LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine keeps rolling out
IN BRIEF
County goes more
than a week since
any new cases
NEOEDD board
to meet Thursday
via Zoom
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE
—
Around a quarter of Wal-
lowa County has received a
vaccine against COVID-19
through Wallowa Memo-
rial Hospital, according to
the latest numbers from
WMH
Communications
Director Brooke Pace.
And the speed with
which vaccines are being
doled out has allowed the
county to get further down
the waitlist.
“We have been able to
move into Group 7, the
essential workers and peo-
ple under 45 (with underly-
ing conditions),” Pace said.
At WMH’s most recent
clinic on Tuesday, March
16, it gave out about 450
doses of the vaccine. Of
that, 205 were fi rst doses
of the Moderna vaccines,
145 were second doses
and 100 were the new one-
dose Johnson & Johnson
vaccine.
“Some of those people
were in the age sequenc-
ing that had passed up to
this date (on getting vacci-
nated),” Pace said of those
getting the newest vac-
cine. “I would say half of
the Johnson & Johnson are
being given out to those
currently eligible in Group
6 and 7.”
Those qualifi ed in Group
6 include those between
45-64 years old with one
or more health conditions
that puts them at increased
risk, according to guid-
Courtnie McCAuliff e/Contributed Photo
Ruthie Mann, infection control offi cer at Wallowa Memorial
Hospital, prepares a syringe with the Moderna COVID-19
vaccine Tuesday, March 9, 2021. In the background is Stacey
Karvoski, WMH quality director and nurse.
ance from Oregon Health
Authority. It also includes
migrant and seasonal farm
workers, seafood and agri-
cultural workers, those
working in food process-
ing, homeless, people in
low-income senior hous-
ing, wildland fi refi ghters,
those displaced by wild-
fi res, and pregnant women
age 16 and older.
Group 7 is frontline
workers,
multi-genera-
tional household members
and anyone between 16-44
with one or more underly-
ing condition.
“We
have
worked
through Phase 1A, age
sequencing, (and) Phase
1B Group 6,” Pace said.
As of Monday, March
15, Pace said there were
fewer than 50 people on
the Group 7 waitlist. That
could be due to people in
that range not wanting the
vaccine, “or,” Pace said,
“they don’t know they are
eligible yet.”
Currently, 1,702 indi-
viduals have received
at least one dose of the
Moderna vaccine through
WMH and 1,152 have had
both shots. One hundred
people have had the John-
son & Johnson vaccine.
Pace said there are not
expected to be any new fi rst
doses arriving this week.
“Only doses we’ll be
getting this week are sec-
ond doses,” she said. “Our
understanding is we won’t
be getting primary doses
this week. The week of
the 22nd, we would not be
hosting a fi rst-dose clinic,”
if that plays out, she said.
She also said she’s
unsure of when the hospi-
tal will get more Johnson &
Johnson vaccine.
Those who want to
get on the WMH wait-
list are encouraged to call
541-426-5437.
The county has gone
more than a week with-
out any new cases reported
by the OHA, and through
Monday,
March
15,
remains at 144 cases of
COVID-19 and fi ve deaths
related to the disease.
“That has taken a really
positive nose dive,” Pace
said. “We had a few weeks
with all the positives and
now it’s gone back down.”
ENTERPRISE — The
Northeast Oregon Eco-
nomic Development Dis-
trict Board of Directors will
hold a meeting at 1:30 p.m.
on Thursday, March 18,
via Zoom, according to a
press release.
Items on the agenda
include the election of
offi cers, an audit report, a
needs assessment discus-
sion, the fi scal sponsorship
policy and the confl ict of
interest policy.
For connection infor-
mation, contact Lisa Daw-
son, executive director at
lisadawson@neoedd.org
or 541-426-3598.
Class on Nez
Perce Tribe to
return
JOSEPH — Back by
popular demand, a Zoom
class on the Nez Perce
Tribe by Rich Wandschnei-
der will return Saturday,
March 27, put on by the
Josephy Center for Arts
and Culture, according to a
press release.
A3
The Nez Perce Story:
An Introduction will be
presented from 9:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
Wandschneider will dis-
cuss traditional Plateau
Indian culture from precon-
tact to today.
The Nez Perce Story
class will cover:
• Traditional Plateau
Indian culture and the
impacts of white arrivals:
disease, horses, fur trade,
missionaries, settlers and
miners. This will take us up
to the War of 1877.
