UPDATED: (7:43 p.m., PT) — Oregon state and local health officials reported 58 new known cases of COVID-19 Monday afternoon, bringing the state total to 606.
The Oregon Health Authority announced three new deaths Monday afternoon, with an additional death reported Monday evening in Benton County, The Daily Barometer reports, the county's first.
That brings the state's total known fatalities to 17.
The latest deaths in Oregon were all people with underlying medical conditions over the age of 80. They were residents of Yamhill, Benton, Clackamas and Linn counties. The case in Linn county was a resident of the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon.
The Oregon Health Authority announced newly diagnosed cases across 14 counties.
Malheur County also identified its first case Sunday afternoon as a man in his 20s, a case not accounted for in OHA's Monday report. The Malheur Enterprise reports he is quarantined and recovering at home.
The actual number of cases is believed to be higher given the limited number of tests available.
OHSU identifies 12 coronavirus cases among health workers
Twelve staff members at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday.
In a conference call with health care workers and lawmakers Monday, OHSU President Danny Jacobs said that the 12 staff members tested positive, with 846 testing negative and 56 with pending test results.
Jacobs called for the need of adequate personal protective equipment for securing the lives of health workers on the front lines treating the disease.
Gov. Kate Brown reiterated her request for the federal government to distribute more PPE from the national stockpile reserve following President Trump’s major disaster declaration in Oregon.
Transit staff test positive for COVID-19; Salem suspends service
Salem's regional transit authority, Cherriots, announced late Monday that it's suspending local and regional service, and providing only emergency "life sustaining trips" through its paratransit service, Cherriots LIFT. Officials said the move is to "further support the Governor’s executive order" and enforce "social distancing." At the same time, the announcement was driven by "significant staffing shortages" and hearing from seven staff members who had "self-reported confirmation of coronavirus."
Transit officials said Cherriots intends to thoroughly clean buses during the service suspension. Operations staff will be placed on temporary leave, while support personnel may be asked to work remotely. Administrators intend to meet daily on plans to restore service, but the agency didn't provide an immediate time frame for when buses would be running in Salem again.
TriMet also reported late Monday that it received word from one of its operators who had tested positive for coronavirus.
"Since the operator had not experienced symptoms while working and has not been at work since March 20, health experts say the risk to others was low," the agency said in a press release.
Oregon Office of Emergency Management addresses PPE shortages
Oregon Office of Emergency Management director Andrew Phelps addressed growing concerns Monday that Oregon’s supply of personal protective equipment for front line health care workers is rapidly dwindling.
“This is going to be a very long haul — we’re in the first mile, I think, of what’s going to be a marathon for us,” Phelps said.
Phelps said the state has distributed “hundreds of thousands” of N95 masks, gowns and gloves throughout the state, and is being conscious of the state’s “burn rates” of PPE as health providers continue to treat people for COVID-19. The state agency estimates it will continue to need hundreds of thousands of masks for several months.
A nationwide shortage of PPE has left health care workers without the necessary masks, face shields, gowns and gloves, putting many health workers at risk when treating patients with COVID-19.
Some volunteers have taken it upon themselves to sew homemade protective masks to meet the need. While some hospitals have rejected homemade masks, other health care providers say they need any equipment they can get. Salem Health put a call out Wednesday for volunteers to help craft more than 10,000 cloth masks.
Oregon Veterans’ Home announces second death
The Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon announced Sunday evening that a second veteran resident has died due to the novel coronavirus.
According to the home’s Facebook page, the veteran tested positive for COVID-19 on March 16, and had other underlying medical conditions.
“This resident was an honored veteran of our nation’s Armed Forces, who continued to serve his community after leaving the service,” said Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Kelly Fitzpatrack.
The home said it is continuing the tradition of honoring deceased veterans with a “Walk of Honor” in accordance with honor guard standards, while practicing social distancing.
World Athletics Championships in Eugene postponed to 2022
The World Athletics Championships has been postponed to 2022, the Register-Guard reports. World Athletics had originally set the international track and field events for August of next year in Eugene.
