August 19th COVID-19 Update

Michael Dembrow

August 19, 2021

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, staying healthy, and looking out for your neighbors and friends during this past week.

In many ways it feels as if we’re at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 once again. Back then, faced with the prospect of hospitalizations that will strain our medical resources to the breaking point, were asked to “flatten the curve”—take steps to reduce the number of infections to keep the number of those needing hospitalization from overwhelming the hospitals.  We did that.  We did it so well that the field hospitals weren’t needed, the dire projections proved to be excessive, and we kept our infections and death rates among the lowest in the country.  The actions that we took made a difference.  As OHSU modeler Dr. Peter Graven has demonstrated, every time Oregonians were asked to heed the call and did, cases went down.

But now we’re in a situation where the curve again needs to be flattened, and this time it’s not just hypothetical.  Our hospitals are indeed bursting with patients and care is being compromised.  If it was hard to imagine such a situation back then, today it’s all around us.  Looking at our numbers for the pandemic as a whole, we are still near the bottom of the states for cases and deaths (#4 from the bottom); but if we just look at rates for the last month, we are near the top.  And that’s what is causing our healthcare system to begin to fray.

In tonight’s newsletter you’ll see ample evidence of that.  You’ll see reports from OHSU, OHA, and small hospital directors.  You’ll see it in the breakthrough report (now biweekly instead of monthly), the new pediatric report, the weekly COVID, county, and outbreak reports.  You’ll see it in the charts and the links.

You’ll also see information about new calls from the President and the Governor for us to step up, get vaccinated, wear masks, and thereby keep one another safe.  You’ll see information about the pushback, often highly politicized, against those calls.

There are obviously differences from the beginning of the pandemic.  We now have vaccines, and they’re working.  While there is growing evidence that the 2-dose vaccines may begin to lose their ability to stop mild cases after 8 months or so, the evidence suggests that they continue to be extremely effective at stopping severe cases in almost everyone, including those vaccinated many months ago.  The rare exceptions are in those who have difficulty forming antibodies from the vaccine, due to age or due to conditions or other medication that they need to be taking.  Fortunately, starting this week, many of those are now getting vaccinated with a third dose.  We’ll see if that brings the numbers down even further.

Another difference is that in-person instruction for children is now being prioritized.  We now know that under the right circumstances, kids can safely return to school.  School can be a safe place for learning.  But if they’re surrounded by unvaccinated people at home, and are able to spread the vaccine to others because they’re not wearing masks, the results (as we’re seeing already in regions of low vaccination and low mask-wearing, that have already started the new school year) have been early closures and quarantines.  We need to do this right.

OK, shifting gears, you’ll also find some more optimistic news in this newsletter.  For now, those who are heroically fighting wildfires in Oregon are making enormous progress.  And the work on redistricting has gotten off to a great start.  More on both of those further down.

Until next week, please stay healthy and safe, and let me know if you have any questions about information in tonight’s newsletter.

 

8-19

 

TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

  • New COVID Cases: OHA reports 2,971 new COVID cases today (vs. 2,387 last Thursday), the largest single-day count we’ve had so far during the pandemic.  That’s an average of 2,033 per day for the 7 days since the last newsletter (vs. 1,558 per day the previous week). The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 250,835.
  • Variant COVID Cases:
    • OHA is now showing us not only this week’s variant cases but the growth of the different variants in Oregon over time. Here it is. You can see just how the Delta variant has come to dominate cases here in Oregon.  It is updated every Wednesday.
    • OHA’s Variant Dashboard provides current and new variant case numbers for the state as a whole but also for different parts of the state. It too is updated each Wednesday.
  • Positive Test Results: OHA reported 3,258 positive tests today (vs. 2,351 a week ago). That’s an average of 1,971 per day for the seven days since the last newsletter (vs. 1,971 per day the previous week). The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 355,833.
  • Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 24,133 tests today (vs. 21,770 a week ago). That’s an average of 19,635 20,954 per day for the seven days since the last newsletter (vs. 19,635 for the previous week). Our cumulative total of reported tests is 6,046,751.
  • Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 13.5% (vs. 10.8% a week ago). That’s an average of 13.0% per day for the seven days since the last newsletter (vs. 10.1% per day for the previous week). 
  • Hospitalization Information:
    • Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 845 (213 more than last newsletter, 388 more than the week before)
    • ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 226 (49 more than last newsletter.
    • Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 128 (47 more than last newsletter)
    • Available Ventilators: 798 (33 fewer than last newsletter).
  • Hospital Capacity:
  • Deaths: I’m sorry to report 19 additional COVID deaths today, which is 10 more than last Thursday.  That’s an average of 9.4 per day for the week since the last newsletter (vs. 6.3 per day the previous week).  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is 2,994.
  • Vaccinations:
    • An additional 51,257 vaccines were administered in the past week.
  • Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 4,752,937
    • 2,740,551 Pfizer doses
    • 1,817,898 Moderna doses
    • 191,863 Johnson & Johnson doses
  • Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 2,569,143
    • 2,362,014 now fully vaccinated with two doses
    • 2% of all Oregonians have received at least one dose (70.8% of those 18 and older).
    • 3% of all Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (65.5% of those 18 and older).
  • For more details, including the demographics of those receiving the vaccine and the number of vaccinations by county, go to the OHA vaccinations dashboard.
  • Bloomberg News provides a wealth of easy-to-read information on the trajectory of vaccinations—by state, nationally, and internationally.
  • Here's information about Oregon’s progress in getting to the next goal: 80% of those 18 and over.
  • And here is a link to information showing progress towards the 80% goal specifically among various communities of color. Today’s number 209,532 means that an additional 6,023 people of color were vaccinated in the last week (vs. the 215,555 reported last week), unfortunately just a third of the previous week’s reduction of 19,113. 

Additional Brief Updates

  • A group of Oregon medical organizations has come out in support of strong action by the state to control the spread of the Delta variant. Here's their letter. Though circumstances have changed someone since this came out over the weekend, their call to action remains important and relevant. 
  • Stateline, a national news service for legislators, reports on the masking controversies that are marring the beginning of the school year around the country.
  • Here’s reporting on President Biden's announcement that he is requiring nursing home employees to be vaccinated or the facility will lose its access to Medicare/Medicaid funding (as nearly all depend on that funding to some extent).
  • With President Biden’s announcement, nursing home directors find themselves in a quandary: will they lose employees at a time when staffing levels are already a challenge?
  • The White House announced that it is planning to recommend a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna 2-dose vaccine to those who have been vaccinated for eight months. Pending verification of studies suggesting a drop-off in potency after that time, the third doses will become available at the end of September for those who have been fully vaccinated for eight months.  See more details here..  A third dose is allowed now for those with conditions or who are taking medications that cause them to be immune-compromised.
  • Here’s more on the science behind the call for boosters.
  • Here’s perspective on the booster issue from Dr. Lenora Wen.
  • And here’s an opinion piece from two doctors who believe that calls for a booster for everyone are premature. (I share their concern that the booster debate is a distraction from where our focus really needs to be right now.)
  • And here's a piece on why a third dose may be all one ever needs.
  • You know those plastic barriers in restaurants and other indoor public spaces? They don't work (and they may make things worse).
  • And the convalescent plasma that was supposed to be a powerful treatment for COVID? Seems not to be any better than the placebo
  • Here’s a dispatch from the frontlines of the COVID culture wars in Josephine County: April Ehrlich’s reporting of a ecent County Commission meeting.
  • Here’s a question for you: if you refuse to get a mandatory COVID vaccine and are fired, can you collect unemployment? The Oregonian’s Mike Rogoway takes a shot (sorry) at answering.  (The short answer: It depends.)
  • Here’s a piece from the Statesman-Journal on the top ten underlying conditions of Oregonians dying of COVID-19.
  • Some COVID-deniers are claiming that it’s RSV (another respiratory virus) that kids are getting now, not COVID. Not so.
  • While a number of physicians have been called out for spreading false COVID information, none of them has yet been disciplined by their state licensing board. This includes Dr. Joseph Mercola, who was the subject of a critical New York Times article that I linked to a few weeks ago. I’ve come to learn that Mercola has threatened the Times with a lawsuit if they don’t retract their charges, but have not heard that they have done so or that he has proceeded with a suit.
  • Here’s an interesting opinion piece from two physicians who are strongly in favor of vaccines but still urge caution in assessing every study that supports their use.
  • Here’s reporting on the growing number of COVID cases in schools that have already begun their new school year.
  • Though they’ve just been given the ability to receive a third dose of the vaccine in hopes that it will get their antibody levels up, for the immunocompromised, the question of whether or not to return to in-person work is a difficult one. Here's more.
  • Despite all the noise you may be hearing to the contrary, recent polling shows that most Americans support vaccination and masking mandates.
  • OK, let’s end with a weird one. Believe it or not (according to Kaiser Health News), some people are refusing blood transfusionsif the donor has been vaccinated against COVID.

