September 11th COVID-19 Update

September 11, 2020

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, staying healthy, and looking out for your neighbors and friends in these incredibly difficult times.

Most of today’s newsletter will again be about the wildfires, but you’ll also find extensive COVID-related information.

Again, please let me know if you have any questions about any of the information in this newsletter.

And I can’t send out this newsletter without recognizing that today is the anniversary of the terrible events that this country experienced 19 years ago, on September 11, 2001.  We have been living with the impacts of that day for the last 19 days.  It was a day of terrible tragedy but also of heroic effort and unity.  I believe that the same can be said of this day, September 11, 2020.  Please join me in extending our deepest, most heartfelt thanks to those who are doing so much, even putting their lives on the line to fight these horrific fires, and to those who are doing so much to support them.  Please keep them in your thoughts.

TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

• Positive Cases: OHA reports that 203 additional Oregonians have tested positive for COVID. The cumulative total of those testing positive since the beginning of the pandemic is now 27,460.
• Total Tests: The number of reported tests has increased by 8,743. The cumulative total is now 604,334.
• Ratio: The percentage of positive test result over the last four days in Oregon is 2.3%.  The national ratio today is 5.9%.
• Deaths: I’m sorry to report 2 additional deaths due to the coronavirus today. You can read more about the Oregonians we lost further down in the newsletter.  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now at 499.
• Hospitalized: OHA reports 13 new COVID hospitalizations today. The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID is now 2,235.
• Presumptive Cases: OHA is including “presumptive COVID-19 cases” in its daily reports, consistent with recently amended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A presumptive case is someone who does not yet have a positive PCR test but is showing symptoms and has had close contact with a confirmed case. If they later test positive by PCR, those will be recategorized as confirmed cases. The number of new presumed positives today is 19. The total number of presumed positives is currently 1,405.
• Other Hospital Information:
  • Patients Currently w COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 161 (1 fewer than yesterday). Of those, 100 have already received a positive test back.
  • Available ICU Beds: 128 (26 fewer than yesterday)
  • Other Available Beds: 613 (5 fewer than yesterday).
  • ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 43 (3 more than yesterday).
  • COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 19 (1 fewer than yesterday).
  • Available Ventilators: 778 (9 fewer than yesterday).
• Dashboards
  • Oregon (OHA)
  • Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, & Yamhill Counties
• Today’s National Numbers:
  • Total Tests: 85,322,558 (765,997 up from yesterday).
  • Positive Tests: 6,411,913 (up 44,927 from yesterday.)
  • Deaths: 184,967 (up 1,018 from yesterday).
  • These national numbers come from the COVID Tracking Project. You can follow their updated numbers for each state and the nation as a whole here.
• Additional Brief Updates:
  • Again, for information about fires, firefighting response, smoke levels and much more, you can find a variety of Wildfire-related Resources here.
  • One piece of good news came out today: so far, we haven’t seen any COVID cases among firefighters.  I’ve mentioned before how different fire camp has to be this year because of COVID.  So far, it seems to be working, though of course it’s still early days.
  • The Governor announced today that two counties—Jackson and Jefferson—are being moved off of the County Watch List because of the progress they’ve made in reducing their numbers of “sporadic” (i.e., untraceable) COVID cases. That leaves three counties out of the original ten still on the list: Malheur, Umatilla, and Morrow. Umatilla and Morrow are getting close to the point of no longer needing that level of state support.  Malheur County, on the Idaho border, is unfortunately not.
  • In that same press release the Governor announced that Umatilla County has progressed enough in reducing its infection rate that it can return to Phase Two status. For more information about what this means, here’s a link.
  • The Employment Department launched its FEMA Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program today. That’s the program to partially restore the $600 supplement to UI benefits, with $300 per week coming from FEMA funds. Unfortunately, because of pressures on FEMA from hurricanes and from our wildfires, that temporary supplement ended on September 5^th, but all UI recipients are eligible for several weeks of back-payments leading up to that cutoff. You’ll find information on how to apply for LWA benefits here.

Wildfire Update – Another Mixed, Very Tough Day

The extraordinarily dangerous  weather conditions that I reported on yesterday started to shift this afternoon, which has led to mixed results around the state.

In another press conference held this afternoon, the Governor, the Department of Forestry’s Fire Chief (Doug Grafe), and other emergency response leaders provided updates on firefighting, evacuations, and other responses to the 16 large fires around the state.  Elected leaders again received a briefing at the end of the day to provide us with further information. 

The news from Wildfire Chief Grafe was definitely more upbeat than it was yesterday, much of it thanks to improving weather conditions.  He told us that firefighters on the line can definitely feel the effects of the cooler, moister winds coming from the ocean.  They are now on the offensive in establishing containment lines around nearly every fire.  He pointed to truly heroic efforts by firefighters and volunteers to make major headway on the coastal fires, the Holiday Farm fire east of Eugene, and the devastating fire in the Medford area.

But overall the news remains horrible.  The fires in Clackamas County are close to the cities of Estacada, Molalla, and Colton, and not far from the Portland suburbs.  We also learned from Doug that some of the fires will not be finally contained until the fall rains return. 

Here are a few of the highlights from today’s press conference and the briefing:

• The fires have now burned well over 1 million acres, doubling the annual average in just three days. That’s 1500 square miles.
• The Oregon OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is drafting new rules around outdoor exposure to wildfire smoke, in order to protect the health of those whose work exposes them to toxic smoke.
• The feared joining of the fires in Marion County and Clackamas County have fortunately not occurred. This has the potential to be hugely beneficial, but local wind patterns remain unpredictable.
• 40,000 Oregonians in Zone 3 areas have had to evacuate so far. 500,000 are currently living in evacuation zones and have had to be prepared for evacuation.
• Early reports from the Oregon State Police are that dozens of Oregonians have been reported missing in Jackson, Lane, and Marion Counties. Searches for them are underway, with help from those managing the Red Cross “Safe and Well” registry.
• On the ground search-and-rescue operations will soon commence in the danger zones. The Oregon National Guard is helping with this effort.  This work will eventually and sadly require an extensive forensic effort to identify remains and notify their loved ones.
• There have been incidents of looting in the devastation areas. Law enforcement will be working to protect property, with support from the National Guard.
• Right now there are about 100 National Guard soldiers mobilized to manage traffic control and keep people out of the danger zones. That number will increase in the coming days.
• Looking at recent experience in California, the effects of these fires will be felt for years to come.

FEMA Support On the Way

I mentioned last night that FEMA was proceeding to provide support to our state in anticipation of a declaration from the White House.  That did in fact come.  The Governor spoke to the President last night, and the declaration followed.  You can see the official declaration here.

We’re already seeing the effects of this federal support in terms of efforts to stabilize the fire lines and provide life support.  They are providing large mobile shelters and are sending in search-and-rescue teams.  Sadly, they’ll also be providing mortuary support.

Oregon is hoping that this immediate support will not require a financial match from the state for these first few weeks, and have requested that our ongoing share will be capped at 10%, given the enormity of the costs we’re facing. (The normal split is 75% federal/25% state.)

The state’s Office of Emergency Management is working on nailing down the next step, which is the declaration of a MAJOR Catastrophe.  That declaration will initiate support for the many—probably thousands—of Oregonians who will need help in finding long-term shelter and then rebuilding their homes.  It will also draw down support for displaced businesses, will help electric coops rebuild downed power lines, and much more.  Critical support.

Our state Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps told legislators that the federal response in these last two days has been “incredibly supportive.”  A bit of sunlight penetrating the smoke.

AGAIN:  Advice to Pass On

Legislators have received the following additional requests to pass on.

• Everyone should find out what the fire status for their area is. Check on your county’s web site. If you haven’t yet signed up for Reverse 911 notifications, do so. 
• Please don’t call 911 unless it’s a true emergency.
• If you’re in or close to an evacuation zone, be prepared. Sudden shifts in wind can put you suddenly at risk. If you’re in a Zone 2 area, you should definitely have a plan for where you’re going and what you will take. 
• Stay close to home if you can. Certainly, stay far away from the evacuation areas. We were clearly told today that that applies to legislators as well!
• Know that in many cases, reunification is going to be a challenge. The Red Cross will be coordinating reunifications, so it’s important that evacuees register with their “Safe and Well Registry.”
• If you’re looking for a loved one, check with the Red Cross first, rather than the police.
• Consider donating to the Red Cross or any of the other organizations that will be stepping up to provide food, support, and shelter to those affected by these tragic conditions. They’re going to need our support.

Additional Advice from Today

• If you have been evacuated and you believe that your home has likely sustained damage, it’s not too soon to reach out to your insurance company to make them aware of that and start the process of receiving the support you need.
• Watch out for fraud. While these times bring out the best in people, they also bring out the worst.
• In today’s press conference the request was made specifically to the press to please stay away from the danger zones for now. (They made the same request of elected officials yesterday.)
• The number of people in Red Cross shelters is currently 2,325, and that’s just part of what the Red Cross will be doing to help people survive through this crisis. If you haven’t yet donated to the Red Cross’s emergency work, you can do so here.  I made a donation this morning and can tell you that it’s a quick, easy process.

Where Are Today’s New Cases?

If we put together the positive test results and new “presumptive” cases reported today, the overall number of new cases is 215. Here is the breakdown by county for today:

Baker (2)

Benton (6)

Clackamas (14)

Columbia (1)

Coos (2)

Curry (1)

Deschutes (3)

Douglas (1)

Jackson (7)

Jefferson (3)

Klamath (1)

Lane (8)

Linn (3)

Malheur (27)

Marion (36)

Morrow (2)

Multnomah (59)

Polk (5)

Umatilla (9)

Union (2)

Wasco (2)

Washington (17)

Yamhill (4)

And the Deaths

Oregon’s 498^th COVID-19 death is a 64-year-old man in Jefferson County who tested positive on Aug. 5 and died on Sept. 10 at St. Charles Medical Center Bend.

Oregon’s 499^th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Aug. 24 and died on Sept. 1 at Adventist Medical Center.

Additional Graphs:

Want to See Past Newsletters?

If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (senatordembrow.com), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there.  Also, if someone forwarded you this newsletter and you’d like to get it directly, you can sign up for it there.

AND FINALLY,

Here again are some resources that you will find useful:

• Multnomah County has a status report on reopening.
• You can view the reopening status of all 36 counties here.
• Here is the OHA’s coronavirus page, with links to a number of resources. 
• Oregon's Office of Emergency Management now has a website for information about COVID-19.
• You can sign up here for regular coronavirus updates from OHA.
• Multnomah County has an excellent website with lots of really important advice and guidance.
• Here’s one from the Governor’s Office.
• The Employment Department has put together a webpage with Q&A’s on a number of employment issues related to COVID-19 (e.g., eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits).
• The Oregon Education Department has a new site for COVID-19 updates.
• The Department of Corrections has a COVID tracking website.

If the above links are not providing you with answers to your questions or directing you to the help that you need, please consider me and my office to be a resource.  We’ll do our best to assist you or steer you in the right direction. 

Best,

Senator Michael Dembrow
District 23

email: Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov
web: www.senatordembrow.com
phone: 503-986-1723
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301