A4 The BulleTin • Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Risk
Risk levels as of
March 12
Continued from A1
In the Portland metro area,
Multnomah County showed
enough improvement to join
Washington and Clackamas
counties at moderate level.
Lane County, which includes
Eugene, dropped to moder-
ate level.
In Northwest Oregon,
Clatsop and Columbia
counties continued to show
low enough rates to con-
tinue their current risk sta-
tus. Yamhill County’s case
rate dropped low enough
to qualify for moderate risk
status.
Tillamook County, how-
ever, showed increases that
put it back into the moder-
ate risk category, bucking the
north coastal trend of low-
ered infection rates.
In Eastern Oregon, Uma-
tilla County showed im-
provement, but not enough
to move out of the high risk
level.
Harney, Hood River, Mor-
row and Lake counties all
moved to lower risk from
moderate risk.
Baker moved to a mod-
erate level, up from lower,
because of infection trends
going up.
Curry County showed ris-
ing rates that moved it to the
higher risk level, and Jose-
phine County moved from
high to moderate.
Brown said two counties
that had moved higher in risk
during the past two weeks
would be given a two-week
grace period to try to correct
their trends instead of being
required to go to tighter re-
strictions.
Two counties fell into that
category this week:
Malheur County qualifies
for high risk level, but will re-
main at moderate risk level
restrictions until the next
analysis is announced March
23.
Jackson County qualifies
for extreme risk, but will be
given the same chance to im-
prove before new risk levels
are announced.
The improved overall risk
level picture came a day after
the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency announced
it would award $110 million
to bolster Oregon Health Au-
thority in operating dozens
of vaccination centers around
the state.
OHA said the FEMA sup-
port would enable the agency
to administer 2 million shots
during a 90-day period. The
FEMA program will send
funds to the Oregon Emer-
gency Management Depart-
ment to then reimburse ex-
penses by local, tribal and
Baker City will
call on state
to consult locally
on restrictions
Baker City Herald
The Baker City Council is
planning to send a letter to
Gov. Kate Brown asking her
to consider opinions from lo-
cal residents when the state is
imposing COVID-19 restric-
tions on businesses and other
activities.
Councilors discussed the is-
sue during their meeting Feb.
23. They asked Councilor Ja-
son Spriet to draft a letter to
the governor for the full coun-
cil to review.
Councilors were expected
to discuss Spriet’s draft letter
during Tuesday’s meeting.
Spriet’s draft notes that in
2020, the state “Office of Di-
versity, Equity and Inclusion
was directed to make Oregon a
more equitable place for every
Oregonian.”
He goes on to write that one
element of that strategy was to
have state officials work with
community leaders in making
decisions.
“We do not currently feel that
this element of the framework
is being realized,” Spriet wrote.
“Our community is not cur-
rently being heard by our state
leadership. We are asking for a
seat at the table, a voice for our
citizens, and an opportunity
to provide input to restrictions
that have a profound effect on
our rural communities.”
Lower risk (13)
• Clatsop
• Crook (moved from high)
• Gilliam
• Grant
• Harney (moved from
moderate)
• Hood River (moved from
moderate)
• Lake (moved from
moderate)
• Lincoln
• Morrow (moved from
moderate)
• Sherman
• Wallowa
• Wasco
• Wheeler
Moderate risk (12)
• Baker (moved from
lower)
• Clackamas
• Deschutes (moved from
high)
• Klamath (moved from
high)
• Lane (moved from high)
• Linn
• Malheur*
• Multnomah (moved from
high)
• Tillamook (moved from
lower)
• Union
• Washington
• Yamhill (moved from
high)
High risk (9)
• Benton (moved from
extreme)
• Columbia
• Curry (moved from
moderate)
• Jackson**
• Jefferson (moved from
extreme)
• Josephine (moved from
extreme)
• Marion
• Polk
• Umatilla
Extreme risk (2)
• Coos
• Douglas
*Malheur County qualifies for
high risk level, but will remain at
moderate risk level restrictions
until the next analysis is
announced March 23.
