NEWS
Wednesday, december 25, 2019
HermIsTOnHeraLd.cOm • A7
Flu season revs up early in Hermiston, elsewhere
By KATHY ANEY
sTaFF WrITer
Flu season got rolling in
a big way this last couple of
weeks.
The Centers for Disease
Control estimates 2.6 million
cases of flu, 23,000 hospital-
izations and 1,300 flu-related
deaths already this year.
One indicator of whether
flu is here is the percent-
age of flu samples testing
positive.
“It hit 10% two weeks
ago,” said Dr. Ann Thomas,
public health physician for
the Oregon Health Authority.
“That’s when things take off.
It’s still trending upward.”
Flu has sickened more
than 1,300 Oregonians. Last
year, by this time, fewer than
400 cases had been con-
firmed. Nationally, 1,300
people have died, according
to the Centers for Disease
Control.
Umatilla County hospi-
HH file photo
Greg Bonner, left, receives a flu shot from Blue Mountain
Community College nursing student Dariann Scott during a
drive-through flu shot clinic on Oct. 14 in Pendleton.
tals and schools are experi-
encing more flu-like illness.
St. Anthony Hospital
spokeswoman Emily Smith
said the hospital emergency
department has seen 50 pos-
itive cases so far this season,
with activity reaching a new
high this week. Over 80% of
patients with confirmed flu
had not been vaccinated and
Panda Express opens
to lunchtime crowds
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Hermiston residents wasted no time lining up for lunch after
Panda Express opened its doors on Friday at 1530 N. First St.
At noon the restaurant was full and a line of cars extended
from the drive-thru window through the parking lot, while
traffic backed up on Highway 395 while turning into the
parking lot. The “fast casual Chinese” restaurant purchased
the former Stockman’s Steakhouse building this summer and
tore it down to build the new building.
all of the cases tested as type
B influenza. The hospital is
restricting visits by children
to the birthing center.
School attendance has
fallen because of illness in
Pendleton schools.
“We’re down a little bit
from normal,” said Pendle-
ton School District Super-
intendent Chris Fritsch.
“We’re hovering around
80% attendance.”
Sherwood
Elementary
School Principal Rhonda
Smith said illness has defi-
nitely touched her school.
On a recent day, attendance
was 78%.
“We have quite a few kids
who have been sent home
or stayed home with an ill-
ness and some teachers have
been absent too,” Smith said.
“Our custodians have gone
through the building and
done extra disinfecting.”
Teachers are encouraging
students to wash their hands.
Hermiston School Dis-
trict Communications Offi-
cer Maria Duron said flu
is top-of-mind at schools
in her district. Attendance
is slightly lower than last
November and December,
going from about 93% in
2018 to 91.5% this year.
Duron said the district
sent a newsletter to families
describing prevention mea-
sures and giving guidelines
for keeping sick students at
home. She said teachers are
reminding students to wash
hands and use hand sanitizer
throughout the day.
“Students are being sent
home at the first sign of ill-
ness regardless of tempera-
ture,” Duron said.
And county-wide, “we’re
definitely seeing some
spikes,” said Joe Fiumara,
director of Umatilla County
Public Health.
Fiumara pointed to a
Oregon Health Authority
graph that illustrates influ-
enza-like illness observed in
clinics and hospitals around
the state. An orange line
representing Eastern Ore-
gon shoots sharply up in
mid-November, dips, and
then shoots higher to almost
7% by last Friday. In com-
parison, the rest of the state
hovers between 2% and 4%.
Nationwide 3.2% of patient
visits were because of flu-
like illness, according to
the U.S. Outpatient Influen-
za-Like Illness Surveillance
Network.
Fiumara urged caution as
people head into Christmas.
“This is definitely the sea-
son for sharing,” he said.
“There are a lot of things
going around right now, not
just the flu. Stay at home,
cover your cough, wash your
hands.”
Thomas urged people to
take precautions to protect
themselves and also people
who are at risk, such as those
with chronic conditions, the
very young and old and
pregnant women.
Even if it isn’t the best
vaccine, it’s the one we’ve
got, Thomas said, and even
in a year when the vaccine
is not a good match, it can
reduce severity and prevent
hospitalization and death.
“That’s a win,” Thomas
said. “It’s not too late to get
a shot.”
Umatilla County approves project management firm for jail remodel
By ALEX CASTLE
sTaFF WrITer
Umatilla County now has some
help as it moves forward in planning
the $1.6 million renovation project of
its jail.
The board of commissioners unan-
imously approved a contract of up to
$150,000 with the Pendleton-based
Wenaha Group on Dec. 18 to help
manage and oversee the project,
which is aiming to better accommo-
date inmates facing medical issues,
drug addiction or mental illness at the
Umatilla County Jail.
“I think it makes a lot of sense to
let somebody else take this on to help
move the ball forward,” Umatilla
County Sheriff Terry Rowan said at
the meeting. “We want to make sure
we’re thinking of everything, and an
extra set of eyes is one of the best
ways to do that.”
Rowan has lobbied for a remodel
of the jail since 2017 and finally got
his wish when the Oregon Legisla-
ture allocated funding for the project
in one of its 2019 capital construction
bills this summer.
The project’s funding isn’t expected
to come in until 2021 and for now
the county is continuing to look for
an architect for the project, a process
they’ve started but have not made any
decisions on yet.
The $150,000 for the contract with
the Wenaha Group isn’t included in
the $1.6 million from the state.
The board initially proposed the
contract with Wenaha Group, which
has worked with a number of school
districts in the region in completing
past construction projects. Last week,
the Hermiston School Board selected
Wenaha Group to lead its $82.7 mil-
lion bond project that was approved in
November to replace Rocky Heights
Elementary School and construct a
new elementary school.
“I’m a very strong proponent of
having a professional management
firm to help oversee the project,”
county chair George Murdock said,
citing his previous experience and dif-
ficulties in trying to navigate construc-
tion projects for school districts.
Commissioner Bill Elfering raised
concerns about the possibility of the
added oversight also adding costs to
the project.
“We have a track record of stay-
ing within budget for our projects,”
Rowan said in response. “I’m not sure
why that would change now.”
Originally built in 1999, the jail
held an average daily population
of 135 inmates at first. Not only has
the average daily population risen to
above 200 today, but more and more of
the inmates at the jail experience men-
tal illness or substance abuse issues.
The plan is for the jail to be remod-
eled within its existing footprint with
an increased capacity in its booking
area and nine new cells intended for
detox, medical and holding purposes.
Ultimately, the county and Rowan
are trusting the Wenaha Group will
help ensure the renovation is success-
ful in creating a better resource for the
inmates who need it.
“They’ll help make sure the end
goal is reached that whether (the
inmates) are in a medical, mental or
drug crisis, we can get them to a stable
point,” the sheriff said.