Friday, March 25, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
Booster shots against the virus lag on the North Coast
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
The Clatsop County
Public
Health
Depart-
ment is planning a commu-
nity survey to better under-
stand the reasons behind
the less-than-expected rates
of booster shots against the
coronavirus.
Boosters have been
widely available since last
fall, when the fallout from
the delta variant — the
worst wave of the pandemic
locally in terms of hospital-
izations and deaths — was
still felt in the community.
Yet the number of residents
who have received the extra
jab continues to lag behind
the county’s vaccination
rates.
As of mid-March, 86.5%
of residents 65 and older
have completed their ini-
tial vaccination series — the
two-dose Pfi zer and Mod-
erna vaccines, the one-dose
Johnson & Johnson vac-
cine — compared with 64%
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Booster shots lag in Clatsop County.
who have received a booster,
according to the county.
Residents 50 to 64 have
a 77.5% vaccination rate,
compared with 45.9% who
have received a booster.
Residents 20 to 49 have
a 67.3% vaccination rate,
compared with 27.5% who
have received a booster.
And residents 18 to 19
have a 53.4% vaccination
rate, compared with 16.2%
who have received a booster.
Statewide, 75.5% of Ore-
gon residents 18 and older
Merkley discusses salmon
losses at virtual town hall
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Depleted salmon stocks,
Russia’s
invasion
of
Ukraine, the health of the
environment and of Amer-
ican democracy were top
of mind for Clatsop County
residents who attended
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley’s
virtual town hall on Satur-
day afternoon.
The event came as the
Oregon Democrat’s party
faces uncertain prospects
in the midterm elections in
November.
Democrats could lose
majorities in Congress,
as infl ation continues and
polls indicate most voters
disapprove of President Joe
Biden’s performance.
Merkley
highlighted
the local impact of Dem-
ocratic leadership, includ-
ing the $7.8 million the
county received from the
American Rescue Plan
Act. The money will fund
grants for small businesses,
aff ordable housing, mental
health services, rural health
care, internet access and
emergency preparedness,
among other items. Cities
within the county received
several million dollars, as
well.
Merkley also touted an
omnibus spending pack-
age that includes $1 mil-
lion for a waterline project
in Hammond. The upgrade
is designed to prevent low
water pressure when indus-
trial demand is high.
Concerns about decreas-
ing salmon levels arose
repeatedly in the one-hour
town hall — Merkley’s
20th of the year and 488th
as U.S. senator. The sena-
tor holds the events annu-
ally in each of the state’s 36
counties.
Several speakers pushed
for Merkley to get involved
in the multistate eff ort to
remove dams from the
Snake River — the tribu-
tary that runs from Wyo-
ming through Idaho and
meets the Columbia River
in southeast Washington
state — to help restore the
salmon population.
Bob Rees, a fi shing
guide from Hammond,
said, “We’re hopeful that
we can fi nd a way for the
Senate offi ces to kind of
integrate into this con-
versation and fi nd a solu-
tion that works for rural
communities.”
Judith Huck, of Astoria,
echoed Rees’ comments on
the importance of salmon
to the community and the
need to remove the dams.
“There’s just a fraction of
the number of salmon in
the Columbia River than
there used to be,” she said,
“and we do need you to be
working towards improv-
ing that situation.”
are fully vaccinated, com-
pared with 44.4% who have
had a booster. The gap per-
sists despite evidence that
a booster dose signifi cantly
decreases the severity of ill-
ness and the risk of hospi-
talization and death from
COVID-19.
The survey from the Pub-
lic Health Department will
refl ect the community’s
experience during the vac-
cination campaign, which
began early last year, and
help the county address
ongoing concerns, such as
information that needs to be
clarifi ed or myths that need
to be countered.
The plan to take stock
comes as Gov. Kate Brown
lifted Oregon’s mask man-
date, the surge of the omi-
cron variant recedes and
the virus case and hospital-
ization counts dwindle. The
governor intends to lift the
state emergency over the
virus in April.
This month marked the
second anniversary of the
fi rst recorded COVID-19
case in Clatsop County.
The county had recorded
4,572 virus cases as of
March 23.
The Public Health Depart-
ment said that the availabil-
ity of at-home testing means
that the offi cial count proba-
bly does not capture the true
total. Some people who got
a positive result in private
may not have reported it.
Margo Lalich, the coun-
ty’s interim public health
director, said the county’s
vaccination campaign has
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Continued from Page A2
OREGON STATE
POLICE
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Log truck,
pickup crash
Three Seaside men were in-
volved in a serious injury crash
March 16 at 6:46 a.m. on U.S.
Highway 26 near milepost 24.
State police say three vehicles
were involved. One man was
seriously injured and taken by
medical helicopter to Emman-
uel Hospital. The other two
men were not injured. A pre-
liminary investigation showed
a westbound gray Nissan
Maxima crossed the center-
line, colliding head-on with an
eastbound loaded Kenworth
log truck. After impact with
the log truck, the Nissan con-
tinued westbound and struck
a 2019 Ford F-250 pickup. Due
to the extensive damage and
vehicles blocking the Quartz
Creek bridge, Highway 26
was closed for approximately
3 hours following the crash.
State police were assisted by
the Clatsop County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce and ODOT.
Driving with
suspended license
James Daryl Collins, 40,
was arrested March 17 at
6:09 p.m., on U.S. Highway
101 near milepost 19 after
troopers pulled him over for
a moving violation. He told
the trooper, who already
knows him, his license is
criminally suspended and he
has no car insurance. He was
taken to the county jail and
his Dodge Neo was left at his
residence.
