The Blue Mountain eagle., April 08, 2020, Page 10, Image 10

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STATE
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
42% of Oregon’s adult ICU beds currently in use
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon hospitals have yet to fill
up with COVID-19 patients.
The Oregon Health Authority
reported Tuesday that 464 patients
were hospitalized with COVID-19
or suspected symptoms, including 69
patients on ventilators to assist their
breathing.
Those numbers are more than
double what OHA reported last
week. However, hospitals still have
significant capacity.
Slightly more than 42% of adult
ICU beds are now in use, as are 34%
of adult non-ICU beds, 56% of pedi-
atric ICU beds and 67% of pediatric
non-ICU beds.
Oregon hospitals normally oper-
ate with much higher occupancy
rates, but many now have far fewer
patients because the state banned
elective surgeries and non-urgent
medical and dental procedures that
would involve personal protec-
tive equipment. As a result, a num-
ber of clinics and hospitals have laid
off employees. During the first three
weeks of March, nearly 4% of Ore-
gon health care workers filed for
unemployment.
OHA resumed sharing the
COVID-19 hospitalization data on
Monday after stopping last week due
to what officials said were unspeci-
fied “data quality” issues.
“We spent time ensuring that the
incoming data and data sources were
all reporting in a uniform and timely
manner. We believe we’ll be able to
continue reporting the data,” Philip
Schmidt with the Oregon COVID-
19 Joint Information Center said
Monday. “As always, if we discover
there’s reason to improve it, we’ll do
so.”
OHA also created a new dash-
board to give residents and the press
“a clearer picture of the data” and
show the state’s progress.
Lack of consistent data, includ-
ing current hospitalizations, has frus-
trated some lawmakers.
“Presently, the quality of data
being provided by OHA is such poor
quality, or simply being hidden (by)
OHA, that local decisionmakers have
to operate in a vacuum to make life
and death decisions impacting Ore-
gonians,” Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dal-
las, who is a member of the Leg-
islature’s Special Committee on
Coronavirus Response, said this
weekend.
Among other developments on
Monday:
• Oregon Rep. Greg Walden’s
office reported on where the state
is sending personal protective
equipment.
Among the distributions are:
Baker County: 700 surgical
masks, 650 N95 masks, 54 gowns, 96
face shields and 3,400 gloves.
Clatsop: 2,701 surgical masks,
14,141 N95 masks, 2,344 gowns,
170 face shields, 7,278 gloves.
Crook: 250 surgical masks, 4,520
N95 masks, 570 gowns, 96 face
shields, 19,600 gloves.
Deschutes: 9,350 surgical masks,
Survey shows younger Oregonians more worried
about COVID-19 than older Oregonians
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
Younger Oregonians are quite con-
cerned about coronavirus compared
with older Oregonians, according to new
research.
The data released by DHM Research
in Portland undercut the narrative prom-
inent in national media that young peo-
ple are blasé about COVID-19 and feel-
ing invulnerable.
“If you look at these numbers,
younger people are more concerned
about being infected. They are more
concerned about other people being
infected,” said John Horvick, DHM’s
director of client relations and political
research. “They feel less prepared. They
have a lot more concern about being
able to pay their bills.”
Most Oregonians were concerned
that they or someone close to them
would become infected with the corona-
virus. Fifty-three percent of respondents
ages 18-29 worried about personally con-
tracting COVID-19, compared with 61%
in the 30-44 age group; 55%, ages 45-64;
and 40%, ages 65 and older.
DHM conducted the online sur-
vey with 507 Oregonians during March
24-30.
Oregonians’ outlook for the short term
remains dim. Seventy-six percent said
problems associated with coronavirus
would get worse during the next week.
That number dropped to 51% who said
the problems would be worse in a month,
and only 14% who expected things to be
worse in six months.
A “consequential minority” of Ore-
gonians were unsure what is meant by
such terms as social distancing (12%),
quarantine (13%), self-isolation (16%)
and shelter in place (24%), although the
latter phrase has been replaced in Ore-
gon and some
other states
with
“stay
home.” The
numbers var-
ied by geog-
raphy, educa-
tion level and
other factors.
“I’m not
an epidemiol-
ogist, but if you have 10% of the folks
who don’t know what they’ve been asked
to do, that seems like a problem,” Hor-
vick said. “It’s a relatively high number
of people who say they don’t know what
to do considering what we need folks to
be doing.”
Since 2011, DHM has been asking
Oregonians how concerned they were
about their personal financial situations.
