Health Points: Public Health Reports and Dispatches
By Anne Scheck October 19, 2021
POLK COUNTY COVID: HEADING DOWNWARD Although 51 more cases of COVID-19 were announced in Polk County today by the Oregon Health Authority, the viral spread seems to be diminishing. “We are trending down,” said Jacqui Umstead RN, public health administrator for Polk County.
In the coming weeks, the Pfizer vaccine is expected to be approved for five-to-11-year-old children, she noted. As more of the county population is vaccinated, fewer people are likely to be sick: Almost all who require hospitalization, especially intensive care, are unvaccinated, Umstead said. She made the statements at today’s meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners.
“I’d expect that soon we may not need these weekly public health meetings,” predicted Craig Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. However, there is “likely to be another wave” at some point, he observed.
Umstead, who expressed optimism over the future containment of covid, responded that the answer lies in making sure that the “right message gets out to people in the community,” she stressed. “We don’t want to take our foot off the brakes with this.”
(Some who are vaccinated say they have trouble understanding why there is mistrust of FDA-approved vaccines. See how an email is answered by Trammart News, at bottom, in ‘Questions Answered,’ a feature in ‘Public Health Points’)
COUNTY COMPLIANCE WITH MANDATE: HIGH Of 174 employees in Polk County Health Services subject to the state mandate for vaccination, only one staff member has refused to comply -- and is expected to depart. Of the six-to-eight remaining unvaccinated personnel, all have received either religious or medical exemptions, said Matt Hawkins, administrative services director for Polk County.
“We are in really good shape,” he said. Non-vaccinated individuals who have been granted exceptions will be required to wear KN195 masks, he added. QUESTIONS ANSWERED Trammart News, which publishes Public Health Points, sometimes receives questions or comments about public health reports. One recent email asked why those who risk getting sick from the virus would forego vaccination, when it’s proving protective. The response is below:
Some residents of Polk County have deep skepticism about science, particularly the research conducted by scientists. How is this known to be true? In early 2019 Pew Research Institute surveyed 4,464 adults. At the time of the study – nearly a year before the first cases of the pandemic – the survey showed that many Americans don’t believe scientists are open and forthcoming about potential conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry. This was particularly true of people with conservative views – and about half of adults in Polk County are registered Republicans.
Perhaps such scientific mistrust shouldn’t be surprising, considering the recent prescription-opioid epidemic. It keeps making headlines. In fact, Purdue Pharma’s Sackler Family seems to have inspired two current and highly rated television series, “Dopesick” and “Goliath,” which both illustrate a blatantly corporate role in this form of drug addiction.
The Pew research also showed that when Americans are asked about what factors might increase their trust in science, they cite public access to the research itself and reviews of it by outside groups. When the coronavirus emerged, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the main source of information; Outside opinions were frequently covered by news outlets, which featured their own experts with sharply different views. A variety of media channels aired counter arguments on measures to control the spread of covid.
That wasn’t the only source of confusion. As more research shed light on the coronavirus, shifts in thinking about COVID-19 occurred fairly regularly at first. This happened with masks: Anthony Fauci MD said early in the pandemic that they aren’t likely to help significantly, then a short while later he became an advocate of face coverings.
The public has faced such reversals over the years, and it seems to have increased mistrust in some, even when it comes to a simple thing like stocking up the refrigerator. Is butter or margarine better? Butter is mainly dairy fat; Margarine is usually made with vegetable oils. The medical community has debated the merits of each, offering guidance that has been unclear, at times.
Even careful journalism can be seen as less-than-credible. There are pressures on reporters to meet deadlines and other challenges to achieving accuracy. For example, many in the media report routinely on the advantages of a flu shot, including Trammart News. But for people with severe allergies to ingredients in some flu vaccines, like gelatin, this might not be a good idea, according to the CDC. This distinction is hardly ever made because it’s so rare, but it certainly can be a concern for a tiny fraction of people – and they’re likely to notice when this fact is left out of news accounts.
NOTE: Anne Scheck, editor-publisher of Trammart News & Publishing, is vaccinated (and now boosted) against COVID-19, with Pfizer -- and a flu shot is scheduled for Friday.
