A8
STATE
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Vaccine clinic targets Hispanics
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Walking
to the door of a recent pop-up
COVID-19 vaccination clinic
in Hermiston, Maria Ugarte
admitted to feeling emotional
about getting a shot.
“I’m scared,” the Umatilla
resident said. “But I’m going
to get done with it. I’m going
to get the shot.”
Ugarte’s story
Initially afraid of how the
vaccine would aff ect her dis-
abled daughter, she and other
family members did not get
vaccinated. She said she
thought her family would not
need to be vaccinated, as long
as they followed other guide-
lines. So, they were careful to
wear masks, wash their hands
and social distance wherever
possible, Ugarte said.
And still, the infection
reached their home, she said.
She said she got sick and
was bedridden for 21 days.
Also, her daughter came down
with COVID-19, Ugarte said,
and she had a bad experience
at Good Shepherd Medical
Center, Hermiston. The hos-
pital was stretched thin at the
time of her daughter’s arrival,
she said. Ugarte described the
hospital as lacking beds and
equipment, as other patients
were also being treated.
“I thought I had lost her,”
she said. “Thank God she’s
OK.”
After they recovered, fam-
ily members started getting
vaccinations, she said. Ugarte,
herself, got her fi rst Pfi zer
shot in October. She said she
wanted to wait until she was
feeling well before getting
the necessary second shot.
It is only now, she said, that
her “foggy brain,” fatigue and
cough, symptoms of COVID-
19, have passed.
“I just want to tell every-
body that this thing if freak-
ing real,” she said of COVID-
19, “and they should be afraid
because they can die of it.”
Setting up for the shot
New Horizons drug and
alcohol rehabilitation center in
Hermiston provided its space
for the clinic. Center Direc-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Maria Ugarte looks away Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, as she receives
her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from licensed practical
nurse Sergio Gonzalez during a vaccine clinic in Hermiston.
tor Jose Garcia greeted Ugarte
and welcomed her to fi ll out
paperwork and then get her
shot.
This was Garcia’s fi fth vac-
cination event at New Hori-
zons, he said. He provided
space for health care provid-
ers to vaccinate individuals.
Meanwhile, he off ered vis-
itors air purifi ers, hand san-
itizer, masks and more. He
passed out information about
COVID-19 prevention in
English and Spanish. He
set out boxes of food, made
available by Agape House in
Hermiston.
Looking at the numbers
According to Joseph Fiu-
mara, public health director
for Umatilla County Public
Health, around 34% of His-
panic people in the county are
vaccinated against the coro-
navirus. In contrast, 43% of
the county’s white population
is vaccinated, he said. These
numbers may not be precise,
he said, because they are from
a survey in which Hispanic
people were overrepresented.
Another survey, conducted
over the phone, showed a
higher percentage of Hispanic
people than white people are
vaccinated, he said, but he
was not confi dent these num-
bers accurately represents the
entire county.
The best numbers, he
said, show Hispanic peo-
ple are less vaccinated than
other groups. Still, he said,
the county is closing the gap
on this diff erence and more
Hispanic people are getting
vaccinated.
The director gave reasons
for the disparity. For one, he
said, the diff erence between
ethnicities in vaccination rate
“started that way.” The virus
hit the Hispanic community
very hard, he said, infecting
workers in agriculture and
food processing, jobs people
cannot do at home.
Vaccines during the onset
of their rollout went to hos-
pital workers, fi rst respond-
ers and teachers, he said, jobs
that tend to have more white
people.
There are other barriers to
vaccination among Hispanic
people, he explained, such as
wariness of a new vaccine,
distrust of government and a
language barrier.
As his department and oth-
ers have tried to address issues
of vaccination among His-
panic people, the diff erence
between ethnic groups is clos-
ing, he said. Twenty-four per-
cent of all vaccinations are
being given to Hispanic peo-
ple, who represent 28% of the
population, he said.
The director credited the
work by community organi-
zations, which have educated
individuals and made vaccina-
tions more available than they
had in the past. Vaccination
events, often staff ed by Span-
ish-speaking people, are tak-
ing place. Also, several local
businesses have hosted clinics
for workers to get vaccinated
while remaining on the clock,
Fiumara said.
Storm raises hopes for ski season start
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
BAKER CITY — Win-
ter remains more of a
rumor than reality in Baker
City, but a weekend storm
fulfilled its forecast in the
mountains.
And although city
dwellers will have to wait
to construct the season’s
first snowman, skiers and
snowboarders are getting
close to making their first
runs at Anthony Lakes
Mountain Resort.
The potent storm was a
perfect illustration of the
rain shadow phenomenon,
although in this case the
precipitation was generally
frozen rather than liquid.
With winds in the upper
atmosphere coming from
the southwest, the moun-
tains, notably the Elk-
horns, intercepted most of
the moisture, according
to the National Weather
Service.
Snow showers fell peri-
odically in Baker City
on Saturday, Dec. 11, but
almost none accumulated.
Yet just 10 miles or so
to the southwest, on the
other windward side of a
shoulder of the Elkhorns,
the storm dropped a few
inches of snow.
