T he C olumbia P ress
July 17, 2020
3
Rise in COVID cases alarms state health officials
The Columbia Press
The governor issued two
new rules after Oregon had
the worst week ever for new
COVID-19 cases.
More cases were reported
last week than in the entire
month of May, state officials
said.
“The last time we had fewer
than 100 cases in a single day
was more than a month ago,”
a state-issued press release
begins. “Half of all cases are
from people under the age of
40 and one-third of all cases
are from people under the age
of 30. People in their 20s and
30s are the group most likely
to get sick with COVID-19 in
Oregon.”
Gov. Kate Brown ordered a
statewide ban on indoor so-
cial gatherings of more than
10 people. It includes din-
ner parties, birthday parties,
potlucks and book clubs. It
does not affect restaurants,
churches, event venues and
other organizations.
Brown also ordered face
coverings to be mandated in
outdoor spaces where 6-foot
distances can’t be main-
tained. This might come up
at a crowded trailhead, on
sidewalks while awaiting en-
try to a business or at an out-
door event.
Businesses that have been
following the guidance about
face coverings, distancing
and sanitation have not been
identified as sources of signif-
icant transmission, according
to the state.
t he nuMBers
Oregon had a total of 13,081
cases as of Wednesday, with
247 deaths.
While the vast majority of
people with novel coronavi-
rus have recovered, there’s
a large gap in when they are
recorded, state Health Officer
Dr. Dean Sidelinger said in
his weekly news briefing.
“The disease has progressed
and we’re unable to do week-
Inmates at Eastern Oregon
Correctional Institution and
Oregon State Penitentiary
also are under quarantine.
M odeling raises ConCerns
Gov. Kate Brown announces new rules regarding gatherings
and face coverings.
ly updates,” he said. “It can be
60 days before they’re count-
ed as recovered.”
Clatsop County report-
ed one new case in the past
week, a man in his 60s who
lives in south county.
As of Wednesday, Clatsop
had recorded 56 cases since
March 23, with 48 of them
recovered and the other eight
recovering at home.
Oregon Health Authority re-
ported that 28,314 tests were
performed July 6-12, with 5.8
percent of them coming back
positive.
the jobs that had been cut in
March and April.
Oregon’s
unemployment
rate dropped to 11.2 percent
in June from 14.3 percent in
May.
o utBreaks
Oregon’s total nonfarm em-
ployment rose by 56,600 jobs
in June, following a gain of
26,100 jobs in May. Over the
past two months, employers
added back nearly a third of
Two outbreaks at work sites
were reported in the past
week.
Shearer’s Foods, a snack
manufacturer with 12 loca-
tions nationwide, reported 20
cases at its Hermiston facili-
ty. The case count can include
household members and oth-
er people linked to the facility.
Snake River Correctional
Institution in Ontario report-
ed that 120 people in custody
and two dozen staff mem-
bers have tested positive. The
prison houses 2,700 inmates,
who now are in quarantine.
Artist Kate Speranza of As-
toria won a $1,500 award
from the Oregon Arts Com-
mission for an artist-in-resi-
dence program in Finland.
The awards were given to
40 Oregon artists for a vari-
ety of projects. Grants ranged
from $1,000 to $8,000 for a
total of $112,342.
The Career Opportunity
Grants support individual
artists by enabling them to
take advantage of opportuni-
ties that enhance their artistic
careers. Most grants support
the artists’ participation in
residencies, exhibitions or
performance opportunities.
“We also are so proud to
support artists in represent-
ing Oregon outside of the
region and internationally,”
said Anne Taylor, chair of the
arts commission.
The Ford Family Founda-
tion is a sponsor with the
commission.
u neMployMent
Astoria artist wins study grant
A surge in new cases since
the state began easing re-
strictions is causing alarm
for those who use mathemat-
ics to model what the future
holds.
“The bottom line is that the
disease is spreading more
rapidly than expected,” said
Sidelinger, the state health
officer. “Since reopening,
Oregonians have not consis-
tently modeled the behavior
needed to contain the spread
of COVID-19.”
He presented three poten-
tial scenarios:
• If transmission continues
on the current trajectory over
the next month, the estimat-
ed number of new daily in-
fections could triple over the
next four weeks.
• If transmission decreases
by 10 percent starting July 3
and continuing over the next
month, there would be 1,600
new daily infections. Hos-
pitalization would be cut in
half.
• If transmission increases
by 10 percent, the model proj-
ects 7,300 daily infections.
“In any scenario, Orego-
nians must do more to flat-
ten the curve of COVID-19
by taking the recommenda-
tions of health authorities,”
Sidelinger said.
Razor clamming closed in north county
Razor clamming is closed
in Clatsop County.
The closure is from July 15
to Sept. 30 to protect newly
set young clams and applies
to Clatsop County beaches
and only those between the
Columbia River and Tilla-
mook Head south of Seaside.
The earliest recreational ra-
zor clamming could open is
Oct. 1, and that’s only if the
growth rate of new clams is
healthy.
Recreational mussel, bay
clam and crab harvesting re-
mains open along the entire
Oregon coast.