 

Governor Announces Requirement that Educators Be Vaccinated

Oregon is joining Washington and California in requiring that all educators be vaccinated unless they have medical or religious reasons not to be. (California allows educators to show regular proof of a negative COVID test as an alternative, but Washington and Oregon will not.)

In addition, health care workers will also no longer have the option of weekly testing as an alternative.  There is concern that we will not have the testing infrastructure to do regular testing of those who do not show symptoms in our nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical facilities.  Also, the Delta surge is wreaking havoc on medical staff, causing many to miss work because of COVID exposure, quarantine, and illness—this at a time when they are especially needed.   For nursing home workers alone, the week ending Aug. 15 saw 5,810 employees ill with Covid-19, five times higher than a month earlier, and 25 staff members died.

Unvaccinated healthcare workers, teachers, and state employees will have until mid-October or six weeks after full FDA approval of the vaccine, whichever comes first, to be fully vaccinated.

This news came in a press conference this morning. (You can watch it on YouTube. A Spanish language simulcast is available on OHA's Facebook page.Here's the press release with more details.

Here are the talking points from OHA as well as a link to today’s slides.

The Oregon Education Association has come out in support of the new policy for teachers.  I know that this was a difficult position for them to take, given that they represent many teachers who will not agree with it.  I believe it was a necessary step, and I thank them.  Here’s their statement:

“OEA believes that today’s vaccine requirement will help provide stability for our students this fall and will help improve safety in our schools. The science is clear. Vaccines, coupled with other proven public health mitigation strategies, are the best way to ensure our schools stay open and are a safe place for students to learn and for educators to teach .

“We urge districts throughout the state to work collaboratively with educators on how this mandate is implemented at the local level and to continue efforts to maintain additional public health mitigation strategies such as the use of personal protective equipment, frequent testing, social distancing, ensuring proper ventilation and frequent disinfecting in our public schools.”

Here’s reporting on the news conference from the Oregonian and from OPB.

 

Legislators Hear the Latest on COVID From OHA and a Rural Hospital

On Tuesday legislators received a briefing from the director of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria on the effects of the current surge on a small regional hospital. The situation is dire.  Their small intensive care unit is full—entirely with unvaccinated local residents.  A man in his 40s died in the ICU recently, and another needed to be life-flighted out on life support.  However, they are in general having difficulty securing such transfers to the major Portland hospitals because they too are full.

Even more of a concern is that things are getting worse.  The projections see ongoing increases in cases, and he’s seeing it on the ground.  Every day they are seeing an increasing number of admissions, and COVID keeps patients in hospital longer.  They are working hard to get patients transferred to long-term-care facilities, but that too is proving to be a challenge.

He knows that they haven’t yet reached their peak, as the number of unvaccinated Clatsop County residents remains high. Even testing is becoming a challenge.

After his sobering assessment, we heard from the OHA’s Dave Baden for a statewide perspective.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • Many of our rural counties are experiencing extremely high infection and positivity rates. (See more on that in the county report below)
  • We are fortunate to be able to deploy soldiers from the National Guard to help with the surge effort. However, these are unfortunately not medically-trained personnel. Those who are medically trained are already working in health care in their “day jobs,” so it doesn’t do us any good to take them from one Oregon setting and move them to another.
  • A request has been made for national FEMA resources, but we are obviously in competition with other states with even greater needs. (The Governor did report today that she has had some luck in getting out-of-state support, but not nearly enough.)
  • The Board of Nursing has expedited emergency licensing of out-of-state nurses.
  • The Medical Reserve Corps has been activated.
  • The state is providing financial assistance for low-income patients who can be released to long-term-care settings or to hotels (the latter especially for those who are homeless).
  • With the sudden leap in potential cases, adequate COVID testing is proving to be increasingly a challenge—not so much for the swabs and reagents (as was the case early in the pandemic) but more for the personnel to do the testing and the processing.
  • The process of finalizing the testing of the vaccine for kids under 12 is taking longer than had been hoped for. As a result, it now appears that emergency authorization won’t be likely before November or the holidays at the earliest.

