October 30th COVID-19 Update

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 10/30/2020 09:53 PM PDT
Michael Dembrow

October 30, 2020

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

As you probably have seen, the U.S. is again experiencing record COVID cases today.  As you’ll see below, nearly 100,000 new cases were reported today.  We’ve seen hospitalizations double from where they were just weeks ago, and we’re back to seeing around 1,000 new COVID deaths a day.  The feared “Fall Wave” appears to be with us.

And that’s true here in Oregon as well, at least as far as new cases go.  For the second day in a row, a new record for new cases has been set here.  Again, that can’t be attributed to high testing levels.  If it were, I’d consider that a good thing—if we felt confident that we were identifying everyone who is positive and potentially infectious, that would make it easier to control the virus.  What we want to see is a lower proportion  of positive results, as we were seeing earlier in the pandemic.  Unfortunately, today we’re again seeing a positivity rate that’s over 9%.

On the positive side, we’re not (or at least not yet) seeing the big increases in hospitalizations that other parts of the country are experiencing, or big increases in COVID deaths (only two were again reported today).

The Governor held a press conference this morning in which she again made a strong request of Oregonians that we be especially careful as we enter the holiday season and refrain from business as usual.  She also announced a slight relaxation of school reopening standards, which you can read more about further down in the newsletter. 

This is partly a recognition that COVID is not going away on its own anytime soon.

Not surprisingly, the news is better on the wildfire containment front.  The Department of Forestry has declared the Beachie Creek Fire contained and removed it from the active fire list.  They also reported a big increase in containment of the Lionshead Fire.

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything in this newsletter.

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TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

  • Positive Cases: OHA reports today that 571 additional Oregonians have tested positive. The cumulative total for those testing positive since the beginning of the pandemic is 42,136.
  • Total Tests: The number of reported tests has increased by 6,118. The cumulative total of positive and negative tests since the beginning of the pandemic is now 852,685.
  • Ratio: The percentage of total tests that are positive today is 6.9%.  The national ratio today is 7.1%.
  • Deaths: I’m sorry to have to report 2 additional COVID deaths today. You can read about the Oregonians we lost further down in the newsletter. The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 673.
  • Hospitalized: OHA reports 34 new COVID hospitalizations today. The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID is now 3,204.
  • 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. OHA reports 29 additional presumed positives today.  The total number of those counted as presumed positives is 2,253.
  • Other Hospital Information:
    • Patients Currently with COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 211 (24 fewer than yesterday). Of those, 165 have already received a positive test back.
    • Available ICU Beds: 175 (23 more than yesterday)
    • Other Available Beds: 675 (45 more than yesterday).
    • ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 61 (1 fewer than yesterday).
    • COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 23 (same as yesterday).
    • Available Ventilators: 747 (same as yesterday).
  • Dashboard:
  • Today’s National Numbers:
  • Additional Brief Updates:
    • We learned from the Oregon Emergency Department today that FEMA will be closing its External Outreach Site in Eugene tomorrow. The site will have regular operations (8 am to 6 pm).  Those who still need to register for FEMA support or have questions can still contact FEMA via phone and online.  You’ll find the number and email address further down in the newsletter. 
    • We learned today that FEMA has extended the period for owners of multi-family properties in wildfire devastation zones to sign up for the Multi-Family Lease and Repair (MLR) program. With MLR, multiple firm-fixed priced contracts may be awarded to provide housing assistance to affected families. Under MLR, FEMA is seeking owners with properties previously used as multi-family rental housing (3 or more available units), that with financial assistance, could be quickly repaired to the correct standards and offered as temporary housing for FEMA applicants.  You can read more about the program here in English  and in Spanish.
    • Legislators just received this week’s update to the status of COVID at the University of Oregon. Between Friday, October 23rd, and Thursday, October 29th, UO identified and reported 40 positive COVID-19 cases in the University community. Of those, 14 are students living in the residence halls, and 26 are students living off campus. This is a significant reduction from the 58 positive COVID-19 cases reported between Friday, October 16th, and Thursday, October 22nd, and the 133 positive COVID-19 cases reported between Friday, October 9th, and Thursday, October 15th.  You can find more details about the university’s progress on testing and monitoring here.
    • Each year the Oregon Commission for Women names a handful of women to be Women of Achievement. They are looking for women who have been trailblazers in their fields, but they’re also looking for emerging women leaders.  In either case, they’re looking for women who have made or are making a difference and who epitomize our state motto—“She Flies With Her Own Wings.”  If you know someone who would be a worthy nominee, you have until next Friday to nominate her.  Here is more information on the nomination guidelines and selection criteria. 

Governor Announces New School Reopening Standards

As Oregon experienced its second straight record day for new COVID cases, the Governor unveiled new, somewhat more relaxed standards for in-person school reopenings today.  These changes could potentially open up in-person schooling to 130,000 children (on top of the approximately 50,000 who are currently in-person). 

This may seem contradictory at first glance, but the Governor and her advisors made a strong case for these changes.

The changes won’t apply to those areas where COVID is surging.  Unfortunately, the  great majority of Oregon students live in areas where the disease continues to spread, where it remains too dangerous to reopen in person. These changes will apply mainly to smaller, more rural districts.

