NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
A5
Oregon seeing ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ of COVID-19 surge
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon hospi-
talizations for COVID-19 will
peak at a much lower level
than expected as state officials
see the steep spike driven by
the omicron variant showing
strong signs of waning.
Oregon is seeing “the light
at the end of the tunnel” with
infection rates dropping in
Portland and other areas of the
state.
“The potential beginning
of a decrease is real,” Dr. Dean
Sidelinger, the state’s health
officer and top infectious dis-
ease expert, told reporters Fri-
day, Jan. 28.
The health authority
reported 7,222 new COVID-
19 cases, down 649 cases
from Thursday’s report. The
state reported 19 new deaths
on Friday.
Hospitals reported 1,125
patients with COVID-19, five
less than Thursday. There are
176 COVID-19 patients in
intensive care unit beds, up
seven from the day before.
Oregon Health & Sci-
ence University issued a new
forecast Friday showing that
hospitalizations would peak
lower but later than projec-
tions last week.
Hospital patients with
COVID-19 will likely top out
at 1,200 on Feb. 6, according
to the forecast presented by
Dr. Peter Graven, OHSU’s top
statistical analyst.
That’s far below the 3,000
cases OHSU forecast at one
point early in the year, and
below the 1,533 projected
last week. The lower plateau
has pushed the peak five days
beyond the Feb. 1 mark fore-
cast last week.
The current numbers have
hospitals “near the breaking
point,” Sidelinger said.
Hospital beds will be in
short supply for weeks as each
point on the back side of the
spike is equally dangerous as
the same levels going up.
“Hospitals have very lit-
tle space right now to handle
new cases of COVID-19 on
top of what they’re already
dealing with,” Graven said in
the OHSU forecast. “Our hos-
pitals and health care workers
remain under severe strain.”
Sidelinger said the Port-
land metro area was ahead of
much of the rest of the state in
a drop in infections because it
was hit earlier in the omicron
wave and also has a very high
level of vaccination.
But the drop would even-
tually extend to the whole
state over the next few weeks.
He said it would likely hold
despite Oregon neighbor-
ing Idaho, which is currently
going through a belated spike
in cases. But Oregon officials
will monitor the situation in its
neighboring state.
“The virus doesn’t care
about borders,” Sidelinger
said.
The early signs of a drop
in COVID-19 infections did
not mean Oregon would soon
change plans on vaccination
and mask mandates.
Sidelinger said the state
would file notices with the
secretary of state on Friday
and Monday to make cer-
tain rules and restrictions on
mask-wearing and vaccination
requirements for health and
educational staff stay in place.
The rules were originally
introduced on an emergency
temporary basis, which can
remain in force for a maxi-
mum of 180 days. Many of the
rules hit the mark on Friday.
Sidelinger said the perma-
nent rules would allow the
measures to continue beyond
the deadline. The move was
mainly about relieving the
state of the need to constantly
renew the safeguards.
Sidelinger said Gov. Kate
Brown and the Oregon Health
Authority had no intention of
making the rules stretch indef-
initely into the future.
“These measures will not
be in place forever,” he said.
“But they are needed now.”
Sidelinger echoed the opin-
ion of federal health experts
who earlier this week said the
nation should shift its goal
from eradicating COVID-19
to bringing it to an endemic
stage where it would recur like
the seasonal flu, but not cause
major illness and death.
“We’re closer to being able
to be in a place where we’re liv-
ing with this virus rather than
combating it and fighting it at
every turn,” Sidelinger said.
A unique aspect of the
omicron variant is that it has
infected children more fre-
quently than earlier waves of
the pandemic.
Pediatric cases in Ore-
gon rose from under 1,000
near the end of the year to
13,000 on Jan. 9.
There is currently no
COVID-19 vaccine for chil-
dren aged 5 and younger.
Though hospitals are “at
a breaking point,” Sidelinger
said no medical centers have
had to resort to the emergency
standards of care the state
announced earlier this month.
The standards are a guide
for doctors on how to triage
patients when resources are
stretched beyond capacity.
Sidelinger said health offi-
cials are waiting for more sig-
nals in coming weeks that
the drop in cases and hospi-
talizations continues. That
could lead to the first extended
respite from the pandemic
since last June before the delta
wave arrived in Oregon.
“I hope we can enjoy a
spring and a summer where it
is much more normal, where
it’s much more like 2019
and not like 2020 or 2021,”
Sidelinger said.
Jan. 27: Responded to Riverside
Mobile Home Park, John Day, for a
welfare check.
Jan. 27: Received a fraud com-
plaint from Iron Triangle LLC, John
Day.
Jan. 28: Took a theft report from
Northwest Bridge Street, John Day.
Jan. 28: Received a theft report
from Summit Prairie Road, Prairie
City.
Jan. 28: Received a report of a
motorist stranded near Strawberry
Campground south of Prairie City.
Jan. 28: Responded to Old West
Credit Union, John Day, for a theft
report.