COVID IN POLK COUNTY: UNVACCINATED ILLNESS COVID-19 infections appear to be ticking up among younger segments of the population in Polk County, with 41% of new cases reported in groups 29 years of age and under, according to Jacqui Umstead, the county’s public health administrator, who announced the findings last week at the Polk County Board of Commissioners.
Other newly diagnosed covid cases were fairly evenly spread across the early-to-late midlife range, from 30-to-59 years, Umstead said. In situations where coronavirus was found in those who reside in assisted living or nursing homes, the virus frequently is being detected in staff. At the Independence Health and Rehabilitation Center, for example, seven staff members tested positive, along with three residents, she said.
Though breakthrough cases – those that occur in vaccinated individuals – are slightly increasing, the overwhelming majority of seriously ill individuals are unvaccinated. The situation is “extending the tail” of the pandemic, according to Brandon Schmidgall, chief administrative officer of Salem Health. He told the Polk County Board of Commissioners that he is hopeful the added pressure on the health system will taper off in the coming weeks. (Some misconstrued information appears to be fueling vaccine hesitancy -- see below, at bottom, ‘Questions Answered,’ a new feature in ‘Public Health Points’)
PFIZER BOOSTER SHOTS & UPDATE How Pfizer booster shots will be made available has yet to be announced, but the locations for administering them are expected to be decided soon – predictions range from by-appointment healthcare visits to stop-ins at a local pharmacy.
In some regions of the state, providers and local public health officials may set up booster vaccination sites, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
One source of confusion appears to be who is eligible, a broader question than the currently stated recommendations. The OHA announced who should get the booster -- adults 65 and older and 50-64 years of age who have underlying medical conditions -- but those who may get it also include individuals 18-to-64 years of age who are at increased risk for COVID-19, a reference to underlying conditions and vulnerability based on “individual benefits and risks.”
Heightened vulnerability would include “people who are at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission due to occupational or institutional setting,” according to the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, the advisory body often relied upon by the OHA.
Those who do qualify need to have received the initial vaccination at least six months prior to the booster shot. More clarity on this is expected in the immediate future, including the status of other vaccine boosters.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED Trammart News, which publishes Public Health Points, sometimes receives questions about purported risk from vaccines – and scientific journals may be cited as proof. Vaccine advocates often dismiss such claims as “misinformation” – but frequently the label isn’t quite that simple. Often even a straightforward scientific fact can get lost in translation. One such question posed recently helps highlight this problem.
Question: If vaccine promoters are so sure vaccines can’t hurt us, why does the New England Journal of Medicine say RNA anti-covid vaccines can have bad effects?
Answer: In July of last year, the highly regarded New England Journal of Medicine published an early study that could be seen as showing a relatively high rate (21%) of “adverse events” after vaccination. The results are still being quoted, even though the high doses used in this study were never a part of the current public vaccine effort and the alleged “bad effects” were only seen in three people.
The rate looked high because the study had so few participants. In fact, this is why investigations like this are undertaken by medical researchers – to determine the safety and effectiveness of dosages.
And that’s also why these studies enroll only a small number of people, initially. Scientists don’t want to inject even enthusiastic volunteers with anything that might cause an ill effect, even if it isn’t long-lasting. What they did find in this study was a vigorous immune response, which was good news in the search for a successful vaccine.
Little did this research team know that this study would be invoked to discredit vaccines; In fact, the study led to further refinement for a safe, protective vaccine. Would you like to read the study for yourself? Here is the link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2022483
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS Special Report: 100-plus Covid Cases Yesterday / Police Chief & Deputy Fire Chief Honor Three Citizen "Heroes" By Anne Scheck August 28, 2021
COVID CASES RISE IN POLK COUNTY Covid-19 cases in Polk County have topped a daily count of more than 100 twice in recent days – 104 people in the county were diagnosed with the virus yesterday, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
Some good news: Measures such as more masking and increases in vaccination seem to be having an effect; Overall trends show the infection by a single person to others has dipped slightly since earlier this summer, now hovering above a one-to-one ratio, according to the OHA. Mask-wearing in outdoor venues that draw crowds – mandated by the state beginning yesterday – now will be part of outdoor events in Independence, beginning today with the annual celebration “Mexican Fiesta,” held at the city’s Riverview Park.
