the standard OHA
says is a manageable level of
spread.
The health authority that day
said it had ordered 12 million
at-home antigen rapid test kits,
which can show results in 15
minutes. Local public health
agencies and partner organiza-
tions will distribute the tests free
of charge. The first kits should
arrive in Oregon this week.
“Oregon lear ned during
the delta surge that we must be
prepared for the unpredictable
— we knew we had to be ready
for future variants so we could
continue to protect the most
vulnerable in our communities
while keeping our schools, busi-
nesses and communities open,”
Gov. Kate Brown said in a state-
ment.
Pharmacies around the state
have reported selling all available
kits and mail orders are back-
logged into next month. Some
stores in Pendleton have taken to
moving the kits behind the phar-
macy counter to limit how many
a person can buy at one time.
Scientists st udying the
omicron strain said it is the most
contagious version of COVID-19
since the start of the pandemic.
While early reports show individ-
ual cases are less likely to result
in hospitalization or death, the
sheer number of new cases will
swamp hospitals and emergency
responders.
Omicron is more likely to
cause “breakthrough” cases in
vaccinated people, the CDC has
reported. But people who have
received a booster shot to go
along with earlier vaccination
have significantly lower chances
of experiencing severe illness or
death.
Oregon Health & Science
University has projected the
omicron spike will peak in
Oregon around Feb. 9. The OHSU
recent forecast lowered the peak
number of hospitalizations in
Oregon from 3,000 to about
1,200, near the level seen when
delta peaked in early September.
Despite skyrocketing case
reports, the state stepped into a
three-day information void, Dec.
31 through Jan. 2, in observance
of the New Year’s Day holiday.
— Hermiston Herald editor/
senior reporter Erick Peterson
contributed to this article.
time in suburban Riverside.
Moving to Pendleton became
a unique next step, not only
because of its distance from
where they had lived but also
because Pendleton is a fraction
of the size of the communities
they once called home.
But Amity Kirkland wanted to
be closer to her family, and a fire
department job in Pendleton was
open. So the Kirklands moved
again with the hope Pendleton is
a place where they can put down
roots.
Manny Kirkland said he likes
working in the same commu-
nity he lives in and enjoys being
a member of the department.
Amity Kirkland having family
in Union and Tri-Cities gives the
couple a base of support. They
hope to raise their 2- and 4-year-
old daughters in Pendleton. A
podiatrist by trade, Manny Kirk-
land said the expectation is for
Amity to resume her career once
his probationary period ends at
the one-year mark.
In his off time, Manny Kirk-
land and his family like to enjoy
the outdoors, something East-
ern Oregon offers in spades.
And even though he now finds
himself in Duck and Beaver
country, Kirkland has retained
a critical part of his home state
identity: being a fan of Univer-
sity of Kentucky basketball.
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
East Oregonian
A9
New year brings new transportation laws
Local control for
speed limits, free
IDs for homeless
East Oregonian
SALEM — A series of new trans-
portation laws went into effect Satur-
day, Jan. 1, in Oregon.
The Oregon Department of
Transportation in a press release
Dec. 30 announced it is responsible
for implementing the laws, which
break down into the following cate-
gories:
Increasing safety
and local control
• House Bill 3055 allows some
local governments to set speeds on
their roads. ODOT has the statu-
tory authority for setting the speed
limit on all roads in Oregon, but HB
3055 allows ODOT to delegate its
authority for speed setting to a city
or county for roads under their juris-
diction.
ODOT Director Kris Strickler in
the press release said reducing speed
limits in conjunction with better
road design changes and increased
enforcement can improve road safety
of our roads.
“We don’t have to accept the loss
we see on our streets,” he said. “This
legislation allows ODOT to remove a
major impediment to adopting safer
speeds and increases local control
over local roads.”
• HB 3125 allows Oregon driv-
er’s license and ID card holders to
register up to two people at DMV2U.
Oregon.gov, age 18 and older, as
emergency contacts for situations
where they can’t communicate.
With online information, cell-
phones and social media, there is a
risk a family could learn someone
was in an emergency before law
enforcement can contact the family,
according to ODOT.
Only Oregon law enforcement
personnel will be able to access the
emergency contact information.
Improving access
and equity
• HB 2498: This bill enhances the
safety of Oregonians who are deaf or
hard of hearing by creating an option
to add a notification to their driver’s
license and vehicle registration card.
Chad A. Ludwig, executive
director of Bridges Oregon, said in
the press release this is a significant
milestone to build trust and cooper-
ation between more than one million
Oregonians with hearing loss and
our law enforcement.
The indicator will be voluntary,
and drivers can sign up any time
through DMV2U.Oregon.gov.