Jan. 28: Advised of a theft at Blue
Mountain Hospital, John Day.
Jan. 28: Responded to Riverside
Mobile Home Park, John Day, for a
trespassing complaint.
Jan. 28: Advised of an abandoned
vehicle near Magone Lake.
• John Day Ambulance
Jan. 22: Dispatched to Valley
View Assisted Living for a lift assist.
Jan. 22: Dispatched to Valley
View memory Care for a 95-year-old
female with a head injury from a fall.
Jan. 22: Dispatched to Valley
View Assisted Living for a lift assist.
Jan. 23: Dispatched to Valley
View Assisted Living for a female
with a fall injury.
Jan. 24: Dispatched to Fair-
ground RV Park for a male with a
possible infection.
Jan. 26: Dispatched to South
Canyon Boulevard for a medical
alert. Unfounded.
Jan. 26: Dispatched to Fair-
grounds RV Park for a male who
could not walk.
• Dayville Ambulance
Jan. 26: Responded with John
Day Ambulance to West Franklin
Street for a 53-year-old female with
difficulty breathing.
Jan. 27: Dispatched to East Main
Street for a female having a seizure.
• Long Creek Ambulance
Jan. 25: Responded to South
Hewitt Street for an 80-year-old
man with chest pains. Long Creek
Fire and John Day Ambulance also
responded.
• John Day Fire
Jan. 25: Responded to Northwest
Bridge Street for a fire alarm. False
alarm.
Jan. 27: Responded to Northwest
Fifth Avenue for a possible flue fire.
Unfounded.
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in the Blue
Mountain Eagle are taken from the
logs of law enforcement agencies.
Every effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit
Court
Jan. 20: Ollie Leroi Starnes, 51,
was sentenced to 10 months in jail
and two years of post-prison super-
vision after being convicted of fail-
ure to report as a sex offender. A sec-
ond count of felon in possession of
a restricted weapon was dismissed.
He will receive credit for time served
and is eligible for an inpatient treat-
ment program. Upon release from
jail, Starnes will be allowed to move
to Multnomah County to live with his
daughter. In a separate case, Starnes
was convicted of another count of
failure to report as a sex offender
and received an identical sentence.
The two sentences are to be served
concurrently.
Jan. 20: Gary A. Woods, 40, was
fined $440 following a conviction for
reckless driving.
Jan. 20: Rodger Wayne Wright,
48, pleaded guilty to driving under
the influence of intoxicants in an Oct.
10 incident. A charge of speeding was
dismissed. He was ordered to serve
30 days in jail and complete 80 hours
of community service or work crew
time. Wright’s driver’s license was
suspended for one year, and he was
assessed $2,225 in fines and fees. He
was also placed on supervised pro-
bation for two years. In addition, he
was ordered to complete the victim
impact panel program, stay out of
bars and liquor stores, obtain a sub-
stance abuse assessment and com-
plete any recommended treatment.
Jan. 20: Elmer Ray Ahrend-
sen, 48, pleaded guilty to a charge
of third-degree escape stemming fro
an incident on Nov. 20. He was sen-
tenced to 20 days in jail with credit
for time served.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office reported the following for the
week ending Jan. 26:
Concealed handgun licenses: 2
Average inmates: 15
Bookings: 9
Releases: 5
Arrests: 4
Citations: 2
Fingerprints: 2
Civil papers: 15
Warrants processed: 0
Asst./welfare check: 1
Search and rescue: 0
Justice Court
The Grant County Justice Court
reported the following activity for the
week ending Jan. 26:
Driver’s license suspensions: 4
Hunting license suspensions: 3
Persons on probation: 45
Traffic citations filed: 22
Violations filed: 2
Small claims/civil filed: 3
Community service hours com-
pleted: 10
Hearings held: 20
Violation of the basic rule: Efrain
G. Camacho, 33, Portland, Nov. 28,
76/55 zone, fined $265.
Exceeding the speed limit: Brady
Keith Burch, 24, John Day, Oct. 31,
81/65 zone, fined $265; Mark A.
Woodby, 55, Oak Ridge, Tennes-
see, Dec. 24, 54/35 zone, fined $165;
Ronald James Salazar, 34, Prai-
rie City, Dec. 26, 83/65 zone, fined
$265; Keith L. Christen, 28, Burns,
Dec. 20, 78/65 zone, fined $265;
Tamara Ivaschenko, 27, Modesto,
California, Dec. 26, 51/35 zone,
fined $265; Ronald John Kriss, 64,
Oakland, California, Dec. 4, 50/35,
fined $165.
Driving while suspended: Brady
Keith Burch, 24, John Day, Oct. 31,
fined $440.
Open container: Blake Ibarra, 29,
Prairie City, Jan. 6, fined $265.
Failure to obey a traffic control
device: Jason Lee Dyer, 48, Red-
mond, Dec. 26, fined $225.