Charge after pickup
hits guardrail
A Vancouver, Washington,
man was arrested March 18
at 4:41 p.m. on U.S. Highway
26 near milepost 10 after
troopers received a report of
dangerous driving; they saw
a gold Toyota pickup strike a
guardrail and then pull into
Camp 18. The driver, Lucas
Pena Castellon, 34, was ar-
rested shortly after for driving
while under the infl uence of
intoxicants. Police stayed with
a passenger and the truck
until a licensed sober driver
arrived to drive it. Castellon
was transported to the county
jail where he submitted to a
chemical test.
Alcohol-related crash
A 32-year-old Seaside man
was taken by medical heli-
copter to a hospital March 18
around 7:20 p.m. after troop-
ers responded to a reported
rollover crash on U.S. High-
way 26 near milepost 19. Po-
lice say he was heading east
when he swerved across the
westbound lane and then
launched his vehicle down an
embankment. He had to be
extricated from the vehicle by
responding fi refi ghters. After
he was taken by medical he-
licopter to an unnamed hos-
pital, police were informed by
hospital staff he was over the
legal limit for alcohol. Troop-
ers went to the hospital to get
blood samples from the driv-
er. Due to road conditions, his
truck couldn’t be towed until
the next day.
been successful. While the
health department did not
expect that everyone would
get vaccinated, the county
has among the highest vac-
cination rates in the state:
73.6%.
“The pandemic is not
over,” she said. “While
guidance and policies are
always changing, we’re still
in a pandemic, and we’re
learning how to live with
this virus circulating in the
community,”
A new concern is how
to navigate a world where
wearing masks as a pre-
caution against the virus is
voluntary.
Businesses have recently
reached out to Lalich about
masking. She heard stories
of employees dealing with
customers who resented the
mask mandate, especially
customers who visited from
places without mandates.
Some people became angry
and belligerent and verbally
abused employees who were
trying to provide customer
service.
Lalich hopes the volun-
tary approach comes to be
seen as part of the commu-
nity’s diversity.
“We don’t know every-
one’s story, and there may
be a reason why somebody
needs to wear a mask,” she
said, “and so don’t assume
you know — just allow
them to wear a mask as
they’re choosing to wear
a mask, just like people
do all kinds of things with
how they present to soci-
ety and it’s their choice to
do so.”
Although the pandemic
is moving into a new phase,
Lalich said it is important
to remember: “We’ve been
here before. We were here
before delta … We removed
the masks, everyone got
together, and then we went
through two surges after
that.”
The world is experienc-
ing a period of calm. “And
yet we also don’t know what
may be,” she said. “And so
there’s this sense of humble
anticipation.”
Field sobriety tests
refused
9:25 a.m., alarm system acti-
vation, unintentional, no fi re,
Patricia Ann.
Justin M. Easley, 38, was ar-
rested March 19 at 7:36 p.m.,
on U.S. Highway 101 near
milepost 18. Troopers re-
sponded to the scene to as-
sist Gearhart police. While
appearing intoxicated, Easley
refused to perform fi eld sobri-
ety tests and was arrested by
Gearhart police who brought
him to Seaside police head-
quarters for further testing.
Feb. 16
11:56 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Picture.
6:30 p.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Blue Heron, Warren-
ton.
Feb. 18
11:41 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Wild Daff odil,
Warrenton.
GEARHART
FIRE DEPT.
12:24 p.m., medical assist, U.S.
Highway 101, Gearhart.
FIRE LOG
4:57 p.m., trapped by power
lines, South Ocean.
Feb. 9
Feb. 19
12:42 p.m., gas leak, Summit.
10:03 a.m., medical
Hawkins, Warrenton.
4:31 p.m., building fi re, South
Columbia, Seaside.
Feb. 21
assist,
Feb. 11
6:55 p.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Ocean, Surf Pines.
12:00 a.m., controlled burn-
ing, Arrowhead, Warrenton.
Feb. 22
12:00 a.m., extrication, rescue,
Avenue G.
1:37 a.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Bailey.
7:10 a.m., alarm system acti-
vation, unintentional, no fi re,
Railroad.
11:50 a.m., building fi re, Ma-
ple, Elsie.
Feb. 25
11:12 a.m., motor vehicle crash,
no injuries, Lewis and Clark.
1:30 p.m., medical assist, U.S.
Highway 101, Warrenton.
7:28 a.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Sandy Ridge.
11:56 p.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Pacifi c Way.
2:41 p.m., public service assis-
tance, Pacifi c Way.
Feb. 26
Feb. 12
11:29 p.m., motor vehicle ac-
cident with injuries, U.S. High-
way 101 and Pacifi c Way.
1:37 a.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, Bailey.
Feb. 27
11:04 a.m., medical assist, ,
Blue Heron, Warrenton.
12:02 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, U.S. Highway
101, Warrenton.
Feb. 13
7:07 p.m., medical assist, assist
EMS crew, U.S. Highway 101,
Gearhart.
10:59 a.m., medical assist, as-
sist EMS crew, Sandy Ridge.
Honoring
all doctors
We honor your perseverance
in difficult times.
We honor your dedication
to changing lives.
And above all, we honor the
many ways you offer compassion
and healing and hope.
In honor of all doctors on
National Doctors’ Day March 30
and every day, thank you.