Coronavirus Update: Your Efforts Lead to Progress

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House Speaker Tina Kotek

Coronavirus Update: Your Efforts Lead to Progress

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We’re heading into another weekend, one month after the Stay Home, Save Lives directive was put in place. The volunteer efforts and support by Oregonians has been both impactful and inspiring. Due to your efforts, we got even more encouraging data from the Institute of Disease Modeling (IDM) today that continues to show we are winning this fight.

The key finding reads as follows: “We estimate that current interventions have already averted over 70,000 infections, including over 1,500 hospitalizations. Current aggressive interventions will need to be maintained in order to decrease the number of active infections.”


IDM Projections-1 4-24-2020

IDM Hosptial Demand 4-24-2020

I know this promising news has come with immense sacrifice by all Oregonians. This has been a devastating period across the state and the world. There is no way around that. But it is essential for our public health that we all stay the course. We’re going to be in this for a while longer, and there won’t be a return to “normal as we knew it” for an even longer period.

As some states plan to go further and faster than Oregon in terms of reopening their economies, health professionals have been very clear that opening too early could have devastating public health consequences. As one leading epidemiologist told The Washington Post this week about states reopening too soon, “It’s not a matter of whether infections will increase but by how much.”

IDM projections show the same potential in Oregon. The graphs below show the difference between staying the course (blue lines) and easing up on Stay Home, Save Lives too early (orange lines).


IDM Projections-2 4-24-2020

We have a low case count by nationwide standards thanks to your efforts. While our state reached the 2,000-person threshold for diagnosed cases this week, IDM modeling estimates 8,400 Oregonians have gotten coronavirus thus far. We need to increase our testing capacity and ability to do contact tracing, among other steps, in order to take further steps.

Progress is being made, however.

Governor Brown did announce guidelines this week for how hospitals and other health care providers can again start performing non-emergency procedures. If they meet certain requirements, those procedures could start up again on May 1.

Yesterday, the legislative Emergency Board allocated more than $30 million in state resources for urgent needs. I hope to have more information about how to access coronavirus-related rent assistance and small business assistance next week. It may take a week or two to have these resources available.

There is also more federal aid on its way, as Congress passed and the President signed another bill this week aimed at small business relief, hospital support, and increasing nationwide testing capacity.

We are on a journey that’s longer than any of us want. But please keep in mind that we are getting through this. We just have to stay the course for now. But we can and are doing this, and my office and I will do all we can to support you along the way.


The Latest News

  • Governor Brown announced that Walgreens has opened a drive-through coronavirus testing site in Hillsboro. Testing will be available by appointment only for patients who have completed an online health assessment, which is available here, and meet federal and state eligibility standards. Oregon’s updated testing guidelines are available here. Testing will be available at no cost for those who are eligible. Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center also has two drive-through testing sites in Hillsboro and McMinnville. More information on those sites is available here.
  • The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation has been working with auto insurance companies to provide insurance premium refunds and credits to Oregonians because there is a reduced risk of auto accidents under Stay Home, Save Lives. The division encourages all carriers to consider providing refunds that reflect the reduced risk of auto liabilities due to the emergency order. You can go here to find the list of the insurance companies that have committed to provide refunds and credits to Oregon customers.
  • The Oregon State Fire Marshal once again extended the order that lifts the statewide ban on self-service gas. Oregonians will be allowed to pump their own gas through May 9. The Oregonian has more information here.
  • New Seasons Market is the first major grocery chain to make wearing masks mandatory for shoppers. This will go into effect at their stores on Wednesday, April 29.
  • The Oregon Health Authority announced 51 new diagnosed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 2,177. Sadly, there have been three more deaths, meaning 86 people in Oregon have died from coronavirus.

OHA COVID-19 Update 4-24-2020

OHA Hospital Update 4-24-2020

Small Business Navigator

About three weeks ago, I highlighted a statewide initiative to help small businesses called the Small Business Resource Navigator. The website (found here) is run by Business Oregon and it is updated daily to provide the most up-to-date resources for small businesses. This is especially important given the new state funding and increased federal support. There is also phone hotline (833-604-0880), which takes live calls in English and Spanish.


Small Business Navigator

To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx

Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.

Best,

Tina

Tina Kotek

State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House

email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek