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NEWS The New Normal, Again

As COVID-19’s Delta variant spreads across Oregon, leaders to call for a new round of masks and distancing

By Jack Harvel

Oregon dropped its mask mandates and distancing requirements on July 1. Now, after just a little over a month of “back to normal,” Gov. Kate Brown announced that mask mandates will return.

When regulations were lifted, the state recorded under 200 new cases a day. The seven-day average when this article went to print was over 1,000 new daily cases, with over 80% of infections due to the Delta variant since July 11. On Tuesday Brown released a statement saying mask requirements would be put back in place to stop the surge in cases. More details were to be released Wednesday.

“Oregon is facing a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations––consisting overwhelmingly of unvaccinated individuals––that is quickly exceeding the darkest days of our winter surge,” Gov. Brown said in a press release. “When our hospitals are full, there will be no room for additional patients needing care––whether for COVID-19, a heart attack or stroke, a car collision, or a variety of other emergency situations. If our hospitals run out of staffed beds, all Oregonians will be at risk.”

Brown will also require Oregon executive branch employees to get vaccinated “on or before October 18, or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later,” according to a press release.

This comes after Gov. Brown announced a rule requiring health care professionals to either get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID tests on Aug. 4. The rule goes into effect Sept. 30, giving health care providers time to put systems in place to adhere to it.

“This is welcomed news, as it allows us to further protect our workforce and our patients,” said Joe Sluka, St. Charles’ president and CEO in a press release. “We’re proud that 76% of our caregivers are already fully vaccinated, but we also know that means nearly a quarter are still vulnerable. The governor said today the more contagious Delta variant ‘has changed everything.’ We think that’s right, too, as the numbers we’ve seen as of late are not at all encouraging.”

The news comes just as St. Charles is reaching inpatient bed capacity in Central Oregon. A press release from St. Charles on Aug. 6 stated they couldn’t offer any inpatient beds, and that 17 people were boarding in the Emergency Department while they waited for available inpatient space.

“Our hospitals are in crisis,” said Aaron Adams, president of St. Charles Bend and Redmond. “We want to take care of people, but right now, we need their help.”

The strain on the health care system in Central Oregon is attributable to the increase in COVID, but also to difficulties hiring needed personnel, getting caught up with patients who couldn’t access routine care during the pandemic and population growth, the hospital system stated.

“There is a cascading effect that is causing incredible strain on the health system,” said Dr. Jeff Absalon, St. Charles’ chief physician officer, in a press release. “This is not going away anytime soon. I know people are tired of masks, but with the Delta variant’s transmissibility, everyone really should be wearing masks in indoor public spaces and crowded outdoor public spaces. And, of course, if you’re not vaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

County commissioners reject mask recommendation

On Aug. 4, Deschutes County Commissioners debated recommending indoor mask use for public places. The board of commissioners was split between Commissioner Phil Chang, who supported the recommendation,

As COVID cases rise, Central Oregonians should get used to wearing masks again. Nenad Stojkovic / Flikr

and Commissioners Patty Adair and Tony DeBone, who did not.

Absalon and Dr. Cynthia Maree, director of Infection Prevention Services at St. Charles Health System, wrote a letter to the commissioners asking them to consider adopting a mask mandate after the Aug. 4 meeting. Chang said he’d be supportive of either a mask mandate or recommendation, believing they both achieve the same aims.

“The messaging and the public statement of support for mask wearing would be more important than the mandate,” Chang told the Source. “If you think back to when we did have mask requirements, that the mask requirements we had were not really enforceable, either.”

Later, on Aug. 9, Bend Mayor Sally Russell, on behalf of the Bend City Council, also urged the commissioners to reconsider requiring masks in public spaces.

“In your role as directors of the public health authority of our County, we look to you take the actions necessary to prevent illness and death from this disease, and we will support you in those actions. The welfare of our businesses, restaurants, and, most importantly, our community members, depends upon our leadership,” Russell wrote. “The City of Bend, like the rest of Deschutes County, is exhausted by the continual presence (and disturbing new activity) of this virus. The call to act, though, resounds clearly through the recent public health data; we stand with our County leadership in making a decision that puts the needs of community first and foremost.”

The statewide mandate supersedes any decisions made by local governments. The day the rules go into effect was not available when this story went to press.

Out Without A Bang

Bend’s firework ban extended to Dec. 1, and maybe forever

By Jack Harvel

The Bend City Council is considering permanently extending its personal fireworks ban, saying they are an unnecessary fire risk, can trigger mental health episodes and cause panic in pets.

The City temporarily banned fireworks on June 8 before extending it to Aug. 31. At the City Council’s regular meeting on Aug. 4, City of Bend legal intern Casey Hess outlined legal avenues for the prohibition of personal fireworks ranging from limited timeframes for firing them, criteria-based approaches and outright bans of their purchase or use.