Failure to drive within lane:
Joseph Alan Bailey, 24, Buhl, Idaho,
Jan. 5, fined $265.
Operating an off-road vehicle
on a highway: Kaden M. Boyle, 20,
Pendleton, Dec. 27, fined $200.
Dispatch
Grant County dispatch worked
152 calls during the week ending Jan.
28, including:
• Oregon State Police
Jan. 22: Advised of accident with
injuries on Highway 26 near mile-
post 161.
Jan. 22: Advised of a male sub-
ject staggering on the side of High-
way 26 near milepost 137.
Jan. 23: Advised of a non-injury
accident on Highway 395 North near
milepost 107B.
Jan. 23: Advised of a roadstruck
deer on Highway 26 near milepost
158.
Jan. 26: Advised of a driving
complaint on Highway 26 near mile-
post 159.
Jan. 26: Advised of a driving
complaint on Highway 26 near mile-
post 170.
Jan. 26: Advised of a single-vehi-
cle accident on Highway 395 North
near milepost 105B.
• Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Jan. 21: Responded to South
Bridge Street in Prairie City for
report of a restraining order violation.
Shawn Kite, 53, of Prairie City was
arrested for violating a restraining
order and for an outstanding Grant
County warrant.
Jan. 21: Responded to Humbolt
Elementary School, Canyon City, for
a harassment complaint.
Jan. 22: Traffic stop on West
Main Street, John Day. Driver
warned for speeding.
Jan. 22: Responded to an alarm
at the John Day Fossil Beds Visi-
tor Center, Highway 19. Accidental
alarm.
Jan. 22: Responded to Southwest
Kilborne Street, John Day, for a civil
problem.
Jan. 22: Responded to South-
west Kilborne Street, John Day, for
an eviction issue.
Jan. 22: Responded to Main
Street and Canyon Boulevard, John
Day, for a non-injury accident.
Jan. 22: Advised of a suicidal
subject on Southwest Kilborne
Street, John Day.
Jan. 22: Received information
regarding possible elder abuse at
John Day Trailer Park.
Jan. 23: Responded to Highway
26 near milepost 149 for warrant ser-
vice. Colton David, 26, of Monument
was arrested on a Jefferson County
warrant.
Jan. 23: Traffic stop on Front
Street, Prairie City. Leo Buzzard III,
57, of Mt. Vernon cited for speeding
and failure to renew registration.
Jan. 23: Responded to Meadow-
brook Apartments, John Day, for sus-
picious circumstances.
Jan. 23: Responded to the old city
shops, John Day. Christopher Carris
Boyer, 32, was arrested for probation
violation.
Jan. 24: Responded to Highway
26 near Bear Creek Road for a report
of harassment.
Jan. 24: Responded to Bridge
Street, Canyon City, for a report of
fraud.
Jan. 24: Responded with OSP to
Highway 395 in Long Creek for a
driving complaint.
Jan. 24: Responded to West
Ninth Street, John Day, for a report
of a stolen vehicle and gun.
Jan. 24: Traffic stop at Highway
26 and Screech Alley, John Day.
Driver warned for speeding.
Jan. 24: Responded to Aslin Ave-
nue, Mt. Vernon, for report of an ani-
mal killed by dogs.
Jan. 24: Responded to a sin-
gle-vehicle accident on Highway 26
near Lower Yard Road, John day. No
injuries reported.
Jan. 24: Advised of a dispute on
Cottonwood Street, Mt. Vernon.
Jan. 24: Responded to Laycock
Creek Road, Mt. Vernon, for a fraud
report.
Jan. 25: Responded to Southwest
Brent Drive, John Day, for a harass-
ment complaint.
Jan. 25: Responded to South-
east Council Drive, Mt. Vernon, for
a dispute.
Jan. 26: Responded to West Main
Street, John Day, for a stolen vehicle.
Jan. 26: Responded to West
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Main Street, John Day, for a theft
complaint.
Jan. 26: Responded to East Main
Street, John Day, for a welfare check.
Jan. 26: Responded to Maple
Street, Granite, for a dispute. Gordon
L. Ray, 62, of Granite was arrested
on warrants out of Grant and Mal-
heur counties.
Jan. 26: Responded to Loop
Ranch Road near Mt. Vernon for an
animal complaint.
Jan. 26: Responded to East Main
Street, John Day, for a report of an
assault and a suicidal subject.
Jan. 26: Responded to Izee-Pau-
lina Highway near milepost 4 for a
suspicious vehicle.
Jan. 26: Dispatched to Meadow-
brook Apartments, John Day, for a
theft report.
Jan. 26: Dispatched to Southeast
Elm Street, John Day, for a car prowl.
Jan. 27: Advised of a suspicious
vehicle on Southwest Canton Street,
John Day.
Jan. 27: Responded to South
Adams Road, Canyon City, for a
theft report.
Jan. 27: Dispatched to Blue
Mountain Hospital, John Day, for a
panic alarm.
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