A2 THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
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GENERAL
INFORMATION
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
DESCHUTES COUNTY
COVID-19 data for Wednesday, Feb. 3:
Deschutes County cases: 5,468 (20 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 46 (1 new death)
Crook County cases: 702 (7 new cases)
Crook County deaths: 15 (zero new deaths)
Je˜ erson County cases: 1,788 (7 new cases)
Je˜ erson County deaths: 25 (zero new deaths)
Oregon cases: 144,605 (649 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 1,991 (10 new deaths)
LOCAL
VACCINATIONS
22,481
Number of vaccinations
given by St. Charles
Health System
ONLINE
120
108 new cases
(Jan. 1)
90
new
cases
110
*No data
available on
Jan. 31
due to state
computer
maintenence
(Nov. 27)
100
90
80
70
60
47 new cases
50
(Nov. 14)
28 new cases
(July 16)
40
31 new cases
(Oct. 31)
30
16 new cases
(Sept. 19)
9 new cases
www.bendbulletin.com
130
(Dec. 4)
What is COVID-19? It’s an infection caused by a new
coronavirus. Symptoms include fever, coughing and
shortness of breath. This virus can be fatal.
7 ways to help limit its spread: 1. Wash hands often
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 2. Avoid
touching your face. 3. Avoid close contact with sick
people. 4. Stay home. 5. In public, stay 6 feet from others
and wear a mask. 6. Cough into your elbow. 7. Clean and
disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
7-day
average
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
BULLETIN
GRAPHIC
129 new cases
COVID-19 patients hospitalized at St. Charles
Bend on Tuesday: 15 (4 in ICU).
541-382-1811
SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY,
DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES
New COVID-19 cases per day
20
(May 20)
1st case
10
(March 11)
*
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Judge: Inmates to be prioritized for vaccine
The Associated Press
Gov. Kate Brown’s office
said Wednesday that Ore-
gon will soon begin offering
COVID-19 vaccinations to as
many as 11,000 inmates in the
state’s 14 prisons — one day af-
ter a federal judge ordered it.
“The court’s decision is clear,
and the state has decided not
to appeal,” said Charles Boyle,
a spokesman for the governor’s
office, in an email Wednesday.
Boyle didn’t offer a date
when vaccinations will com-
mence.
But on Tuesday, U.S. Magis-
trate Stacie Beckerman ruled
that inoculations must begin
immediately.
Some Oregonians have wor-
ried this will slow the admin-
istration of shots to Oregon’s
oldest residents and day care,
preschool and K-12 employees
as part of Phase 1b because of
the already overburdened roll-
out in Oregon. But the gover-
nor’s office said it should not.
“We do not anticipate that
these adjustments will alter
our timelines for beginning
Phase 1b vaccinations, includ-
ing vaccines for educators or
seniors—however that is de-
pendent on the weekly vaccine
supplies we receive from the
federal government,” Boyle
said.
In all, the state estimates
there are 152,000 educators
currently eligible for inocula-
tions. From Feb. 8 to the first
week of March, up to 767,000
seniors will become eligible,
although state officials say the
true number is smaller because
a small portion have already
been vaccinated because they
qualified for reasons including
they work in the health care in-
dustry or live in long-term care
facilities.
In comparison, there are
about 12,600 inmates in cus-
tody of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections. About
1,600 of them have already
been vaccinated.
Most of them are over age
60 or are medically vulnerable
and were inoculated because of
a miscommunication, Becker-
man wrote in her ruling.
Beckerman called for all
inmates to be offered the vac-
cines after lawyers for several
inmates argued the state’s pris-
ons were disregarding virus
safety protocols and inmates
were falling ill and dying at dis-
proportionate rates.
30 people infected in Josephine County jail outbreak
GRANTS PASS — More than two dozen people have been infected
with COVID-19 at the Josephine County jail in Southern Oregon, au-
thorities said.
Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder said Tuesday in a news
release the outbreak at the jail in Grants Pass was discovered last
week after some inmates reported flu-like symptoms.
The individuals were separated from the general population and
tested for COVID-19 with six positive cases as of Friday, he said.
The county Public Health Department was notified and a plan was
formulated to test the entire jail population and staff with rapid tests.
The jail was then notified of 19 additional positive results, according
to the sheriff’s office.
On Tuesday, all inmates and staff present were tested again using
rapid tests, which returned five additional positive results.
At the recommendation of public health officials, everyone in the jail
will be tested again next week, according to Snyder.
The facility has been placed on modified programs until containment
and treatment can be verified to decrease the further chances of ex-
posure, he said.
— The Associated Press
State blocks public access to vaccine equity group’s meeting
BY FEDOR ZARKHIN
The Oregonian
Oregon’s coronavirus vaccine
equity group was scheduled to
meet in secret Tuesday to eval-
uate the group’s work over the
last month after the state shut
down public access following
weeks’ of open meetings.