And higher in the moun-
tains, much more snow
piled up.
Anthony Lakes Moun-
tain Resort reported 13
inches of new snow during
the weekend, with a snow
base of 18 inches on Mon-
day morning, Dec. 13.
If the weather forecast
for the rest of this week
proves close to accurate,
with snow likely most
days, there’s a “very, very
good chance” that the ski
area will open for the sea-
son on Saturday, Dec.
18, said Chelsea Judy,
Anthony Lakes marketing
director.
“We’re very optimis-
tic,” Judy said on Monday
morning, Dec. 13.
An
automated
snow-measuring
station
near Bourne, about six
miles north of Sumpter,
reported 15 inches of new
snow, with 16 inches on the
ground Monday morning.
Another station, at
Eilertson Meadow along
Rock Creek on the east
side of the Elkhorns, about
14 inches of snow fell
during the weekend. There
was only one inch of snow
there before the storm.
At Schneider Meadows,
in the southern Wallowas
north of Halfway, about 22
inches of snow fell during
the weekend, bringing the
total to 31 inches.
The chance for stick-
ing snow in Baker City
and other valleys of Baker
County will increase this
week after a cold front
swept through Monday
night, ushering in colder
air and changing the upper
air pattern to northwest,
which reduces the rain
shadow effect.
The National Weather
Service predicts snow to
continue in the mountains,
with a foot or more during
the week in the Anthony
Lakes area.
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From now until Christmas draw for
a percentage off at the cash register
5% to 20% off regular priced items.
Some items may be excluded
Ink- Cell phones- Prepaid cards and Sale items.
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Alaska Airlines/Submitted photo
Alaska Airlines was fl ying direct from Redmond Airport to Portland, but stopped in November.
Alaska drops direct fl ight to PDX
By SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
REDMOND — For more
than a month, Central Ore-
gon travelers have not been
able to book a direct fl ight to
Portland.
Alaska Airlines, the car-
rier for that route, suspended
the fl ights indefi nitely starting
Nov. 3, leaving the Redmond
Airport without any direct
connection to Portland.
“The loads have been
far below regional average
throughout the pandemic,”
said Cailee Olson, Alaska Air-
lines media relations man-
ager. “We kept it around, but
as demand has picked up else-
where, (it has not) on this
route.”
Zachary Bass, Redmond
Airport director, said the air-
line has added direct routes
to San Diego, California, Los
Angeles and San Francisco.
“They’re the only direct to
Portland carrier,” Bass said.
“They’d like to come back, but
they’re just not sure when.”
The airline also has many
fl ights from Redmond to Seat-
tle, where it’s based.
Eric Sande, Redmond
Chamber of Commerce exec-
utive director, said that the
staffi ng challenges aff ect-
ing most businesses are also
aff ecting the airlines.
“The suspended fl ights
are expected to resume in the
new year, and in the mean-
time, travelers are having to
look at alternative forms of
transportation to Portland,
or connect through Seattle,”
Sande said.
In October, the most cur-
rent month data are available,
there were 81,224 passen-
gers arriving and departing
at Redmond, compared to the
same period in 2020, when
there was 43,584, accord-
ing to data provided by Red-
mond Airport.
In 2019, before any
COVID-19 related travel
restrictions were put in
place, there were 89,916 pas-
sengers arriving and depart-
ing in October, according to
the airport data.
By comparison, Portland
Airport had 203,384 passen-
gers in October.
Redmond Airport has
been in discussion with other
airlines about providing that
service, Bass said. During
the past year, the airport has
picked up routes to Burbank,
California and the Reno-
Tahoe area.
“We’re seeing a decrease
in fl ights over the win-
ter,” Bass said. “It’s a roller
coaster time frame with avi-
ation right now. The pilot
shortage is a big prob-
lem right now. Airlines are
making decisions based
upon staffi ng and not route
popularity.”
Redmond Airport recently
drew the attention of Aha!,
the leisure brand of Express-
Jet Airlines, and Avelo Air-
lines that off er direct fl ights,
eliminating the need for con-
nections and crowded airport
hubs or long drives to larger
airports. The new airlines
joined Allegiant’s return to
Redmond in 2019, when it
announced it would fl y from
Redmond Airport to Las
Vegas and Mesa, Arizona.
The airport is served
by seven airlines provid-
ing about 25 fl ights a day
out of Redmond, Bass said.
The number of fl ights tends
to fl uctuate depending on
time of year. Carriers include
Aha!, Alaska Airlines, Alle-
giant Air, American Airlines,
Avelo Airlines, Delta Air
Lines and United Airlines.
Wishing you an
Old-fashioned
Country Christmas.
Wishes you a
We appreciate your business & support.
Joyous Holiday Season
and a
Lori Hickerson, Principal Broker, GRI
Office: 541-575-2617
ljh@ortelco.net
Merry Christmas!
Together, let’s make
2022 a year of
Health, Happiness and
Thriving Community
Growth.
Sally Knowles, Broker, GRI
Office: 541-932-4493
sknowles@ortelco.net
Babette Larson, Broker, GRI
Office: 541-987-2363
ddwr@ortelco.net
www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com
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