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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2020)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Covid from A1 much higher as many do not seek medical at- tention for mild or mod- erate symptoms, thus skewing the fatality rate. Access to health care providers has also been cited as a barrier to ac- curate counts. In a World Health Organization (WHO) daily report released March 10, COVID-19 was estimated to have been confirmed in more than 113,000 cases and caused more than 4,000 deaths worldwide. Of more than 1,000 cases reported across the United States, at least 31 patients have died, ac- cording to a New York Times database. By comparison, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that, in the U.S., influenza has resulted in between 9 million to 45 million ill- nesses, between 140,000 to 810,000 hospital- izations and between 12,000 to 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. Still, the coronavirus’s rapid spread and lack of a vaccine has prompted health authorities to rec- ommend quarantine for those affected. According to a March 10 study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, COVID-19 is estimated to have a median 5-day incubation period and a 14-day quarantine is suggested for those with likely exposure to the coronavirus. Local Reactions In Cottage Grove, lo- cal entities have taken precautionary measures in light of the coronavi- rus’s spread through the state. “Access to water and sewer facilities are re- stricted and generally require prior approval for visits and we will not be planning any public visits to those facilities for the time being,” said Meyers. South Lane County Fire and Rescue (SLC- FR), too, is referring to health authorities for in- structions. “We are currently fol- lowing guidance provid- ed by the Oregon Health Authority and Lane County Public Health,” said SLCFR Chief John Wooten. “The guidance documents for emergen- cy responders have been provided to us by the Oregon Health Authori- ty (OHA) and, much like the Ebola virus situation a few years ago, revolve around screening, rec- ognition and personal protective equipment.” As of press time, schools in the district are also progressing without interruption. “County health au- thorities and South Lane School District are all closely monitoring the situation,” said the SLSD in a letter to families. “At this point in time, we are operating South Lane Schools as usual.” If a child is sick with a fever (above 100.4 de- grees) and/or has cold or flu symptoms, the dis- trict recommends keep- ing the child away from school until they have no fever for 24 hours without the use of fe- ver-reducing medicines. With the continuing spread of the virus to communities through- out Oregon, state health authorities have also taken a new policy di- rection to protect some of the most vulnerable community members. In consultation with OHA, the Oregon De- partment of Human Ser- vices (DHS) has recom- mended restricting and limiting entry to nursing facilities, residential care facilities and assisted liv- ing facilities, including those with memory care endorsements. Recommendations in- clude: • Restricting visitation to only essential individ- uals; • Limiting essential visitors to two per resi- dent at a given time; • Screening all permit- ted visitors for respira- tory or other symptoms potentially indicating COVID-19 and for re- cent travel to an affected geographic area or high- risk setting prior to en- tering the facilities; • Documenting the screenings for all visi- tors; • Limiting community outings; and • Supporting residents’ access to socialization when visitors are not able to enter the facility through virtual visits. On Sunday, the CDC recommended that peo- ple over the age of 60 stock up on supplies and stay home should there be a coronavirus out- break in their commu- nities. U.S. Census data esti- mates about 16 percent of Cottage Grove res- idents are in the more vulnerable age range of 65 or older. “C om mu n it y - w i d e measures like hand hy- giene and staying home when ill are essential to decrease further com- munity spread,” read a March 10 statement re- leased by DHS. As with other illnesses spreading in a commu- nity, health authorities note that individuals can help stop the spread of the coronavirus by following some simple guidelines: • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, es- pecially after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and be- fore eating or preparing food; • Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; • Stay home when sick; and • Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Locally, this policy ex- tends to Magnolia Gar- dens Senior Living Cen- ter, Coast Fork Nursing C e nt e r, M i d d l e f i e l d Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care and Creswell Health and Re- habilitation Center. ( More information on Center (RAC) Movie night for the 2019-20 season. Dinner and visiting begin at 6 p.m. The film, both historical and sports in nature, is a great movie and will start at 7:30 p.m. Lorane Grange hosts with some delicious desserts. So, enjoy a won- derful evening in Lorane with friends and neighbors. Their movie night season returns in October. • Lorane Grange plans a taco dinner with bingo on Saturday, March 21. Dinner begins at the usual time of 5:30 p.m. and bingo starts right at 6:30 p.m. Progressive blackout has continued to grow, so plan to join the fun. The more people, the higher it goes. • Calling all talent! The annual RAC/Lorane Talent Show is scheduled for Sun- day, April 5, beginning at 3 p.m. at Lorane