Oregon was one of the first states to create regional-based standards, and they were the most rigorous in the country.  Other states have adopted less restrictive standards, generally without negative consequences.  Though we’ve seen cases of COVID in schools (and child care centers) here in Oregon and around the world, they have not been what are called “super-spreader” events.  They have remained contained. The new standards will still be among the most rigorous, but they are more in line with what we’re seeing around the country and the world.

With the resurgence of COVID around the world, particularly in Europe, where they had success earlier, new restrictions are focusing on businesses (particularly restaurants and bars) that are deemed to be more conducive to COVID spreading.  In those countries, the benefits of having kids—particularly younger children--safely in school, are considered more important than having other settings open for business. 

Along with the fact that younger children tend to be less of a risk for transmission of COVID, Education Director Colt Gill also made the point that it’s easier to keep younger children together in one easy-to-track cohort, as they tend to remain with the same teacher all the time.  Older students tend to go from class to class with different teachers and classmates, which makes it harder to prevent broad transmission.

Here are the major aspects of the changes announced today:

  • Removes statewide positivity metric: Holding all districts to a statewide positivity metric has led some schools to remain closed even when community metrics are at safer level—now only a county’s positivity rate will be used.
  • Extends to all Elementary Schools (K-6) in Eligible Areas:  Up to now, counties could reopen K-3 schools with lower thresholds for local infection.  This is being extended to 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.  Students older than that are at higher risk of infection and transmission.
  • Measurement period, 2-week average: County metrics will be measured for one, 2-week period instead of three 1-week periods. Particularly in small counties with low case counts, a small change in the number of cases in one week (i.e., the result of a workplace outbreak that is quickly contained) could have prevented schools from opening under the previous metrics.
  • Local decision-making:  If a district meets the new metrics, it will control the decision to reopen, in consultation with its local public health department.  ODE and OHA will advise school districts during that process, will confirm with school districts when their county has satisfied the required metrics for the return to in-person instruction, and will monitor districts for compliance.  Oregon OSHA will be hosting a complaint line if schools are deemed to not be in compliance with precautions involving face coverings, cleaning, distancing, and other safety strategies.

It’s not clear at this point which districts will choose to make changes as a result of the new policy, or when.  Moving to an in-person format, with all the necessary precautions and reduced class sizes, won’t be easy.  But if it works at these additional schools, we can consider extending it to additional schools—assuming of course that we get back to a safer level of COVID in our communities.  The legislative education committees will be getting a progress report during our December hearings.

ODE and the Governor’s Office provided legislators with the following resources today:

Updated Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance

ODE Metrics Guidance Document 

List of the Counties where schools will be eligible to return to at least some in-person instruction for students

School guidance, health and safety and other COVID-19 school related questions can be answered by emailing: ODECOVID19@ode.state.or.us.

Enforcement:  If you believe a school is not in compliance with the safety requirements you can file a named or anonymous complaint with Oregon OSHA at 1-833-604-0884 or online at: https://osha.oregon.gov/workers/Pages/index.aspx.

If you’re interested in watching today’s press conference, you can still do so here.

Friday Wildfire Recovery/Response Update

ODF reports big gains in wildfire containment today.  The Beachie Creek Fire in the Santiam and Marion County is now considered 100% contained and is off the list of active fires..  Containment of the Lionshead Fire, west of Warm Springs in the Cascades, has increased from 67% to 80%.

You can find maps and up-to-the-minute details on the individual fires at OEM’s State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard.

The Oregon Emergency Management has not provided us with the latest update on wildfire response. So here are the updated statistics regarding Human Impacts from Wednesday:

  • The number of fatalities (9) and missing persons (1) remains the same.
  • The number of residences reported destroyed is 4,009. More than 1,400 structures other than residences have also been destroyed.
  • According to the Red Cross, the number of Oregonians in emergency housing has gone down by 200 over the last few days. 1,428 Oregonians now remain in emergency housing.  Of those, 112 are living in RVs and tents, and 1,316 are in hotels/motels and other short-term settings.  There are no evacuees living in indoor congregate shelters any longer.
  • The number of Oregonians who have registered with FEMA for individual assistance has continued to increase and is currently at 23,547. FEMA has already approved for $21.9 million in assistance grants.
  • Still, if you know of anyone who has NOT yet registered, please direct them the following:

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 for today is 600. Nearly half are again from the Portland Tri-County area, with Multnomah County at a record 152 new cases.  Here is the breakdown by county for today:

Baker (3)

Benton (1)

Clackamas (45)

Clatsop (3)

Columbia (4)

Coos (2)

Crook (3)

Deschutes (24)

Douglas (4)

Gilliam (1)

Harney (2)

Hood River (3)

Jackson (69)

Jefferson (2)

Josephine (3)

Klamath (9)

Lake (4)

Lane (34)

Lincoln (1)

Linn (18)

Malheur (18)

Marion (44)

Morrow (3)

Multnomah (152)

Polk (7)

Sherman (2)

Tillamook (1)

Umatilla (26)

Union (3)

Wallowa (2)

Wasco (3)

Washington (91)

Yamhill (13)

And the Deaths

Oregon’s 674th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Oct. 26 and died on Oct. 29 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.

Oregon’s 675th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 12 and died on Oct. 25 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

Additional Graphs:

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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:

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,

dembrow signature

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