Late last year, 50% were somewhat or
very worried. Now it’s 63%, with the
strongest concern among Oregonians
having incomes below $50,000.
“Given the great many people who
have already lost their jobs due to coro-
navirus, the number of Oregonians expe-
riencing financial distress will almost cer-
tainly increase,” DHM said in releasing
the survey data.
DHM also asked about the anxiety
level of Oregonians, which Horvick said
had been covered less in national polls.
The survey indicated 19% of Orego-
nians have moderate-to-severe levels of
anxiety.
That was in line with what the Pew
Research Center has found nationally,
and it ties in with what Oregon officials
have been saying about the importance
of mental health care along with physi-
cal care.
“This is a very — in a lot of ways —
slow-evolving emergency or disaster, but
it’s incredibly impactful across the state.
So we want to make sure that the anxiety
I know Oregonians are feeling is being
addressed,” said Andrew Phelps, direc-
tor of the Oregon Office of Emergency
Management.
Phelps encouraged Oregonians to
check in on the behavioral health of
themselves, family members, friends and
neighbors, and to take a break from social
media.
Nearly one-fourth of Oregonians have
stopped paying attention to the news
because of anxiety about the coronavirus,
but nearly two-thirds are paying more
attention, according to DHM.
Among other findings:
• 40% of Oregonians said they were
not prepared to deal with a coronavirus
infection in their household.
• 41% might need help paying for
basics needs like food, medicine and
utilities.
• 28% might need help picking up pre-
scription drugs.
• 22% said the news coverage of coro-
navirus has been exaggerated; 24% said
has been underestimated.
• 78% of Oregon Republicans
approved of President Trump’s response
to the coronavirus; 12% of Democrats
and 45% of non-affiliated and other party
voters approved.
• 75% of Oregon Democrats approved
of Gov. Kate Brown’s job performance
regarding coronavirus compared with
31% of Republicans and 52% of non-af-
filiated and other voters.
• 40% of respondents said Oregon
was on the right track, a drop of 5 per-
centage points from late last year.
• 46% said local governments should
go ahead with planned May ballot mea-
sures for schools, roads, public safety
or other public services; 36% said the
money measures should be taken off the
ballot, and 17% didn’t know.
Brown taps state insurance commissioner to lead
Department of Consumer and Business Services
By Peter Wong
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon’s insurance com-
missioner for the past two
years is the next director
of the Department of Con-
sumer and Business Ser-
vices, its parent agency.
Gov.
Kate
Brown
announced the appointment
of Andrew Stolfi on Friday,
April 3. His appointment
is subject to Senate confir-
mation. His first day was
Monday.
As administrator of the
Division of Financial Regu-
lation within the agency —
and the state insurance com-
missioner — he led recent
negotiations with insur-
ance companies that resulted
in a waiver of cost-shar-
ing his appointment: “He
understands the importance
of supporting both Ore-
gon’s consumer needs and
our business environment
during these unprecedented
times. His diverse profes-
sional background, coupled
with a focus on consumer
protection, will serve Orego-
nians well.”
Stolfi came to Oregon two
years ago from the Interna-
tional Association of Insur-
ance Supervisors, based in
Switzerland. He spent six
years there, ending up as
chief operating officer and
chief counsel. Before then
he was at the Illinois Depart-
ment of Insurance for about
three years, ending up as act-
ing director, and also was in
the office of legal counsel
ing with patients in Ore-
gon who require testing for
COVID-19.
He will continue as insur-
ance commissioner.
In his broader role as
agency director, Stolfi will
oversee the Building Codes
Division, Division of Finan-
cial Regulation, the Oregon
Health Insurance Market-
place, Oregon Occupational
Safety and Health Division,
the ombudsman for injured
workers, small business
ombudsman, Workers’ Com-
pensation Division, Work-
ers’ Compensation Board
and the Central Services
Division.
“I believe strongly in our
mission of consumer protec-
tion,” Stolfi said.
Brown said in announc-
for the governor.
He currently serves on the
executive committee and as
the vice chair of the Health
Innovation Working Group
and the Consumer Liaison
Committee of the National
Association of Insurance
Commissioners.
He earned a bachelor’s
degree in biology in 1999
from the University of Ver-
mont and his law degree in
2002 from the Chicago-Kent
College of Law at the Illi-
nois Institute of Technology.
He succeeds Lou Savage,
who has been acting direc-
tor since Cameron Smith left
the job in November. Smith
is now deputy secretary of
state. Savage will be the act-
ing administrator of Stolfi’s
former division in DCBS.