Grange. No matter your talent, come share with everyone. No charge to perform or COVID-19 can be found on the Centers of Dis- ease Control website at www.cdc.gov/coronavi- r us/2019-ncov/about/ share-facts.html.) LORANE NEWS Contributed by Lil Thompson for The Sentinel • Spring wrestling sign ups were last week For Crow Middle/High School. Anyone still interested or needing more information can call Colleen at 541-520- 9275. • This Saturday, March 14, marks the last Rural Art 6-day weather forecast FRIDAY SATURDAY 47° | 34° 47° | 29° Showers Showers SUNDAY MONDAY 49° | 26° 49° | 26° Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 52° | 26° Sunny 56° | 30° Mostly Sunny 60 % of small businesses close within 6 months of a cyber-attack. (541) 942-0555 to attend. Plus, light snacks will be served. Do you paint or draw, build items, knit or crochet, write stories, or have any other stationary talent? Those will be dis- played in the kitchen area. Call Lil at 541-942-5701 or Lisa Livelybrooks to sign up. If you forget to call, just come 15 to 20 minutes ear- ly to be on the afternoon agenda. Tell your friends and mark your calendars to come enjoy the day. Transmissions Plus & AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALTIES PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust All makes and models. MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!” www.automotivespecialties.biz DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE | MARCH 12, 2020 | 5A Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” Raining... ‘Meatballs?’ Adam cuddles Elsa Mae, and Debra shows off Meatball “M eatball arrived with a valuable lesson,” said Debra. “Be careful what you wish for. You may get it, right away; and it may come with some challenges!” Debra explained how, one Friday night, she and her husband, Adam, decided it was time for their Pit Bull, Elsa Mae, to have a little brother. “Adam had always wanted an English bulldog,” said Debra. “There are many loving animals in shelters that need homes — so we spent the weekend, unsuc- cessfully, looking online to rescue one.” Monday morning, she arrived at work (out in the middle of the woods) and sitting on the porch was a filthy, tan and white English bulldog that appeared to be about three years old. “I petted him and the male dog rolled over on his back to have his tummy patted,” recalled Debra. “I told him he was a ‘little meatball.’” Debra’s boss said the collarless dog had appeared that morning and none of the staff or neighbors rec- ognized it. Debra decided that if the bulldog was still there at the end of the day, she would take him to a vet and see if he had a microchip. As fate would have it, by the end of the day the surprise dog was still waiting on the porch. “It was as if he knew he was mine and I just needed time to figure it out,” said Debra, who took him home. “My husband was thrilled. What are the chances of a stray rare breed dog showing up after we had being searching for one,” Debra said. “It was one in a mil- lion!” Their veterinarian confirmed that Meatball was chipped — but never registered. The vet sent a “found” email to other veterinarians and the couple posted the dog on Craigslist, at shelters websites and at a bulldog rescue. “We made it easy for his paw-rents to find him,” Debra said. After a few months, a friend saw a “lost” sign that matched Meatball’s description. Adam phoned the number, but no one returned the called. “It was a relief because we loved Meatball,” said Debra. Elsa Mae and Meatball became inseparable — snug- gling with each other. “He loves her and does whatever she does, just like any little brother,” said Debra. “On walks, he speeds up to catch up with her and she slows down so he can.” Debra said his big face wrinkles give him such a darn cute look, but they also caused him discomfort. His eyelashes rolled inward and scratched his eye- balls, making them cloudy and infected. They also discovered that Meatball’s eyes don’t produce tears. “We drop artificial tears into his eyes, three times a day, for his relief and comfort,” said Dabra. “Why do breeders breed defects that create pain for puppies and a financial struggle for their adopters?” Three vets suggested that Meatball receive entro- pian surgery; a facelift where excess skin is removed from around his eyes so he can keep them open and his eye lashes turned out. They also suggested hav- ing his nostrils enlarged in hopes that he could breath better. Meatball had surgery and the top nose wrinkle was removed because it was pushing up on his eyes and down on his nose, closing off his nostrils so he couldn’t breath and smell. “His surgery was such a success that he breathed better and his eyes made tears,” Debra said of the sur- gery. “Meatball is the best role model for why people should adopt older dogs. He loves us and sleeps be- tween our heads. One of his most endearing qualities is that he appreciates everything — even the things he doesn’t like, such as baths and medicated eye drops. “Yes, he squirms, huffs and puffs. But as soon as it’s done he snuggles and loves.” Debra said Meatball fits perfectly into their family and that they couldn’t imagine life without their little Meatball. To them, his arrival was a miracle manifest- ed. “The animated children’s movie, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ reminds us of our cloudy Ore- gon weather, but we never expected it to rain a Meat- ball into our lives!” Share your fur-avorite pet memory or adventure at angelscribe@msn.com. Visit Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Face- book at/www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales.
