Coronavirus and Wildfire Update: Stay Safe From Smoke, Testing Impacted by Fires

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House Speaker Tina Kotek

Coronavirus and Wildfire Update: Stay Safe From Smoke, Testing Impacted by Fires

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the last week, I’ve read harrowing stories and heard numerous accounts of the devastation that wildfires have caused across our state. The terrible consequences of this disaster are still unfolding, and my heart hurts for every person who has been impacted.

We need urgent solutions to help people, particularly with their shelter needs. One thing we can do is add more funds to the state’s Wildfire Damage Housing Relief program, which provides assistance to low-income Oregonians whose residences are uninhabitable due to fires. There are more ideas needed, but this is a good place to start. I’ll provide updates as soon as possible when the Governor and legislators determine the best course of action to help those in need.

To donate to support victims of the wildfires, you can go here to the Oregon Recovers page. All fire information is available here at Oregon Wildfire Resources. And you can track the progression of fires across the state by clicking the image below.


Oregon Fires Dashboard

Protect Yourself From Smoke

Smoke and poor air quality are expected to stick around longer than initially projected, with smoke levels fluctuating between unhealthy and hazardous in many communities. The Department of Environmental Quality recently extended an air quality advisory for all regions of Oregon and Southwest Washington through Thursday. You can check current conditions by visiting the Oregon Smoke Information Blog, downloading the free OregonAIR app on your smartphone, or going to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Now.

Here are some tips to approach the ongoing smoky conditions:

  • Avoid outdoor activities and stay inside if possible. Keep windows and doors closed.
  • Be aware of smoke in your area and avoid places with the highest levels.
  • Use high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. These can be portable filters or can be installed in indoor heating, ventilation, cooling and air purification systems. You can also create your own air purifying filter by following these easy to follow instructions: DIY air filter factsheet.
  • Check with your local health department to see if there are community clean air shelters set up where people can get temporary relief from the smoke.
  • If you have heart or lung disease or asthma, follow your health care provider’s advice.

As The Oregonian notes here, citing a professor from the OHSU School of Medicine, there is not a lot of data on the long-term effects of wildfire smoke inhalation. Oregon Public Broadcasting has a helpful story here on ways to stay safe.

Finally, please be aware of symptoms that come with smoke exposure and how they differ from COVID-19 symptoms. If you are impacted by either condition, it’s important to remember that the health effects may not be apparent for a week or so after exposure to smoke or the virus.


Smoke COVID-19 Symptoms

Weekly Testing Summary

Here are the most recent daily case and death counts since my last newsletter:

  • Saturday, September 12: 293 cases, 6 deaths
  • Sunday, September 13: 185 cases, 5 deaths
  • Monday, September 14: 151 cases, 2 deaths
  • Tuesday, September 15: 184 cases, 8 deaths

Yesterday, the Oregon Health Authority released its weekly testing summary, which can be read in full here. Below are some of the highlights, including all week-by-week testing data for comparison.


OHA Weekly Testing Summary 9-15-2020

  • As of September 12, Oregon’s cumulative positivity rate is 4.6% of people tested. This is considerably lower than the national average of 8%.
  • Of the 17,365 test results reported thus far for the week of September 6, 5.6% were positive. The total for that week is likely to rise as test results continue to be reported.
  • Test positivity had been declining since a peak in late July. However, current results indicate a lower number of tests and a higher test positivity for the most recent week.

Another negative side effect of the wildfires and smoke has been that the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory was closed on Sunday and Monday because of hazardous indoor air quality. It’s anticipated that this will lead to lower testing numbers.

The Multnomah County Testing Center in Gresham also closed on Monday due to smoke, and new appointments are not being scheduled until the air quality improves. More details are available here.

Testing supplies continue to be stressed nationally due to the increased demand for testing and increased cases of COVID-19. Even as Oregonians are understandably focused on the wildfires and the smoke across the state, it’s as important as ever that we continue to wash our hands, wear our face masks, and watch our distance from others.


Remember the 3 Ws

COVID-19 Mortgage Assistance

The Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative is now helping homeowners get caught up on their mortgage through the COVID-19 Mortgage Relief Program. The eligibility requirements are available here.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 Mortgage Relief Program, you can email homeowner.help@oregon.gov or call OHSI at (503) 986-2025. Please note that the agency anticipates call lines to be busy this week, and staff are making efforts to return emails within 24 hours.


The Latest News

  • New data from the Oregon Employment Department shows the state jobless rate has dropped to 7.7%, as The Oregonian reports here.
  • Also on the unemployment front, the Oregon Employment Department has announced that their Online Claims System will be down for planned maintenance this Sunday, September 20, from 4:00 am to 2:30 pm, which means people will not be able to enter claims information during this time.
  • The Oregon Health Authority reported 184 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 29,662. Sadly, eight more people have died, meaning there have been 519 Oregonians to die of the coronavirus. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus in Oregon.

OHA COVID-19 Update 9-15-2020

OHA COVID-19 Epi Curve 091520

OHA COVID-19 County Map 091520

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