The spread from the delta variant continues to take a toll on the health care system, with evidence that the demand for intensive-care beds is impacting Polk County’s local medical center, West Valley Hospital. The overwhelming majority of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus occurs among the unvaccinated, according to Michael Gay, who directs communications for Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics.
In a report this past week to the Polk County Board of Commissioners, Gay said that “it’s affecting a younger and younger group.” System-wide, there have been upticks in the admissions of young adults, as well as children, he added.
Jacqui Umstead, the county’s public health administrator, will provide another update Tuesday for the board. She now is scheduled to attend meetings of the Polk County Board of Commissioners to apprise them weekly of the county’s COVID-19 situation.
COMMISSIONER TAKES ISSUE WITH CORONAVIRUS TERMS Craig Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, questioned the media’s allegedly overblown use of the word “collapse” – a frequent reference to certain hospitals in Oregon – during last Tuesday’s meeting of the commissioners.
Being able to meet the medical needs of the public, and to continue to serve patients, doesn’t warrant use of that word, he asserted. “That’s not a collapse,” he said.
That’s true so far, but it becomes “a matter of physics,” explained Michael Gay, who directs communications for Salem Health. Capacity can be stretched, but only up to a point. “I think we’d be remiss if we thought that something wouldn’t happen if we are not careful,” he said. Gay attended the meeting last week at the request of commissioners. (See “Parting Comment” below for response to the issue raised by Pope, from Trammart News)
POLICE HONOR RESIDENTS WHO RESCUED SWIMMERS Calling three people “heroes” who saved the lives of two drowning swimmers, Independence Police Chief Robert Mason and Deputy Fire Chief Neal Olson honored Michoe Montgomery, Teresa Lowry and Jamie Brown with a special lifesaving award, a “challenge coin,” from the police department.
When high temperatures drew hundreds to the Willamette River in Independence in late June, “a couple of young adults were wading out on the south gravel bar, when they stepped off the bar and into the deep water between the shore and the bar,“ Police Chief Mason explained. Neither of the two could swim and, as they struggled, others tried unsuccessfully to form a human chain that could sustain them, he added.
The three honorees worked to keep the pair above water until they received flotation aids. “I was on scene with these heroes after the fact and I can tell you I believe their actions saved lives,” Mason said. The awards were given at the Independence City Council meeting Tuesday. Montgomery and Lowry were there to receive them publicly.
PARTING COMMENT Many questions have been sent to Trammart News by those who feel that, just as Commissioner Craig Pope alluded in a recent meeting, the media is using imprecise descriptions to explain the delta variant’s impact. In the next Public Health Points, I will try to address all of the questions I have received in exactly the same way I did when the outbreak was first announced – by answering questions with scientific references or by quoting our local and state experts. Also, I plan to invite the commissioners to make their concerns known to me specifically, so that I can address those in a hopefully helpful way. Thank you for your readership. Anne Scheck, editor-publisher, Trammart News & Publishing.
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS Special Report:Covid Rise in Unvaccinated in County / Craig Pope, Vaccine Advocate / Risk Assessment Arrives By Anne Scheck August 18, 2021
UNVACCINATED POPULATION: COVID’S RISE IN POLK COUNTY COVID-19 cases have increased significantly over the past two weeks in Polk County, a positivity rate that ticked up three percent, from 8.8% to 11.8%. However, “predominantly and across the board” the virus is affecting individuals who haven’t been vaccinated, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, the county’s health administrator, who reported the findings at a meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners yesterday.
The infections are presumed to be from the more contagious “Delta variant,” which can be transmitted even by people who have been vaccinated. However, those who have received the vaccine and subsequently have become infected are far less likely to have serious disease or to be hospitalized, she said. “It’s exciting to see – the higher the vaccination rate, the lower the covid disease,” Umstead said.