**Jackson County qualifies for
extreme risk, but will remain at
high risk until new risk levels are
announced.
state authorities.
Oregon Health Author-
ity Director Pat Allen told
a legislative panel last week
that increased flow of vac-
cine doses and the availabil-
ity of the one-shot Johnson
& Johnson vaccine have state
officials hoping to have 70%
of residents inoculated by
April 21.
e e
gwarner@eomediagroup.com
COVID-19 | Vaccines
Teachers move up on priority list
White House guidance
will shut out elderly
Oregonians from
some appointments
BY JAMIE GOLDBERG
The Oregonian
Elderly Oregonians who
tried to sign up for COVID-19
vaccinations at some pharma-
cies this week learned they are
no longer eligible for appoint-
ments because of new national
guidance from the White
House that prioritizes teachers.
But Oregon already priori-
tized teachers, authorizing vac-
cinations Jan. 25 even as seniors
were forced to wait until Feb. 8
through March 1 for their turns.
Oregon is now significantly be-
hind states like California and
Washington in its rate of vacci-
nations among seniors.
The federal policy amounts
to another setback for older
Oregonians, who are among
the most vulnerable to the vi-
rus. It has prompted Gov. Kate
Brown and the Oregon Health
Authority to urge local phar-
macies to disregard the federal
guidance and continue vacci-
nating seniors 65 and older.
“This was a decision made at
the federal level without prior
consultation with state leaders,”
Charles Boyle, a spokesper-
son for Brown’s office, said in
Moratorium
Continued from A1
“From my point of view, we
should have done it during
the third special session to ex-
tend it. It’s been well-worked,”
Kotek told reporters during her
weekly availability on Monday.
“We are pushing Chair Holvey
to move it as soon as possible. It
is something people need cer-
tainty on in terms of how their
mortgage payments will be han-
dled in the situation we are in
right now. We need to keep peo-
ple housed, so it is a priority.”
Kotek’s call coincided with
near-final congressional action
on President Joe Biden’s $1.9
trillion pandemic relief plan,
which includes $10 billion na-
tionally for homeowner assis-
tance. The House is scheduled
Wednesday to take a final vote
on the Senate-amended plan
before it goes to Biden for his
signature.
Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene,
said she isn’t sure what Ore-
gon’s share would be, although
Find it all online
bendbulletin.com
John P. Vanderheiden,
M.D of Bend, OR
May 6, 1937 - March 4,
2021
Arrangements:
Baird Funeral Home of
Bend is honored to serve
the Vanderheiden family.
Please visit our website,
www.bairdfh.com, to share
condolences and sign our
online guest book.
Services:
A Funeral Mass will be
held on Thursday, March
11 at 10:00 AM at St.
Francis of Assisi Catholic
Church at 2450 NE 27th
Street Bend, Oregon
97701. A rosary will take
place prior to Mass in the
church. Graveside services
will follow. The Mass will be
livestreamed. A Celebra-
tion of Life for Dr. John
Vanderheiden will be held
at a later date.
Contributions may be
made to:
Partners in Care Hospice
of Bend
2075 NE Wyatt Court
Bend, Oregon 97701
https://www.partnersbend.
org/donation/
St. Francis of Assisi for the
restoration of the historic
church
2450 NE 27th Street
Bend, Oregon 97701
https://giving.parish-
soft.com/App/Giving/
sain2450195
Mt. Bachelor Sports and
Education Foundation
(MBSEF)
2765 NW Lola Drive
Bend, Oregon 97703
http://www.mbsef.org/
Richard “Dick” A.