 

And from OHSU

Yesterday OHSU released its updated projection of the effects of the current COVID surge.  Authored by Dr. Peter Graven, the forecast continues to show ongoing problems with hospital beds throughout the state.  The current forecast shows COVID hospitalizations (already at a record 838) rising to about 1,075 by September 3.

Legislators received a briefing this morning from OHSU physicians and analysts to provide more detail and context for their findings. 

  • The next month or two will be the toughest yet for Oregon, including for those who need non-COVID treatment. Those who have accidents and need medical treatment will be waiting longer for treatment. Those who need surgery for anything not life-threatening will remain untreated.
  • The situation is particularly difficult in Hospital Region 5 (Jackson and Josephine counties), where the pressures on local hospitals is among the greatest in the entire country. 77% of ICU patients are there for COVID.  For the state as a whole it’s generally one in three.
  • One-fourth of those in the ICU at OHSU are there for COVID.
  • Only four of them currently are older than 60, only 1 has been vaccinated.
  • We’re also experiencing higher numbers of non-COVID patients because they had had to put off care because of COVID and their conditions have deteriorated to the point of emergency. They are presenting sicker and staying longer.
  • We don’t have enough beds in OR to care for all of them.
  • Patients are waiting hours and even days in the ER waiting for a bed.
  • OHSU has an increasingly limited ability to accept transfers. They are forced to limit transfers-in to those who are in a life-threatened situation.
  • Many hospitals are no longer doing non-emergency surgeries.
  • In order to address the lack of beds, hospitals are creating new units for COVID patients. However, they then have to shift staff to these new units, which is creating patient/nurse staffing ratios making very risky.
  • All of this is exhausting and frustrating for healthcare workers who know that higher rates of vaccination would make a real difference.
  • The highest COVID rates now are in the South, followed by the West, then the Midwest. Very high vaccination rates appear to be protecting the Northeast.
  • The actual number of COVID cases and hospitalizations have closely tracked the modeling projections so far in the pandemic.
  • Whenever the state has taken steps to curb an incipient surge (e.g., dining restrictions, social distancing requirements, masking), we’ve seen positive effects fairly quickly. It generally takes 12 days for new requirements to result in lower counts.
  • Some of the effects of the current surge are unavoidable but we can limit them by taking immediate actions, as previous modeling has suggested.
  • To make a difference during the current surge, immediate masking is needed most. We won’t see the effects of vaccination for another month or more. Immediate vaccination is needed to ward off the next battle, i.e., the next variant that we know is coming.
  • We’re seeing a slight decline in higher-risk activity (dense gatherings, lots of indoor dining, close indoor interactions without masks), but not much.
  • Around 60% of Oregonians appear to be wearing masks indoors. That would be very helpful if we were sure those were the unvaccinated wearing masks.  But it’s likely those who are vaccinated.  Their wearing masks will help but not nearly as much as if it’s the unvaccinated who are wearing them.
  • As in the earliest days of the pandemic, we need to flatten the curve in order to relieve pressure on hospitals.
  • Every time we’ve limited the number of people eating indoors, we’ve seen a clear pattern of reduction, time after time. We need to spread the word about that.
  • There’s concern that the next hospital without beds will be Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital.
  • We need to focus on actions that keep kids safe while allowing them to go to school.
  • Children who are too young to be vaccinated need to be “cocooned,” surrounded, by people who can be and are vaccinated.
  • We’re certainly beginning to see breakthrough cases among the hospitalized. They tend to be elderly or immunocompromised—those for whom the vaccines are less effective.
  • With the increasing lack of staffed beds, we’re at the point where we need to be thinking about triage of care (i.e., prioritizing). There need to be clear guidelines to make sure that decisions aren’t being made in a way that discriminates, i.e., withholding care from patients because of their disability, age, or ethnicity.
  • COVID testing is becoming difficult. We need to make sure that it’s available where it’s needed most: in those parts of state that are COVID hot spots.
  • It’s possible that nurses will leave the profession as a result of a vaccination requirement. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have that requirement.  It’s needed. (And it’s only one of many reasons that nurses are leaving.)
  • Finally, the OHSU doctors asked Oregonians to do the following for now:
    • Those who are unvaccinated should limit their social interactions, ideally staying at home.
    • Everyone should be thoughtful about the need for community interaction for the next month. They should wear a mask whether or not vaccinated.
    • We should do whatever we can to limit our need for a hospital by avoiding risky activities.
  • And they asked legislators to help spread the word about just how serious this situation is.

