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Closing schools, canceling highly anticipated events, and disrupting our daily routines by staying home and away from others causes stress for all of us. This is hard and important work. Take a deep breath. Remember, we are doing this to protect each other, the people we love, and the communities we call home.
With schools closed statewide starting tomorrow, March 16, we know families are experiencing a tough time. If your children are feeling anxious, please reassure them that health and school officials are working hard to keep everyone healthy and safe.
For tips on talking to your children, here are three resources:
School districts around the state are helping ensure children don’t go hungry during the school closures. Here are quick links to free meals for kids. See below for times and locations.
We continue to add educational resources and flyers to our website, on topics from cleaning tips for restaurants to fighting Coronavirus racism to updating our searchable FAQ table.
Cold and flu season has already affected the nation’s ability to maintain its blood products supply. As the number of coronavirus cases grows in the U.S., the number of people eligible to give blood and platelets for patients in need could decrease further.
Donating is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give or receive blood or platelets. Go to the Red Cross website to learn more. Go here to learn more.
Oregon now has a total of 39 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The Oregon Health Authority announced three new cases of the novel coronavirus as of 11 a.m. today, March 15.
OHA is reporting 1 new case in Yamhill County, 1 new case in Deschutes County, and 1 new case in Linn County. The Yamhill County and Deschutes County cases are believed to be community acquired.
The case in Linn County is a staff member at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, which currently has nine residents who have tested positive. The employee was sent home when symptoms appeared and has remained in isolation ever since, in accordance with established infection prevention protocols and public health guidelines. Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is working closely with OHA to coordinate and prioritize testing for residents and staff at the Oregon Veterans' Home in Lebanon.
“Protecting our dedicated staff, along with our residents, has always been the highest priority. All infectious disease control precautions were, and continue to be, taken to mitigate the spread,” said ODVA Director Kelly Fitzpatrick. “I cannot speak highly enough of the herculean efforts these staff members have taken to continue to provide exceptional care to our honored residents even before this outbreak. They are truly going above and beyond, and all efforts are being made by ODVA, our state agency partners, and our Linn County partners to support them in their critical work.”
Read the full press release for more details.
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