Davis
of Sisters, OR;
Redmond, OR
November 13, 1937 -
February 19, 2021
Arrangements:
Arrangements Entrusted
To: Redmond Memorial
Chapel
www.redmondmemorial.
com ; 541.548.3219
Services:
A Graveside Service
will be held at Redmond
Memorial Cemetery on
Friday, March 12, 2021 at
11:00AM
Contributions may be
made to:
Local Charity of Choice
Sylvia G. Hatton
of Bend, OR
July 2, 1933 - Feb 5, 2021
Arrangements:
Niswonger-Reynolds
Funeral Home is honored
to serve the family. 541-
382-2471 Please visit the
online registry for the fam-
ily at www.niswonger-reyn-
olds.com
Services:
A Memorial Gathering will
be held Monday, June 28,
2021 at 5:30pm at Awbrey
Glen Clubhouse 2500 NW
Awbrey Glen Drive | Bend,
OR 97703
OBITUARY DEADLINE
Call to ask about our deadlines
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Email: obits@bendbulletin.com
Gillian Flaccus/AP file
Sara Plush, an employee of Fred Meyer, adds a sheet with information
about how to get a COVID-19 vaccine to groceries ordered by a home-
bound senior citizen in Portland last month.
an email Tuesday. “Governor
Brown is working directly with
the White House to update
this policy to allow pharma-
cies participating in the federal
program in states like Oregon,
which have largely vaccinated
our educator workforce, to
continue to schedule appoint-
ments for seniors.”
President Joe Biden an-
nounced on March 2 that he
would prioritize vaccinating
teachers before the end of
March, part of a national effort
to safely reopen schools. To
do that, he said he would ask
pharmacies participating in the
Federal Retail Pharmacy Pro-
gram to set aside appointment
slots for teachers beginning
this week.
The new limits only apply
to vaccine appointments at re-
tail pharmacies participating
in the federal program, which
were tentatively scheduled to
receive 35,000 doses across Or-
egon this week, according to
the Oregon Health Authority.
Other sites, including clinics
and mass vaccination sites like
it is likely to exceed $100 mil-
lion if it is distributed accord-
ing to population. “That fed-
eral aid would be in addition
to $30 million for homeowner
assistance contained in a $500
million state plan unveiled
Monday, March 8,” Fahey said.
Fahey sits on the Business
and Labor Committee and also
leads the Housing Committee.
The state bill would allow
one extension by Brown to
Dec. 31, through an executive
order, but only if she gives no-
tice by Aug. 16.
Banks and credit unions op-
pose or question the need for
state legislation, given that 70%
of Oregon mortgages already
fall under a federal morato-
rium that is scheduled to end
June 30.
But housing advocates in
support of the bill mentioned
the Household Pulse survey
conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau, which ranks Oregon
17th among the states in terms
of people reporting they are
the Oregon Convention Cen-
ter, continue making appoint-
ments for Oregonians over age
65 and others eligible under
the state’s guidelines. Those
sites are set to receive about
90,000 doses this week.
The Biden administration’s
change left pharmacies at Safe-
way, Albertsons and Health
Mart allowing only teach-
ers and child care workers to
schedule COVID-19 vaccine
appointments Tuesday through
their online systems. Costco
and Walgreens were not listing
the same requirements.
The new federal guidance
prioritizing appointments for
teachers at those pharmacies
will run through the end of
March. It appears that it will be
up to individual pharmacies
to determine how to interpret
the federal guidance, absent
any additional clarification re-
quested by state leaders.
A Feb. 20 analysis by The
Oregonian showed that Ore-
gon ranked third to last among
31 states with comparable data
for the percentage of seniors
who had been vaccinated.
Approximately 44% of Or-
egon seniors 65 and over have
now been vaccinated, accord-
ing to data from the Oregon
Health Authority. Similar data
was not available on the per-
centage of Oregon teachers
that have been vaccinated.
behind on rent or mortgage
payments and are at risk of
eviction or foreclosure within
two months.
Oregon’s 38.1% of 153,402
surveyed online put it below
Idaho (15th) but ahead of Ne-
vada (19th). California and
Washington ranked lower. The
margin of error is 12.4 points,
which means that the actual
ratio of people at risk could be
as low as 1 of 4 — or as high as
1 in 2.
e e
pwong@pamplinmedia.com