DCBOC COVID Update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021

DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 UPDATE #616

(Douglas County, Ore.) 

QUICK LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, AS OF NOON ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021

*Our COVID quick look includes the total number of new cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives.

We have been steadfast in our recommendation that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is the number one safest, most effective measure available to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  It has also been shown to be incredibly effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and death from the COVID virus.  This recommendation was made based on the considerable amount of science-based evidence that was reviewed, studied and published by leading and respected medical professionals from all over the world.  Please consider getting vaccinated.  We do, however, understand that some people may have a different opinion on that subject, and others want to know what more they can do to stay safe during these trying times.  With the recent overwhelming surge in local COVID cases, the emergence of highly contagious variants and subsequent hospitalizations, it is more important than ever to protect yourself and those you love from contracting this virus. 

So, to help our residents protect themselves and the ones they love, we have developed a prevention refresher series called the COVID Prevention Toolkit for 2021.  The toolkit will contain educational information shared from leading sources in public health and medicine, and will include health and wellness tips, germ spread prevention measures, basic hygiene refreshers and safety reminders.  We are hopeful that it will provide useful insight on how you can maintain your personal health and wellness, and prevent the spread of this virus at the same time.  We plan to share the ideas from the toolkit in each of our upcoming updates, and once complete, we will make the prevention tool kit available online. 

TOOLKIT TOPIC #1: PLEASE LIMIT PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT

Our first topic from the tool kit is a reminder that this virus is spread through person-to-person contact.  Most people do not even realize they might be carrying or unknowingly spreading the virus.  So, right now, for the next few weeks, it is so very important to minimize interactions with others.  It is important to be conscious of your interactions with others, especially in the workplace, at social gatherings and in public.  It’s not only important to maintain a safe distance from others, but also be conscious of your surroundings.  Are people yelling, cheering, coughing or sneezing?  If so, then consider stepping farther back, as germ/virus spread distance can be increased during these instances.  Are people congregating and sharing food or drinks or utensils, like at a potluck? If so, then consider bringing your own food or drinks or if you are hosting, offer prepacked or single serve meals, snacks or drinks.  Events coming up?  In the next few weeks, consider postponing in-person gatherings and visit with family and friends by phone or online instead of in-person. 

What about work? If the option is available, consider working from home. Need to shop or run errands? Try shopping online or check with your favorite local grocer, store or pharmacy to see if they offer curbside pickup or delivery options. Look at minimizing your errands.  Have to be in close contact with others?  Consider wearing a face covering where recommended, and also when in close contact with others not from your household.  Not feeling well?  Please, please, if you’re sick, stay home.  If someone at your work is sick and refuses to go home, ask if you can be moved to another area or if you can work from home or go home.  We understand it is not always possible to avoid contact with others, just do your best.  As the Public Health Authority for Douglas County, your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, in conjunction with the advice of Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer and the staff at DPHN, they want to provide as much helpful and educational material as they can, so our residents can make the best decisions in protecting their families and our communities from further devastation from this disease.  Stay tuned for more information from our prevention toolkit series in future updates. 

COVID-19 RECAP FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021: 

On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 12:00 pm we had TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT (258) people with new positive test results, THREE (3) new presumptives and ONE (1) new death to report bringing our total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 6,470*.  We had SIXTY-TWO (62) Douglas County COVID-19 patients hospitalized, fifty-six locally and six out-of-the-area, including one that was transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here.  We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 12 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) are currently in use, and 12 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  Of our hospitalized cases on Tuesday, FIFTY-FIVE (55) of the 62 were not vaccinated. 

COVID-19 UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021: 

As of 12:00 pm today, Wednesday, August 18, 2021, there are ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE (161) people with new positive test results and SIX (6) new presumptives to report, bringing the total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 6,637*. Currently, there are FIFTY-NINE (59) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, fifty-three locally and six out-of-the-area, including one that had to be transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here. We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 13 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) are currently in use, and 12 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  Of our hospitalized cases on Wednesday, FIFTY-ONE (51) of the 59 were not vaccinated.  We are also happy to report that we are seeing shorter hospital admits for those that are vaccinated.   

COVID-19 RELATED DEATH OF A DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENT

Our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, has confirmed the deaths of one more Douglas County resident related to the COVID-19 virus. Our one hundred and fifth COVID-19 related death is a 83-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday, August 7, 2021 and passed away on Monday, August 16, 2021.  In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of this resident, no additional information will be released. Each death related to COVID-19 is painful for all Douglas County residents, and a sad reminder of the terrible impact COVID-19 has had in our local communities. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the DCCRT team extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all family members, friends, relatives, co-workers and community members of those who have passed after contracting this deadly virus.

