The Columbia Press
August 13, 2021
5
Increase in state’s COVID cases is ‘shocking’ governor says
The Columbia Press
Clatsop County recorded its
11th death due to COVID-19,
health officials announced
this week
The death of a 69-year-old
Clatsop County man occurred
July 27 in Massachusetts, but
the case has been attributed
by Oregon Health Authority
to Clatsop County.
The county has reported
1,359 cases since the pan-
demic began, with 103 cas-
es reported just in the past
week.
More than 22,400 county
residents have been vaccinat-
ed, or about 55 percent of the
population.
In a press conference
Wednesday, Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown called the growth
of COVID-19 cases statewide
during the past week “shock-
ing.”
Eight deaths from corona-
virus were reported Wednes-
day, raising the state’s death
toll to 2,920.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), the
population of hospitalized
COVID-19 patients set a new
pandemic record … a stag-
gering 373 percent increase,”
said Patrick Allen, director of
Oregon Health Authority.
On Wednesday, the record
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
A turkey vulture surveys the wa-
ters at Hammond Marina Aug. 4.
The ominous turkey vulture
Turkey vultures have been
spotted in Warrenton recent-
ly.
The huge buzzard-like birds
are 25 to 32 inches long and
have a wingspan up to 70
inches – about the height of
a human.
While it’s not uncommon to
spot them anywhere in Ore-
gon, they have been few and far
between on the North Coast.
But this summer, they’ve been
spotted at Hammond Marina,
the soccer fields and Warren-
ton High School.
Despite the name, they’re
not similar to turkeys –
they’re more closely related
to storks and cormorants.
But their bald red heads do
resemble wild turkeys.
Their greatest skill: detect-
ing rotting flesh from eight
miles away.
was broken. Oregon reported
2,329 new cases, the highest
daily case total since the pan-
demic started.
“If you haven’t made the
choice to get vaccinated
yet, Delta (variant) is the
game-changer that gives you
a reason to reconsider,” Allen
said. “Think your immune
system is healthy and strong
enough to fight off the Delta
variant? Your immune sys-
tem, no matter how tough,
can’t fight a pathogen it
can’t recognize. The vaccines
equip your immune system
with the tools it needs to de-
feat Delta.”
Brown also imposed a state-
wide mask mandate in all in-
door public spaces that be-
gins Friday, Aug. 13.
And all state workers will be
required to be fully vaccinat-
ed by Oct. 18.
College news
At George Fox Universi-
ty in Newport, the following
students were named to the
dean’s list:
Astoria: Mitchell Geisler,
a senior engineering ma-
jor; Sarah Lertora, a senior
communications major; and
Henry Samuelson, a senior
Spanish and history major;
Warrenton: Matthew Bur-
gher, a senior organizational
communications major; and
Marin Donohue, a sopho-
more music and theater ma-
jor.
Gearhart: Jackson Januik,
a senior management major.
Seaside: Niquilla Blodgett,
a senior elementary educa-
tion major.
Students eligible for the
dean’s list must have a grade-
point average of 3.4 or high-
er.