Oregon’s Vaccine Advisory
Committee was charged with
recommending who should be
vaccinated after the governor’s
priority groups, with an em-
phasis on tackling health dis-
parities that stem from “struc-
tural racism.” But the group’s
final recommendations last
week appeared rushed and
some committee members ex-
pressed frustration with the
process.
A spokesman for the health
authority defended the deci-
sion to prohibit media or mem-
bers of the public from viewing
Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. meeting,
saying the group accomplished
Gillian Flaccus/AP file
Members of Oregon’s 27-member vaccine advisory committee are seen meeting by teleconference in this
photo taken Jan. 2 in Portland. The committee advises Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health
Authority on the phases of vaccine distribution.
its original function at its Jan.
28 session.
The committee “has com-
pleted its official duties and
fulfilled its purpose of making
recommendations” about vac-
cination order to the Oregon
Health Authority, spokesman
Rudy Owens said in an email
Tuesday. “OHA is now working
on planning for implementa-
tion of the committee’s recom-
mendations. OHA will conduct
an evaluation with VAC mem-
bers of the committee process.”
The committee has met
publicly eight times, includ-
ing a meet and greet Jan. 5 that
was open to the public and re-
corded for public viewing.
“The committee has an op-
tional meeting on Feb. 2 to
discuss implementation is-
sues,” the health authority
announced in a news release
Friday.
But state official now say
that’s not the intended sub-
ject of Tuesday’s meeting. An
agenda for the 5:30 p.m. ses-
sion lists only “debrief and
evaluation.” Cowie said the
state will release a summary of
the Tuesday discussion.
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Lottery results can now be found on
the second page of Sports.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Man sentenced for 2020
shooting in south Bend
The man who shot
at a stranger behind
a Bend steakhouse
while experiencing
“meth-induced para-
noia” received five
years in prison on
Wednesday for that
Guerra
case and an earlier
domestic violence arrest.
Vicente Guerra, 44, was sen-
tenced in Deschutes County
Circuit Court for two cases his
lawyer says share a common
theme: meth.
On the night of Jan. 20, 2020,
Guerra approached a 2003 In-
finiti G35 in the parking lot be-
hind Okawa Steakhouse & Grill
at 1180 SE Third St. and fired
twice from a .22-caliber hand-
gun, grazing one of the two oc-
cupants of the car. Guerra took
off on foot, stopping briefly
at nearby Binky’s video poker
lounge, where he told a friend
he’d just “shot at people.”
Bend Police tracked Guerra
in the snow, finding him two
hours later in a rocky canal
nearby. Paramedics treated
him for cold exposure.
The other case involved a
woman he was in a relation-
ship with in December
2019. She was scared of
Guerra and trying to
move out, and he was
upset about it, accord-
ing to the prosecution.
He blocked her path
to prevent her from
leaving and when she
attempted to walk past
him, he grabbed her by the
neck and covered her mouth.
In another instance, he pinned
her to the bed, covered her
mouth and told her, “You will
learn to respect me.”
Both cases arise from para-
noia and other negative effects
of Guerra’s long-term use of
methamphetamine, his lawyer
Shawn Kollie, told the court.
“The evaluation that was
conducted on Mr. Guerra
really shows that he can go
through long periods of sobri-
ety where he does exception-
ally well,” Kollie said.
In court Wednesday, Guerra
apologized for his conduct be-
fore Judge Ray Crutchley, who
asked him several questions.
Guerra told the judge he first
used meth when he was 17.
“I went through rounds of
full-blown addiction, feel guilty
and stop using,” he said. “It’s
kind of a tragic situation.”
Bend man eludes police,
causes power outage
A 19-year-old Bend man
was arrested Tuesday after
eluding police, crashing into
two patrol cars and causing a
power outage.
Bend Police responded at
about 10:38 p.m. to a report of a
1990 silver Toyota pickup truck
revving its engine and doing
cookies in a parking lot at Cen-
tral Oregon Community Col-
lege. Officers found the truck,
driven by Jonathan Chance Er-
ickson, at NE Third Street and
NE Kearney Avenue. Erickson
refused to stop and drove on
the sidewalk to elude officers,
according to police.
Erickson then speeded to-
ward NW Wall Street and the
southbound Bend Parkway
ramp. He drove the wrong
way on the parkway, heading
north in the southbound lanes,
then nearly struck two vehicles
head-on, according to police.
Erickson left the parkway
and reached NE Division Street
Erickson kept driving reck-
and NE Harriman Street, where lessly toward NW Regency
he crashed into a tree.
Street, where he left
He then reversed and
his truck and ran into
crashed into a power
his apartment. As
box, causing a power
officers prepared a
outage in the area, po-
search warrant, Erick-
lice said.
son came out of the
Erickson continued
apartment and was ar-
toward the Newport
rested.
Avenue Bridge, where Erickson
He was booked into
he lost control of his
Deschutes County jail
truck. Officers attempted to
on charges of reckless driving,
block Erickson on the bridge,
reckless endangering, hit and
but he drove in reverse and
run, attempted assault, eluding
rammed two Bend Police cars, police and criminal mischief.
— Bulletin wire reports
causing damage.
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