Umstead's report arrives at a time when steep increases in case counts and hospitalization rates in the state have been announced by the Oregon Health Authority.
In Polk County, the highest number of cases have been in the west Salem area, Umstead noted. But pocket outbreaks, such as Dallas Retirement Village, have occurred, a sign that older individuals – even when vaccinated – may be more susceptible to infection than their younger counterparts who have had the vaccine.
Most of those currently diagnosed with COVID-19 within the county range in age from 20-to-39 years, Umstead said. The Delta variant is considered to be far more contagious than previous strains, but the evidence so far doesn’t show it to be more virulent.
ADVOCACY OF VACCINE BY COMMISSION CHAIR Craig Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, supports vaccination for any and all in age groups approved for the shots – including the entire county staff that qualifies for it in his own office, he said.
“I’ve had covid and now I’ve had the vaccine, and yes, you can call me an advocate,” he said, when asked after the meeting if he thinks vaccination is a good idea for everyone who can receive it, once it becomes available across age groups. There are medical reasons and other exceptions that can prevent vaccines from being universally administered, he pointed out.
Pope, along with his fellow commissioners and the rest of the county staff, has resumed wearing a mask. Tuesday, he suggested a return to weekly public-health reports. Additionally, he invited local health officials, including representatives from West Valley Hospital, to future commission meetings. Umstead said she would be back this coming Tuesday with another round of data.
PARTING COMMENT Public health authorities across the mid-Willamette Valley and at the state level appear to be using the term “risk assessment” more often, now that a majority of people in many parts of Oregon have gotten the vaccine.
For example, masks aren’t required outdoors. Even so, in close clusters, they may be a good idea. Conversely, concern about low-risk situations that lead to foregoing pre-pandemic routines – such as exercise and social interaction – can be addressed by participating in them with friends or family who are vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Alleviating these activities can mean loss of substantial health benefits, both physical and emotional, according to several other medical sources.
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS Special Report: Mask Mandate / Speedy Drivers / Wildlife Advice / EDITORIAL By Anne Scheck August 11, 2021
MASK MANDATE NOW HERE IN POLK COUNTY A mandatory indoor masking requirement will kick in this coming Friday, despite statements by the chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners less than two weeks ago that raised doubts about the effectiveness of the facial coverings.
By 4 pm today, 48 new cases of covid since yesterday had been reported in Polk County, according to the Oregon Health Authority. In a mid-day news conference, Gov. Kate Brown said the surge is due to the “delta variant” of the coronavirus, and now 90% of beds in intensive-care units across the state are full. “When hospitals run out of beds, we are all at risk,” she said.
Asked a week ago Tuesday if the county health authority was likely to require masks indoors, Craig Pope, chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, said he considered it very unlikely. Masks offer only partial protection from viral spread, he said during that board meeting.
In addressing how successful masking can be, “it is hard to tease out all the variables,” explained Jacqui Umstead RN, the county health administrator. “But does it help? Yes, it does,” she stressed, adding that studies show the delta variant is up to three times as contagious as the original virus. A recent comparison between vaccinated older adults and those of similar ages who had not received the vaccine showed hospitalizations were much higher for the unvaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease and Control.
Previously, it had appeared that decision-making on masks -- other than state-identified exceptions for school districts and in certain other settings -- might be left to the county. However, today’s announcement by the governor makes indoor masks a statewide requirement within the next 48 hours.
Umstead, who didn’t address the board at its most recent meeting, will return for another update this Tuesday, according to the office of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. NOTE: See related editorial by Laura Fear Archer DVM below news briefs.
RISE IN SPEEDING DRIVERS: WHAT IS THE NEW CAUSE? Returning to normal traffic enforcement appears to be the reason for an increase in speeding citations by officers of the Independence Police Department (IPD), who previously hadn’t been looking as intensely for speed-related violations due to the onset of the pandemic.
“For many months we have tried to limit our traffic stops” to keep both the officers and the public safe, explained IPD Sgt Lyle Gilbert. A total of 47 citations for speeding -- including warnings -- were issued in July, according to the IPD’s tally. That coincided with mask mandates being eased, Gilbert said. During the same period, vaccination status also shot up, according the Oregon Health Authority.