OHA Creates New Pediatric Dashboard

Today, OHA published a new dashboard report of pediatric COVID-19 case data in Oregon. This dashboard replaces the previous report and will be published weekly on Thursdays with the most recent full week’s data. Here are some key findings:

  • There have been 31,394 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 among people under 18 years old (12.7% of the total cases).
  • As with COVID-19 cases overall, weekly COVID-19 pediatric cases have increased dramatically since July 2021.
  • Pediatric case rates are highest among some communities of color and Tribal communities: people who identify as Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black or Hispanic.
  • The report indicates that while pediatric case counts have increased, severe outcomes among pediatric patients are rare:
    • 0.9% of pediatric patients have been hospitalized at some point during their COVID-19 illness.
    • There have been two reported deaths with COVID-19 among people under 18 years.
  • Having said that, every hospitalization and death of a child is enormously painful for families and communities.

Breakthrough Case Report Now Provided Two Weeks

Until the current surge, OHA was released updated breakthrough case data (i.e., those infected by COVID despite being fully vaccinated) every month.  They are now doing so every other Thursday.  A link to the latest breakthrough report can be found here, and here is their overview:

OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 85.6% of the 20,701 reported COVID-19 cases between Aug. 1 and Aug. 14 occurred in people who were unvaccinated. There were 2,982 breakthrough cases, accounting for 14.4% of all cases.

The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 46. Ninety-five breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 52 breakthrough cases in people aged 12 to 17.

To date, there have been 7,138 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases was 48. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties.

Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is currently approximately six times higher than in vaccinated people. “Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” according to the report.

To date, 5.8% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 0.8% have died. The average age of the people who died was 82.

The number of vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon remains very small when compared to the more than 2.36 million Oregonians who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination series.

OHA Releases Latest County Metrics

Though it’s no longer assigning risk levels to counties, OHA is still reporting weekly increases/decreases in COVID for each county and for the state as a whole. We are seeing record infection levels and positivity rates in nearly every county.

If it were still assigning risk levels, the state as a whole would be at Extreme Risk (with more than 300 infections per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of nearly 12%) nearly every county would be at Extreme Risk or High Risk.  The rates for Multnomah County are currently half the state average. Josephine County’s rates are more than triple the state average (infection rate of 918 per 100K and test positivity rate a whopping 39.4%).

Multnomah County is among the counties with the highest vaccination rates, and Josephine among the lowest.  See the linked article above describing the dire hospitalization situation in Josephine County and the County Commission response. 

Weekly COVID Data and Outbreaks Report Released: The Surge Sets New Records

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released yesterday, showed continued steep increases in daily cases and hospitalizations. 

  • OHA reported 12,741 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 15. That represents a 53% increase over the previous week. 
  • There were 546 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 224 last week. That marked the fifth consecutive week of increases.   
  • There were 46 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 40 reported the previous week. 
  • There were 146,199 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Aug. 8 through Aug. 14, another big increase from the previous week (119,416), and triple the number of a month ago.  
  • The percentage of positive tests increased to 11.8%, up from 9.5% the previous week. 

Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 72 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, the highest number since early February.

