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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This is hard. We are starting another work week, and kudos to everyone for just keeping going.
Because this is difficult, it’s important to take care of ourselves and keep reaching out to friends and family. The longer this pandemic goes, the more normal elements of it will feel. We are all dealing with side effects that come with isolation, and remembering to treat others with empathy and respect is as essential as ever.
The data I wrote about on Thursday continues to be encouraging. Hospitalizations due to coronavirus in Oregon are down 40% compared to last month, as The Oregonian detailed here. We have had two consecutive days without new reported deaths. Thankfully, there are still some counties with not many diagnosed cases of the virus.
And testing capacity continues to increase. Last week, the state performed 12,684 tests. This was the first time Oregon has done more than 10,000 tests in a week statewide, and we are progressing toward the goal of at least 15,000 tests per week in order to start reopening. Governor Brown has outlined guidance on what it will take to begin gradually reopening (more on that is available here), which includes more testing and contact tracing.
Many states are now reopening sooner than public health guidelines recommend. I fear this will have devastating consequences down the road. While Stay Home, Save Lives is working, it’s important to keep the national context in mind.
Yesterday was the deadliest day of the pandemic in the United States. More Americans have died from coronavirus in the last couple of months than in the entirety of the Vietnam War. Modeling from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine now predicts the number of nationwide deaths may double from prior projections because of states reopening too soon.
I believe letting up too quickly will make this problem so much worse for our public health and our economy in the long run. We need to be cautious to prevent a second wave of this virus.
With that said, I understand how hard this is right now. It’s always okay to ask for help. If you are in need of professional help, please consider these mental health resource lines:
- Last Friday, Governor Brown extended the state of emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic through July 6. The Portland TV station KGW has a helpful explainer here on the difference between Stay Home, Save Lives and the state of emergency.
- The City of Portland will begin placing traffic barrels at a number of intersections as temporary barricades to limit cars on roadways in order to allow more space for physical distancing. By restricting some streets to local access only, this will provide more space for people to walk, bicycle or skate in the road. Willamette Week has more details here, and you can view an interactive map of where those roadways will be here.
- Multnomah County started resuming jury trials. Willamette Week has more details here.
- Whole Foods will begin handing out free face masks to customers, as Willamette Week reported here. New Seasons and Costco now require masks for customers in their stores.
- The Oregon Health Authority announced 65 more confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 2,745. I’m glad to report that there have been no new reported deaths in the last two days, meaning there have still been 109 deaths related to coronavirus in Oregon. Additionally, the state has also started tracking new presumptive cases, which includes people who have symptoms and had close contact with someone diagnosed but hadn’t tested positive themselves. There are 14 new presumptive cases. The U.S. has more than 1.18 million diagnosed cases and nearly 69,000 people have died nationwide from the virus.
The Oregonian published a story today about potential scams that exploit people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The article noted these helpful tips from Multnomah County Sheriff’s officials on how to avoid potential scams:
- Never provide personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller or by email.
- Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
- Never wire money or provide debit or credit card numbers to a stranger.
If you have diabetes, the Oregon Health Authority wants you to know that you are at higher risk for complications from coronavirus. Below are steps to take to protect your health if you have diabetes.
Click here to get the CDC’s sick day guidelines for people with diabetes.
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 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
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