24,570 N95 masks, 5,789 gowns,
1,296 face shields, 59,400 gloves.
Jefferson: 750 surgical masks,
6,420 N95 masks, 169 gowns, 144
face shields, 20,100 gloves.
Umatilla: 12,214 surgical masks,
11,959 N95 masks. 1,442 gowns, 807
face shields, 32,577 gloves.
Union: 1,250 surgical masks,
1,880 N95 masks, 136 gowns, 96
face shields, 8,200 gloves.
• Forty-five Oregon police offi-
cers, 10 correction deputies and nine
others in law enforcement are in
some form of quarantine.
• Bus service in the state’s capital
resumed Tuesday on a limited basis
after being shut down last week.
The Salem Area Mass Transit Dis-
trict will operate about one-fourth of
the usual weekday service in Salem,
Keizer and adjacent areas.
Oregonians appear to
be slowing the spread
of the new coronavirus
By Dick Hughes
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregonians appear to be
slowing the spread of the
new coronavirus, state offi-
cials announced April 1.
“The most recent data
suggest that current social
distancing measures could
cut
transmission
rates
between 50%-70% if Ore-
gonians maintain these lim-
itations on virus-spreading
interactions into early May,”
the Oregon Health Authority
said in a news release.
Newly released model-
ing by the Institute for Dis-
ease Modeling in Bellevue,
Wash., indicated “strong evi-
dence that measures currently
in place in Oregon are reduc-
ing transmission.” However,
the researchers wrote, “Due
to the delay between infec-
tion and diagnosis, there is
considerable uncertainty in
the impact of the most recent
intervention, the March 23rd
‘stay-at-home’ order” issued
by Gov. Kate Brown.
The researchers estimated
that Oregon had slightly more
current infections than pre-
viously known. Legislators
and media representatives
have asked OHA to disclose
the number of current cases,
not just the cumulative totals
since January, as well as
how many individuals have
recovered.
The
modeling
goes
through May 2. Under Ore-
gon’s current social distanc-
ing restrictions, the modeling
suggests 200 to 1,200 people
would be actively infected on
May 2. The cumulative total
since Jan. 24 would exceed
4,000 confirmed cases, more
than five times the number
reported so far.
If the state were to allow
non-essential
businesses
to reopen but kept schools
closed, as many as 3,500 Ore-
gonians would be actively
infected on May 2.
“We know coronavirus has
brought painful disruption
and distress for Oregonians.
However, these numbers tell
us that what we’re doing can
work,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger,
state health officer, said in the
news release.
A survey conducted by
DHM Research indicated
that a majority of Oregonians
expect the situation to worsen
during the next month.
In a Tuesday evening con-
ference call with constitu-
ents, Bend Sen. Tim Knopp
said his best guess was that
restaurants and stores might
be able to open in mid-May.
With Oregon now in a very
deep recession, Knopp said,
he remained quite concerned
about the effects on landlords
and small businesses, includ-
ing self-employed individuals
and entrepreneurs.
Brown on Wednesday
announced a 90-day mora-
torium on commercial evic-
tions for non-payment. She
previously banned residential
evictions.
OHA said the state’s
emphasis continues to be on
“strengthening the health care
system’s ability to meet the
coming surge. State health
officials are working with
hospitals and other health
care partners to mobilize the
health care workforce and
keep workers safe, expand
bed capacity and secure more
ventilators.”
The modeling suggests
Oregon hospitals will need
fewer beds than have been
freed up for COVID-19 cases.
As of Tuesday, 464
patients were hospitalized
in Oregon with COVID-19.
Sixty-nine patients were on
ventilators. Statewide, there
remain 303 available adult
ICU hospital beds, 2,130
other adult hospital beds,
108 pediatric ICU beds, 192
other pediatric beds and 816
available ventilators.
Hospitals and clinics have
been ordered to cancel elec-
tive surgeries and other pro-
cedures that require personal
protective equipment. The
resulting lack of revenue has
caused layoffs of health-care
workers to accelerate.
The latest data from the
Oregon Employment Depart-
ment show that 2,134 health-
care or social assistance
workers filed initial unem-
ployment claims for the
week of March 15. The pre-
vious week, 318 claims were
filed.
Meanwhile, all seven
members of Oregon’s con-
gressional delegation sent
a letter to President Don-
ald Trump on April 1 asking
for mobilization of up 1,250
members of the Oregon
National Guard, a request
that would provide federal
funding if granted. The law-
makers wrote that Guard
members already have been
setting up mobile hospitals
and tents.
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