All city councilors were generally supportive of a ban on the sale and use of personal fireworks, apart from Anthony Broadman, who said he was mainly concerned with fire safety and wanted to look into the issue more before coming to a decision.

“I think that if we were to go with a criteria approach, I think the fact of the matter is the way our climate is working we’re never going to meet the criteria for it to be something that’s permissible,” Councilor Megan Perkins said.

The City Council plans to hold more meetings regarding a permanent ban before enacting one, but councilors agreed to extend the current ban until Dec. 1 while they come to a decision.

Trevor205 / Pixabay

Noticias en Español A medida que la variante Delta de COVID-19 se propaga a lo largo de Oregon, algunos líderes piden una nueva ronda del uso del cubrebocas y el distanciamiento

Por Jack Harvel / Traducido por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar

El 1 de julio Oregon elimino los mandatos del uso del cubrebocas y el distanciamiento. Ahora, después de poco más de un mes de “regresar a la normalidad”, algunos líderes comunitarios están exhortando que regresen esas mismas reglas ya que las infecciones aumentaron más debido a la variante Delta que es más infecciosa.

Cuando se eliminaron las reglas, el estado registro menos de 200 casos nuevos al día. El promedio de dos semanas, al momento que este artículo se imprimió, fue de más de 1,000 casos nuevos al día, con más del 80% de infecciones causadas por la variante Delta desde el 11 de julio. El 4 de agosto, la gobernadora de Oregon Kate Brown, anunció una regla pidiendo que los especialistas en atención médica se vacunen o que se hagan pruebas semanales de COVID-19. “La variante Delta que es más contagiosa ha cambiado todo,” dijo Brown. “Esta nueva medida de seguridad es necesaria para impedir que la variante Delta cause enfermedades graves entre los trabajadores en la primera línea de defensa: nuestros doctores, enfermeras, estudiantes de medicina y trabajadores de atención médica de primera línea. Al proteger a nuestros trabajadores de atención medica de primera línea por medio de la vacunación, también reforzará la seguridad de los pacientes que atienden.”

La regla entra en vigor al 30 de septiembre, dando tiempo a los proveedores de atención médica para implementar sistemas que se adhieran a la regla. “Esto es una buena noticia, ya que nos permite proteger aún más a nuestra fuerza de trabajo y a nuestros pacientes,” dijo Joe Sluka, presidente y director ejecutivo de St. Charles. “Estamos orgullosos que el 76% de nuestros trabajadores ya estén totalmente vacunados, pero también sabemos que eso significa que casi una cuarta parte de los trabajadores sigue expuesta. La gobernadora dijo hoy que la variante Delta, que es más contagiosa, “ha cambiado todo.” Creemos que eso es lo correcto, ya que las cifras que hemos visto no son nada alentadoras.”

La noticia llega justo al momento en que el hospital St. Charles llego al tope de su capacidad de camas para pacientes internos en la zona centro de Oregon. Un comunicado de prensa departe de St. Charles durante el 6 de agosto indicó que no podían ofrecer camas para pacientes internos y que 17 personas estaban instaladas en la sala de emergencias mientras esperaban por una cama disponible para paciente interno. “Nuestros hospitales están en crisis,” dijo Aaron Adams, presidente de St. Charles Bend y Redmond. “Queremos atender a las personas, pero por el momento, necesitamos de su ayuda.”

La tensión en el sistema de atención médica en la zona centro de Oregon es atribuible al aumento de COVID, pero también a las dificultades para contratar al personal necesario, ponernos al corriente con los pacientes que no pudieron acceder a atención médica rutinaria durante la pandemia y al crecimiento de la población, indicó el sistema hospitalario. “Hay un efecto dominó que está causando una enorme tensión en el sistema de salud,” dijo el Dr. Jeff Absalon, director médico de St. Charles. “Esto no va a desaparecer pronto. Sé que la gente está cansada de los cubrebocas, pero con la transmisibilidad de la variante Delta, todos deberían usar el cubrebocas en interiores públicos y en espacios al aire libre en donde haya mucha gente. Y, por supuesto, si no está usted vacunado, favor de vacunarse lo más pronto posible.

Los comisionados del condado rechazan el mandato del uso de cubrebocas

El 4 de agosto, los comisionados del condado de Deschutes discutieron el recomendar el uso del cubrebocas en interiores públicos. La junta de comisionados se dividió entre el comisionado Phil Chang, quien apoyó la recomendación y los comisionados Patty Addair y Tony DeBone quienes no apoyaron la recomendación.

En respuesta a esto, el 9 de agosto, la alcaldesa de Bend Sally Russell, en nombre del consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend, exhortó a los comisionados a reconsiderar el uso del cubrebocas en lugares públicos.

This is Central Oregon. Drink it in.

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