**Our COVID case update includes the total number of cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives, as well as a breakout of those case numbers. There will be times when a presumptive will move to a positive test result, and our total case number will not change because the case has already been counted. †Due to the current extraordinary surge in local cases, state reporting system delays, necessary changes to our investigative protocols, and our teams doing their best to keep up with case workloads, have temporarily suspend reporting our number of residents in isolation and quarantine. 

REMINDER REGARDING NUMBERS FOR ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE: 

On Monday, August 16, 2021, we temporarily suspended our local reporting of those residents that are in isolation and quarantine. Due to the current extraordinary surge in local cases, state reporting system delays, necessary changes to our investigative protocols, and our local health teams doing their best to keep up with case workloads, we needed to temporarily suspend reporting our number of residents in isolation and quarantine.  We do not feel the numbers accurately represent the extent of those residents who are being asked to isolate and quarantine. We are hopeful that when this current crisis improves, we will be able to resume reporting.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.  The staff at DPHN along with community partners continue to support an extraordinary number of contacts and cases in isolation and quarantine.  Their unwavering dedication represents a significant amount of effort being done locally to help control the spread of COVID. 

UPDATE ON MERCY HEALTH'S VISITATION POLICY

Shared from CHI Mercy Health.  Yesterday, Mercy Health shared an update on their visitation policy.  Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in our community, including the circulation of the highly contagious variants, CHI Mercy Health is temporarily restricting all visitor access, with some exceptions, at our hospital and all of our outpatients clinics. This change will take effect today, Wednesday, August 18, 2021.  Also, with the hospital near maximum capacity, daily increases in admissions of more COVID positive patients and most Oregon hospitals near maximum capacity or full, Mercy is postponing all surgeries starting on Thursday, August 19, 2021. This includes all endoscopy procedures, elective and non-elective surgeries. This does not apply to emergent surgeries (C-sections, traumas, appendectomies etc.). The postponed surgeries will be reevaluated in two weeks.  The Oregon Surgery Center located adjacent to Mercy Health will be turned into a medical and surgical unit location, so we can house patients needing care that are not COVID positive.  The Family BirthPlace patients may continue to have one support person, but no visitors. Please note that children under 12 years of age are not permitted in the unit at this time.  Mercy wants to thank anyone affected by these restrictions for their patience and understanding, and for their help in keeping our patients, caregivers and communities safe and healthy.   

COVID-19 FACEBOOK LIVE WITH DR. BOB 

As a part of our COVID-19 Recovery Phase, DPHN will continue to host our COVID-19 Facebook Live events once a week, on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm. The next Facebook Live event featuring Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer will be Tuesday, August 24, at 6:00 pm.  You can submit your questions during our live show or in advance at: Facebookquestions@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org. Dr. Bob and the DPHN team will do their best to respond to as many questions as they can during the Facebook event.  The Facebook Events are hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page.

DOUGLAS COUNTY TIGER TEAM 

The Douglas County Tiger Team continues to bring free COVID-19 vaccines directly to all areas of Douglas County in our mobile medical vans (MMV) via their pop-up vaccine clinics.  The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, who have led the charge for our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team efforts since the beginning, have coordinated with DPHN to organize our local Tiger Team to manage our vaccine outreach efforts through ‘pop-up’ vaccine clinics. 

The clinics are currently open to anyone 18 years of age and older, and preregistration is not necessary.  For the latest list of upcoming Tiger Team clinics, log onto the DPHN website at https://douglaspublichealthnetwork.org/ and select the link for the Tiger Team schedules.  Our Tiger Team coordinates with Umpqua Valley Ambulance to bring a certified vaccinator and a medical assistant to each clinic.  If you are interested in having the Douglas County Tiger Team come to your area or event to provide a free pop-up vaccine clinic or if you have any questions about our Douglas County Tiger Teams, please call (541) 670-3110 or our local COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550. 

COW CREEK BAND OF UMPQUA TRIBE OF INDIANS OPENED HEALTH AND WELLNESS CLINICS TO ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR COVID VACCINATIONS AND TESTING

Shared from Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.  The Cow Creek Health and Wellness Clinics opened up their COVID vaccination and testing clinics to all community members, not just Cow Creek or Tribal individuals. Any community member can get vaccinated for FREE at their drive-through vaccine site located at 2360 NE Stephens Street in Roseburg, on the following schedule throughout the month of August: 

• Moderna Vaccine Offered: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm 
• Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Offered: Thursdays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Also, any community member, tribal or non-tribal, can get tested at either of the Cow Creek Health and Wellness Clinic (north and south) locations (see below for locations). The cost is $35, and they will bill insurance if you are insured. Community members do not have to be a clinic patient to get tested. Call (541) 672-8533 for more information and to schedule testing. Testing is available at both Cow Creek Health & Wellness locations: 2371 NE Stephens, Suite 200 in Roseburg and 480 Wartahoo Lane in Canyonville. 