          1/13/21         202 facilities

          2/10/21         116 facilities

          3/10/21           44 facilities

          4/14/21           24 facilities

          5/12/21           42 facilities

          6/09/21           19 facilities

          7/8/21              22 facilities

          7/28/21            28 facilities

          8/04/21            33 facilities

          8/11/21            53 facilities

          8/18/21            72 facilities

The Outbreak Report also includes the latest data on COVID in workplaces, childcare centers, and public and private K-12 schools.

Redistricting Update

A lot of work has happened in the week since we received our census data here in Oregon.  The data has been uploaded into the analysis/mapping program (we were one of the first states to complete that process), and it is now ready to be analyzed.

The data show that Oregon’s population has increased by 406,560 over the last decade, bringing our population to 4,237,560.  That new figure needs to be divided by 60 to get the size of each of our House districts (30 for each of our Senate districts).  So, the size of each of our new House districts must be around 70,626 (vs. the current 63,850), and each of our Senate districts must be around 141,252 (vs. the current 127,700).  

All the districts grew in population to some extent (as did all the counties but one), but they did so unequally. In general most of the growth came in Central Oregon around Bend, to the west of Portland, and outside of Salem.  Much more of the growth came in the urban/suburban areas than in the rural areas. Most of the House and Senate districts did not grow enough in population enough to hit the new threshold of 70,626 for the House and 141,252 for the Senate) residents and will have to see their boundaries increased to encompass that many people. Those districts that saw large growth will need to be split up and become smaller.

Here is a spreadsheet that shows the changes that need to be made for each district.  The percentages are the amount that the districts is above or below the new threshold of 70,626 (House) and 141,252 (Senate).

The new congressional district mapping process has a special wrinkle this time since Oregon will now have a sixth congressional district.  Each congressional district will have 706,210 residents.

The redistricting committee met last night for the first time since the census numbers were delivered and heard an initial presentation from legal counsel and from the legislative research people who are administering the analysis.  You can watch it here.

Dan Gilbert from Legislative Counsel provided an overview of Oregon-specific statutory requirements for redistricting.

Kevin Rancik, the GIS specialist, provided an an overview of what the data tell us

Now that the data has been uploaded, it is available to the public to look at and to create their own maps to propose.  Analyst Allison Daniel provided.an overview of the process of doing so.  There will soon be video tutorials of how to do that on the Redistricting Website, which is a tremendous resource for anyone really interested in this process.  Among other things on the website, you can sign up there to receive updates about the process.

The committees (there is one for the House and one for the Senate) will release their proposed maps at 8 a.m. on Sept 3.  The public will have until 5 p.m. on September 7 to submit additional maps for consideration.

As always, there will be a “road show,” with stops at a number of sites around Oregon to hear people’s thoughts about what should be prioritized in these maps.  Because of the Delta COVID crisis, however, it’s unclear what the format for these will be at this point.  Stay tuned for me.

Wildfire Update: A Bit of Relief

Legislators received a wildfire briefing on Tuesday.  Overall, the news for Oregon was positive.  For now, we’re in a cooling trend, which makes fighting the existing fires easier.  There have been showers in some areas, which also has helped.  Air quality has improved for much of the state, though southern Oregon remains a problem in this respect.

Firefighters have been doing a tremendous job in attacking and containing these fires.

One area that remains problematic is what’s known as the Bull Complex, an area northeast of Detroit, where several smaller lightning fires have coalesced into a single fire more than 5,000 acres in size.  This is in or close to the area that was hit by last year’s Beachie Creek fires and is proving quite difficult to fight right now.  Here's coverage by the Statesman-Journal’s Zach Urness.

You can follow the situation around the state on a daily basis via the ODF blog. https://odffire.com/

 

And the Deaths:

Here is information about the 66 deaths (up from 43) that OHA has reported since the last newsletter on August 12.  Actually, as I’m about to send this off late Thursday night (actually I guess it’s early on Friday now), it’s still missing detailed info on the final 19, which OHA has not yet provided.  I’ll include them in next week’s newsletter.