There may be other factors that contributed to the increase, but the most obvious cause seems to have been the change in coronavirus measures, he added.
RABID BAT: STATE VET SAYS RARE & OFFERS ADVISORIES A rabid bat discovered in Riverview Park – one of eight found positive for rabies across the state this year – is a rarity. However, the death of the little flying creature helps illustrate why sick or ailing animals should be left alone, according Colin Gillin DVM, the state’s wildlife veterinarian.
Even in huge bat populations, very few carry rabies, he said. Told that raccoons wander into neighborhoods in Independence in search of cat food and that some backyard birds are so accustomed to locals that they swoop down on patio barbecues, Gillin warned residents to stay away and exercise caution. “Don’t handle wildlife,” he stressed.
Even when a familiar animal seems ill or in distress and a rescue effort seems tempting, intervention “does nothing good for the animal,” he said – humans look like big, terrifying two-legged predators. Instead, anyone who sees a bird or mammal that looks lost or injured can call 866 968 2600, a special line of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, where voice mails are received and retrieved.
EDITORIAL Laura Archer DVM has lived in Independence since 1987 with her husband and veterinary clinic partner, Bob Archer DVM (Ash Creek Animal Clinic on Main Street). She is a graduate of Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Willamette University. This editorial also will appear in the September issue of The Independent.
By now, probably everyone knows that the Covid Delta variant is surging all over the US, including here in Oregon.
Not too long ago, new Covid cases in Oregon were regularly below 200 per day, and we were looking forward to the end of this long nightmare. As I write this, daily cases have just reached 2300. Hospitalizations have surpassed their pandemic peak, and hospitals across the state are warning about the real risk of running out of beds in a couple of weeks.
The Delta variant is much more transmissible than earlier variants, and is attacking more younger people and children. This is not because Delta prefers to attack the young, but because the more at-risk elderly have been protected by vaccination (around 90% of those over 65 are fully vaccinated, both in Oregon and the country as a whole). With so many new infections, the numbers of those who become severely ill are also increasing (and Delta may be more likely to cause more severe illness, as well). Delta is also affecting the vaccinated, as breakthrough infections are more common with this variant.
Even though breakthrough infections are increasing due to Delta, most vaccinated people (60-80%, according to current data) will still be protected from any infection. Those who do have a breakthrough case will almost certainly have an illness resembling a cold or mild flu, and be able to recover easily at home in just a few days.
The vaccine is working excellently, preventing severe infections and hospitalization/death in nearly all cases.
The real risk with the Delta variant is to the unvaccinated in the community, including children under 12, for whom no vaccine is available. Because Delta is so contagious, it is practically impossible to avoid exposure during a surge like the one we are currently experiencing. It will continue to spread rapidly until everyone has been either infected or vaccinated. This will continue to stress our healthcare system, resulting in poorer care for everyone, including those with non-Covid illness. With rampant spread of the virus, we also increase the risk that even more dangerous variants will develop.
It’s important to consider that vaccination is not only of benefit to the individual, but it is also part of the shared care we owe our community. My vaccination and mask-wearing are not only to protect me and my family, but also to protect the people I see at work, church, and community events, including all the children too young for a vaccine. Covid will always be with us. The small chance we had of eradicating this virus was missed long ago, if it ever even existed. Covid can hide out in multiple species and will continue to emerge to infect anyone susceptible.
But we can eventually come to live with it. Once everyone has been either vaccinated or infected, we will all have at least partial immunity and Covid will dwindle to something like seasonal influenza. We may need periodic booster vaccinations, but there will not be enough susceptible people left to sustain a pandemic, and most cases will be as mild as the current breakthrough infections.
The decision that faces us now is whether we want to achieve this state of tolerance with vaccination, which is free and safe (serious side effects are extremely rare), or with illness (very costly if severe enough for hospitalization, about 10% risk of long-term disability, and a death rate of 1-2 per hundred.) It shouldn’t be a very difficult decision.