AVIVA HAS A DEDICATED FREE COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINIC SITE IN ROSEBURG 

Shared from Aviva Health.  Aviva Health has a dedicated COVID-19 vaccination clinic site at 4221 NE Stephens Street, Suite 101 in Roseburg, just across the street from its main Roseburg Clinic location near Costco and offers free COVID-19 vaccines by appointment.   The COVID-19 vaccination clinic is e open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and is open for residents ages 12 and older**.  To schedule an appointment please call (541) 672-9596. 

COVID-19 VACCINE ELIGIBILITY OPEN FOR EVERYONE 12 YEARS OLD AND OLDER***

According to the CDC, State of Oregon and OHA, ALL residents ages 12 years old and older** are eligible to get the COVID-19 Vaccine. According to Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer, “We have plenty of vaccines available, they are safe, they are effective and they are available to anyone 12 and above who wants one.” 

1. 🔍 Log onto: http://DougCoVaccine.com.
2. 📞 Call our Douglas County COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550.
3. 📞 Call and set up an appointment with your primary health care provider, ask for a referral to another health care provider or call and set up an appointment with a local pharmacy.
4. Coastal Residents can call the Lower Umpqua Hospital District’s COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at (541) 271-2175.
5. Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, can set up an appointment by calling (541) 672-9405 or log onto https://www.cowcreek-nsn.gov/public-health/.  This service is not open to everyone.
6. The Roseburg VA Health Care System is setting up appointments for veterans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  For more information, call the Roseburg VAMC at (541) 440-1000 or log onto https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/.
7. Seniors can call Douglas County Senior Services at (541) 440-3677 to get help finding a vaccine provider.
8. Attend one of our vaccination clinics offered in Douglas County with our Tiger Team or through Aviva Health.

STATE AND FEDERAL COVID-19 INFORMATION

It is important to understand that Federal and State Government and their agencies are the ones that set policy, issue mandates and provide the guidelines for a state of emergency like the current COVID pandemic. Locally, we are following the recommended guidance issued by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).  If you have questions about the current guidelines or the recommendations, please contact the CDC or OHA directly for more information. OHA posts their daily updates at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus. Please do not call 911, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or Douglas County Offices to report issues with the State of Oregon, OHA or the Governor’s orders.  

ACCESS TO LOCAL COVID-19 RESOURCES

Local Online Access to Updates

Stay up to date with accurate and local COVID-19 information in Douglas County by visiting the Douglas County Government website or DCGOV Facebook page or the DPHN website or DPHN Facebook page.  

Free Local e-Newsletter Subscription

You can also sign up for the Douglas County e-Newsletter that publishes and sends out the update to our subscription base free. You can sign up for the Douglas County e-Newsletter at www.co.douglas.or.us. 

Douglas County COVID-19 Hotline (541) 464-6550

Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners and DPHN continue to offer a local resource hotline for Douglas County residents for COVID-19. The hotline provides answer to frequently asked questions, basic information and referrals to resources and services. Our local hotline number is (541) 464-6550 and is staffed from 8 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week.

Aviva Health Offers Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions Webpage

Aviva Health has created an online FAQ page to answer questions related to COVID-19 regarding availability and scheduling. Log onto https://aviva.health/covid-19-vaccine-faqs/

COVID Vaccine Call Center at Lower Umpqua Hospital District in Reedsport

Lower Umpqua Hospital District has a COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center for COVID-19 vaccine information in the Reedsport, Douglas County Coastal area. Call (541) 271-2175, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

***Please note that for residents that are ages 12 to 14, this will require a parent or guardian to accompany them and give written consent for the vaccine. Written consent can also be obtained in advance. Under Oregon law, minors 15 years of age and older may consent to medical treatment, including vaccinations, when provided by a physician, physician assistant, naturopath, nurse practitioner, dentist or optometrist, or other professionals operating under the license of these providers; however, families are encouraged to make decisions about vaccinations together.

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Contact Tamara Howell, Douglas County Public Information Officer & Emergency Communications & Community Engagement Specialist | Phone: (541) 670-2804 | Cell: (541) 957-4896 | Email: tjhowell@co.douglas.or.us 

Contact Vanessa Becker, Public Information Officer, Douglas Public Health Network – Phone: (541) 817-6552 – Cell - (541) 440-3571 – Email: vanessa@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org