“We are now working with the organizers of the world championships in Oregon on new dates in 2022,” a statement from World Athletics said.
The announcement comes less than a week after the International Olympic Committee postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games to July 2021.
TrackTown USA in Eugene announced last week that it's working toward new dates for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field, originally set for this June at Hayward Field.
Portland Center Stage cancels rest of season, including summer show
Portland’s largest theater company has canceled the rest of their 2019-2020 season, another tough blow for Oregon’s arts community.
Portland Center Stage announced Monday that Howard’s End and a production of Cambodian Rock Band, the last two shows in the season, will not happen. The world premiere of Howard’s End, a new theatrical take on E.M. Forster’s novel, was slated for April 18-May 17. Cambodian Rock Band, billed as a mix of comedy, mystery and rock concert, was scheduled from May 30-June 28.
Related: Coronavirus Closures Endanger Oregon's Most Prominent Arts Organizations
The spread of the coronavirus has taken a dramatic toll on the arts world across the Pacific Northwest, as theaters, concert venues and galleries have shut their doors to help curb the virus. More than 60% of Portland Center Stage’s revenue comes from ticket sales, concessions and venue rentals.
Oregon Department of Energy clarifies pumping your own gas is not mandatory
Following an announcement from the Office of the State Fire Marshal Saturday that said Oregonians could temporarily pump their own gas due to coronavirus, the Oregon Department of Energy clarified the measure’s purpose.
“This temporary suspension does not make self-service mandatory. The intention is to ensure fuel is available to essential personnel who need to travel,” a statement from the ODOE said.
“This change allows gas station attendants to help these customers while avoiding face-to-face, hand-to-hand contact and apply social distancing practices. Attendants will sanitize equipment and fuel nozzles and assist customers with refueling as needed.”
ODOE said the gas station workforce has reduced as much as 50% due to illness, child care issues and safety concerns. ODOE says the temporary provision allows gas stations to continue providing fuel in the face of decreased staff.
The provision applies to the whole state. The office said a gas station attendant must be present to supervise refueling to make sure it’s consistent with social distancing policies.
A gas station may offer self-service without an attendant present only if no employees are available to work. If that’s the case, it must also post safety signs and directions on how to properly operate a fuel pump.
The State Fire Marshal said the self-service regulation will be in place until April 11, and will be reevaluated if an extension is needed.
President Trump approves major disaster declaration for Oregon
President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Oregon Sunday amid the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
The declaration orders federal assistance to aid state, local and tribal recovery efforts through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
People stand in line outside of Blanchet House, a homeless service provider in Old Town Chinatown. The nonprofit has seen demand rise and donations plunge.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
In a statement released Sunday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said while the declaration is “an important first step” toward unlocking federal resources for Oregon, the declaration is a far cry from what the state has specifically requested.
Related: Oregon Is Burning Through PPE, Putting Health Workers Treating COVID-19 At Risk
“[T]his is far from everything Oregon needs from the federal government to actively and effectively combat this crisis. We have a number of significant requests pending with the federal government, first and foremost Oregon’s request for more personal protective equipment from the national stockpile,” Brown said in a statement.
"In addition, a significant part of our disaster declaration request was for individual assistance for all Oregon counties and tribes — including child care assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster legal services, and disaster unemployment assistance for Oregonians. That request is still also pending, and would provide significant relief to Oregon families if approved.”
The order is backdated to Jan. 20, bringing the number to 18 of states with disaster declarations due to the coronavirus. Brown previously declared a state of emergency on March 8, following that with a "stay at home" directive on March 23, ordering Oregonians to stay home as much as possible.
According to the governor’s office, organizations eligible for recovery efforts for emergency protective measures include, but are not limited to:
- Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety;
- Emergency operation and coordination costs;
- Disinfection of eligible public facilities;
- Medical sheltering;
- Purchase and distribution of food, water, medicine and other consumable supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment.
