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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2020)
The Columbia Press November 20, 2020 3 New COVID rules as cases skyrocket; county sees first death The Columbia Press Clatsop County recorded its first COVID-19 death this week. The county resident was hos- pitalized at a facility outside of the county at the time of death, Public Health officials reported. Since the pandemic began, Clatsop County has had 314 positive cases. Four have been hospitalized. Of the county’s total cases, 61 have been reported since the beginning of November, mir- roring the rise in coronavirus cases seen in Oregon and na- tionally. Many of the local cas- es have been linked to small social gatherings. In response to the rapid rise in cases, Gov. Kate Brown is- sued a statewide “freeze” or- der, restricting business and social activities for two weeks. It went into effect Wednesday in all Oregon counties. The new measures close gyms, restaurants and bars through Dec. 2 (take-out food is allowed) and limit indoor gatherings to six. “The virus is spreading in the community and, every day, it is infecting more and more Or- egonians,” Brown said. “The situation is dangerous and our hospitals have been sounding the alarms.” More than 1,000 new cases per day statewide has become the norm, she said. The 1,122 cases reported Nov. 12 was the highest number of Oregon cases reported in a single day since the pandemic started. There had been 59,669 cas- es statewide as of Wednesday and 788 deaths. The virus is raging across Or- egon, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state’s health officer. “The virus is spreading fast, and it threatens to overwhelm hospitals across the state with severely ill patients, if we don’t act now,” he said. “The two- week freeze Gov. Brown just announced will put an urgent- ly needed brake on COVID-19’s accelerating momentum and help us bring the vi- rus back under control. These actions can work if we follow them.” Columbia Memori- al Hospital announced Nov. 13 that it is “pull- ing back on certain elec- tive surgeries” to ensure beds are available. “Maintaining open in-patient beds for emergencies as well as COVID-19 patients re- quires our physicians to consider delaying elec- tive procedures until in-patient beds are more widely available,” said Erik Thorsen, the hos- pital’s chief executive officer. “We continue to be fortunate that local area hospitals have not experienced a surge of COVID-19 patients, but would be remiss if we did not adequately plan Brown Sidelinger Thorsen for an increase in cas- es.” The Oregon Associ- ation of Hospitals and Health Systems ap- plauded the two-week freeze. “With COVID-19 cases soaring across the state, it is imper- ative that we act now to preserve hospital capacity,” said Becky Hultberg, the organiza- tion’s president. “If we are not able to slow the spread of COVID-19 now, hospital capac- ity for all Oregonians could be threatened, … jeopardizing the avail- ability of care for us all.” Dr. Esther Choo, an emergency room physi- cian at Oregon Health and Science Universi- ty, said “failing to stay home continues to cost City of Warrenton Committee Vacancies The City of Warrenton seeks people interested in apply- ing for vacancies on the City’s various committees. We have vacancies on the following boards: • • • • • • • Warrenton Budget Committee - 2 positions (3 year term) Warrenton Planning Commission - 2 positions (4 year term) Warrenton Community Center Board - 4 positions (4 year term) Warrenton Parks Advisory Board - 2 positions (3 year term) Warrenton Parks Advisory Board - 1 vacancy (1 year term) Warrenton Community Library Board - 4 positions (4 year term) Warrenton Urban Renewal Advisory Committee - 3 positions (2 year term) Applications are due by Nov. 30, 2020. This is an excellent opportunity to participate in the im- portant decisions affecting your community. For more information and appointment qualifications go to the City’s website at www.ci.warrenton.or.us, (click on the “Community” tab at top of the page and then “Citi- zen Involvement” from the drop-down menu). If you need additional information, please contact Dawne Shaw, City Recorder at 503- 861-0823 or via email at - cityrecorder@ ci.warrenton.or.us. the lives of Oregonians – our neighbors, our friends, our families.” Modeling The state’s latest modeling indicates a steep increase in COVID-19 spread that dates to early November. According to the model, the effective reproduction rate – the expected number of sec- ondary cases that a single case generates – was estimated to be between 1.25 and 1.69, with an estimate of 1.47. The current level of trans- mission could result in “expo- nential” growth, resulting in approximately 1,500 new daily cases over the next two weeks. However, the model is based on Oregon data only through Nov. 6 and, even if Oregonians collectively wear masks, keep physical distance, restrict so- cial gatherings and maintain good hand hygiene to slow the spread of the virus, new cases would remain historically high for a short time before decreas- ing, Oregon Health Authority reported. Those in their 20s, 30s and 40s account for the largest percentage of infection at 55 percent, despite making up only 39 percent of the total population. Those age 70 and older account for 74 percent of COVID deaths. Vaccine news Two drug makers this week announced they have com- pleted trials on vaccines that show a 94 or 95 percent effec- tiveness rate with no serious side effects. It’s great news as coronavirus cases skyrocket around the globe. The vaccine could be avail- able as early as December. Those longing to spend time with family and friends over the holidays should consider that refraining for just a little while longer could help en- sure they’ll still be around next year.