Oregon’s 2,929th COVID-19 associated death is a 56-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on July 11 and died on Aug. 10 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,930th COVID-19 associated death is a 90-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on July 30 and died on Aug. 11 at Salem Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,931st COVID-19 associated death is a 61-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on Aug. 5 and died on Aug. 11 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,932nd COVID-19 associated death is a 53-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on June 7 and died on July 22 at Asante Rogue Valley Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,933rd COVID-19 associated death is a 70-year-old man from Curry County who tested positive on July 28 and died on Aug. 11 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,934th COVID-19 associated death is a 95-year-old woman from Crook County who tested positive on Aug. 6 and died on Aug. 12 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,935th COVID-19 associated death is a 78-year-old man from Coos County who tested positive on Aug. 8 and died on Aug. 11 at Bryan Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,936th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on August 7 and died on August 14 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,937th COVID-19 death is a 27-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on August 6 and died on August 14 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,938th COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive on July 29 and died on August 12 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,939th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Crook County who tested positive on August 6 and died on August 12 at her residence.

Oregon’s 2,940th COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old woman from Coos County who tested positive on August 3 and died on August 11.

Oregon’s 2,941st COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive on July 27 and died on August 11 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,942nd COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on July 13 and died on August 13 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,943rd COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on July 30 and died on August 12 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,944th COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old woman from Jefferson County who tested positive on July 23 and died on August 12 at St Charles Bend Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,945th COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on August 9 and died on August 13 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,946th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on July 23 and died on August 5 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,947th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on August 9 and died on August 11 at Adventist Health Portland.

Oregon’s 2,948th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old man from Wasco County who tested positive on August 5 and died on August 11 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,949th COVID-19 death is a 63-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on June 10 and died on August 12 at Providence Medford Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,950th death is a 71-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on July 23 and died on Aug. 14 at Ashland Community Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,951st death is a 77-year-old woman from Hood River County who tested positive on Aug. 14 and died on Aug. 14; location of death is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,952nd death is a 69-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive on July 19 and died on Aug. 14 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,953rd death is a 92-year-old woman from Coos County who tested positive on Aug. 12 and died on Aug. 14 at her residence.

Oregon’s 2,954th death is a 62-year-old man from Coos County who tested positive on Aug. 1 and died on Aug. 13 at Bay Area Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,955th death is an 85-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on Aug. 5 and died on Aug. 13 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,956th death is a 70-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive on July 30 and died on Aug. 14 at Providence Medford Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,957th death is a 63-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive on July 28 and died on Aug. 15 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,958th death is a 47-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive on July 23 and died on Aug. 14 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,959th death is a 94-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive on Aug. 4 and died on Aug. 15 at Salem Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,960th death is a 67-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive on Aug. 4 and died on Aug. 13 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,961st death is a 64-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on Aug. 13.

Oregon’s 2,962nd death is a 73-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on Aug. 9 and died on Aug. 13.

Oregon’s 2,963rd death is an 82-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive on Aug. 3 and died on Aug. 14 at Good Shepherd Community Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,964th death is a 29-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive on July 29 and died on Aug. 10 at Mid-Columbia Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,965th COVID-19 associated death is an 83-year-old woman from Jackson county who tested positive on Aug. 8 and died on Aug. 17 at Ashland Community Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,966th COVID-19 associated death is a 77-year-old man from Jackson county who tested positive on Aug. 2 and died on Aug. 17 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,967th COVID-19 associated death is an 83-year-old woman from Douglas county who tested positive on Aug. 7 and died on Aug. 16 at Mercy Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,968th COVID-19 associated death is a 58-year-old woman from Jefferson county who tested positive on Aug. 10 and died on Aug. 17 at St Charles Bend Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,969th death is a 50-year-old woman from Yamhill county who tested positive on July 25 and died on Aug. 11 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,970th death is a 70-year-old woman from Marion county who tested positive on Aug. 12 and died on Aug. 12 at Salem Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,971st death is a 90-year-old man from Marion county who tested positive on Aug. 11 and died on Aug. 16 at Salem Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,972nd death is a 74-year-old woman from Marion county who tested positive on Aug. 11 and died on Aug. 16 at Salem Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,973rd death is an 81-year-old man from Josephine county who tested positive on Aug. 6 and died on Aug. 17 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,974th death is an 82-year-old woman from Umatilla county who tested positive on Aug. 12 and died on Aug. 14 at Good Shepherd Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,975th death is an 82-year-old woman from Umatilla county who tested positive on July 29 and died on Aug. 7 at her residence.

 

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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: 503-281-0608
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301