• Immediate events pre-
ceding the war — the Trea-
ties of 1855, 1863, and Pres-
ident U.S. Grant’s proposed
division of the Wallowa
Country in 1873. Some,
but not too much attention
is given to the war itself;
this is covered in numerous
books and articles.
• The war’s aftermath,
From Bear’s Paw to Indian
Territory (Oklahoma), and
from Indian Territory back
to the Northwest — but not
to Oregon. Where and how
the Nez Perce people live
today; three reservations,
a National Historical Park
and the Nez Perce Wallowa
Homeland.
Cost of the class is $25.
To preregister, visit www.
josephy.org.
To learn more, visit
https://preview.tinyurl.
com/NezPerceStory.
— Chieftain Staff
This week’s featured book
The Ickabog
by J. K. Rowling
107 E. Main St.
Enterprise OR 541-426-3351
bookloftoregon.com • manager@bookloft.org
Oregon tourism receives grant
Observer staff
accessible fi shing facility in
Wallowa County.
• $35,000 to the city of
John Day to create a com-
munity “pit stop” with
food truck stalls, improved
parking and new public
restrooms.
Originally
announced
as a $250,000 opportunity,
Travel Oregon received
more than $4 million in
requests through 135 appli-
cations. In response to the
high demand, the agency
reviewed internal program
dollars and reallocated
resources to increase the
award amount to $913,000,
which allowed funding for 34
projects. The agency’s Des-
tination Development team
will manage projects, which
range from direct invest-
ments to more collabora-
tive projects where staff will
work closely with awardees
through implementation.
eomediagroup.com
Births
A daughter, Sahara
Nicole Ornelas, was born
on March 5, 2021 in
Enterprise to Damon
Ornelas and Jazmyne
Staples of Wallowa.
Grandparents are Brandy
Straight and Tye Straight.
301 W. Main, Enterprise • 541.426.3177
We Support all our
Local Farmers, Ranchers,
and their Families
ZAC KNAPP
d
orts we are so excite on
sp
of
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tu
re
e
th
h
Wit
this week. Zac w
to honor Zac Knapp ilton-Freewater on
M
the Pioneer Run in nst McLoughlin with
ai
ag
al
s
Saturday, a du
ore than 40 second
a time of 15:56.1, m ace earning him this
ahead of second pl e of the Week honor.
week’s Athlet
c!
udly
Pro onsore d b y
Congratulations Za
p
S
OF
THE
PORTLAND — The
Oregon Tourism Commis-
sion, which does business
as Travel Oregon, awarded
$913,000 to 34 projects
across the state. More than
$125,000 went to fi ve proj-
ects in Eastern Oregon.
The grants are for “the
development,
enhance-
ment and stewardship of
key visitor experiences that
are COVID-19 appropri-
ate,” according to the press
release from Travel Ore-
gon, “will aid in economic
recovery, enhance local liv-
ability and provide access
to a diversity of explor-
ers through the Destination
Ready program.”
Todd Davidson, CEO of
Travel Oregon, stated in the
release that the projects are
crucial in ensuring visitors
and Oregonians have access
to safe and enjoyable expe-
riences as the commission
rebuilds Oregon’s tourism
economy while navigating
the pandemic.
“Communities across the
state rely on tourism as an
essential component of their
economic fabric,” David-
son continued. “These com-
munities need visitor-ready
attractions and experiences
that continue to prioritize
public health measures, and
Travel Oregon is excited to
support these local initia-
tives that will play a signif-
icant role in the state’s eco-
nomic recovery.”
In Eastern Oregon, the
following are the amounts,
recipients and purpose of the
awards:
• $21,711 to the Greater
Hells Canyon Council to
help with mapping and trail
maintenance operations for
The Blue Mountains Trail, a
566-mile thru-hiking expe-
rience through northeast
Oregon.
• $20,000 to the East-
ern Oregon Visitors Asso-
ciation for land stewardship
and maintenance eff orts to
prepare Eastern Oregon’s
most visited public lands for
the coming season, includ-
ing the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest, the Owyhee
Region, the Steens Mountain
Wilderness and the Alvord
Desert.
• $24,500 to the Eastern
Oregon Visitors Associa-
tion for updates to six East-
ern Oregon Farm Trail bro-
chures with distribution, and
creation of a new on-the-
ground kiosk.
• $25,000 to the Ore-
gon Department of Fish
and Wildlife to make infra-
structure and accessibility
improvements to establish
Marr Pond as the only ADA
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209 NW First St., Enterprise • 541-426-4567 • wallowa.com