• HB 3026: Beginning later in
2022, this law benefits people expe-
riencing houselessness. They will no
longer need to pay a fee to receive,
renew or replace their identification
cards. ODOT will be developing
rules and partnering with homeless
service organizations to certify an
individual’s eligibility for the waiver
and provide a form to bring to DMV
to apply. More information on how
this program will be administered
will be available soon.
HB 2985: The legislation directed
ODOT to diversify specific advi-
sory committees to reflect the racial,
ethnic and ability composition of
Oregon.
“To ensure all Oregonians have
their voice heard in the process, we
intend to apply this direction not
only to the committees listed in the
measure but across ODOT’s various
advisory committees as recruitments
for new members are conducted,” the
press release stated.
Reducing greenhouse gases
• HB 2165: Rebates will remain
in play for Oregonians looking to
switch to an electric vehicle.
This legislation removed the
sunset on funding Oregon’s Charge
Ahead EV rebate program, funded
through a vehicle privilege tax
created by passage of HB 2017
(transportation funding package).
The program originally was set to
expire in 2024. The eligibility and
value of the Charge Ahead rebates
were modified to make the program
more accessible. Electric vehicle
adoption has lagged state goals, but
has recently jumped with a 70%
increase in registration in 2021
compared to 2020.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A backhoe clears snow drifts Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, from a section of Mission Road near Nixyaawii Community
School in Mission.
Winter:
Continued from Page A1
than the 1979 record of minus 12.
Temperatures warmed on Jan. 3,
with the low of 7 and a high of 41.
Hermiston on Dec. 31 had a low
of 19 and a high of 34, but tempera-
tures in the largest town in Eastern
Oregon fell Jan. 1 to a high of 24 and
a low of minus 8.
In a Jan. 3, interview, Umatilla
County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Dwight
Johnson, the manager of the office’s
search and rescue team, said he was
fatigued after responding to calls all
night in the Milton-Freewater area.
Originally from Montana, John-
son said the conditions the night of
Jan. 2 were amongst the worst he’s
seen in his career. Snowplows and
heavy equipment from the Oregon
Department of Transportation and
Umatilla County Public Works
aided the county team, but members
still occasionally got stuck as rescue
crews attempted to reach county
residents.
Out of all the calls, Johnson said
they only needed to transport one
resident: a woman who got stuck in
the snow during a grocery run.
Umatilla County Emergency
Manager Tom Roberts said that
while the county had responded
to snow drifts, mostly on the east
side of the county, he hadn’t heard
reports of major property damage.
“We’re hopeful that Mother
Nature will play nice,” he said. “But
we know that in past years we know
she’s played not-so-nice.”
Regardless of the historical
severity of the recent spate of winter
weather, the inclement conditions
shut down schools and services
across the region.
West Umatilla County school
districts — Hermiston, Umatilla,
Stanfield and Echo — resisted
closure, but all Morrow County
schools and most east side districts
canceled classes Jan. 3, the first day
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Snow drifts cover Helix Highway, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, near its intersec-
tion with Adams Road in rural Umatilla County.
back from winter break. The closed
K-12 schools were joined by Blue
Mountain Community College,
which canceled in-person classes
on all of its campuses, and all state
offices in Umatilla County outside
of courts.
Even if residents wanted to travel
to these closed places, they might
have a hard time finding a way to
get there.
ODOT closed Interstate 84 east
of Pendleton along with High-
way 11 between Pendleton and
Milton-Freewater at various points
of the day. Both Roberts and ODOT
spokesperson Tom Strandberg
encouraged residents to stay home,
traveling only if necessary.
Strandberg said there were
points on the evening of Jan. 2
where ODOT had to call off plows
because road visibility meant the
plows were moving too slow to
effectively remove snow and ice.
Even with so many roads closed he
discouraged residents from going
around road closure barriers, an
issue that has happened in the past.
“We just want people to be safe,”
he said.
Based on forecasts, the weather
won’t get any less busy in the
coming days.
Marilyn Lohman, a forecaster
with the weather service’s Pendle-
ton office, said more precipitation
is anticipated for the region, and it
could come in the form of rain and
snow or a mix of the two based on
the specific location. Lohman said
the area should see a break on Jan.
4, but a warm front with mois-
ture is due for Eastern Oregon by
midweek.
Where the moisture and cold air
will meet exactly still is unknown,
but Lohman said drier conditions
will return next weekend paired
with colder temperatures.
Although heavy precipitation
and warmer temperatures created
conditions for significant flooding
in the county in 2019 and 2020,
Roberts said the county only is
anticipating minor street flooding
at this point, but conditions could
change.