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS Special Report: Risk Reclassified By Anne Scheck April 27, 2021
Polk County and all of its cities are expected to be declared at “extreme risk” of coronavirus spread this week, meaning the entire county will move into that category, it was reported at the Polk County Board of Commissioners today.
“It looks like we will be moving into ‘extreme risk’ this Friday,” said Jacqui Umstead, public health administrator for the county. The county's positivity rate has increased to about 7% for the last period of data collection, she noted. Only a few weeks ago it was reported to be about half of that percentage.
The new classification would mean that restaurants, bars and other businesses that currently are allowed to serve at 25% capacity can no longer do so. “We are going back to only take-out,” said Commissioner Mike Ainsworth, expressing shock and regret at the development.
Under a new revision, county risk classifications will be considered by the state on a “week by week” basis, said Commissioner Craig Pope, who serves as the public-health point person for the county.
Variants of Covid-19 seem to be proving more transmissible, Umstead observed. However, she stressed that she feels the infection spike might be relatively short in duration. “We are getting more people vaccinated every day,” she said. -end-
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS Special Editorial and Commentary By Anne Scheck February 14, 2021
There are 20 different ways to say “good luck” in French, the only language I ever learned other than the one in which this is written. But there ought to be more American expressions for it. Because how do you say things are getting better in this pandemic when it is still so terrible for so many?
However, it appears that here in Polk County we are having some good luck. The positively rate keeps inching down – and I’ve been following it, week after week, simply by showing up for the COVID-19 updates at the Polk County Board of Commissioners meetings.
There, Jacqui Umstead, the county’s public health administrator, has been reporting this data in a crisp and clinical way, so that everyone can understand it. By now, I could pick up Ms. Umstead’s voice in a chattering crowd of people, I know it so well. And it has been reassuring to hear, as time rolled on, that we’ve had careful watch at the county. Today the positivity rate stands at a much improved 6.5% and there has been only one new case reported in our county, as of Feb. 14.
WHILE COVID SPREADS, DEEP WORRY FOLLOWS At last week’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting, the news was grim. While Polk County prepared for testing at the fairgrounds, the numbers of covid-positive people across the county kept ticking up. By Thursday, Independence had recorded 291 cases. Yesterday, neighboring Marion County had the state’s highest daily count, at 218. Put another way, just as Polk County consistently increased from one-digit number increases to two, Marion County increased from two-digit numbers to three-digit figures.
School metrics – measurements that are used as indicators of when schools can reopen – look dismal for Polk County. “We are in a real crisis,” said Mike Ainsworth, chair of the Board of Commissioners. In fact, county public-health personnel are working so hard to keep up that extra help is being sought from the Oregon Health Authority, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, the public health administrator for the county.
Despite the county’s efforts to provide testing, which now involves a fairly fast result by a self-administered nasal swab, the affordability of the procedure is a barrier for many, said Commissioner Craig Pope, the county “point person” for public health.
ONE DAD AND 4 DAUGHTERS In an eastern county of Kansas, COVID-19 surpassed a number that many there thought couldn’t happen: 30,000. Like some in Polk County who once thought the virus would sweep through like a new flu, a single case had somehow grown so exponentially that it was invading places thought safe, including assisted-living facilities with elderly but healthy adults, who were protected by measures that included their grocery deliveries being carefully wiped with a bleach solution.
Sometime after that county count in Kansas reached about 29,500, a 93-year-old male resident in one of those supposedly pristine places became part of the statistics, a guy who’d served in the military, lost everything in a business failure as a young father, fought his way back to build a computer enterprise, surmounted rearing four daughters through their various adolescences, and then helped with grandchildren, too – along with his wife, in a marriage that stretches back to 1950.
He’s my father. And he is struggling.
I am told that my mother got over her case of COVID-19 rather quickly. She’s a couple of years younger than my dad, and they’ve always knocked down whatever health problems came their way. As the eldest daughter with three younger sisters, I am often out of touch with my family. When I left home for college I never really went back. I think it says something about our current crisis that the email from my closest-in-age sister telling me about my father’s condition arrived in my inbox about the same time another one did from a reader who’s been trying to get me to cover the “hoax” of the coronavirus.
I don’t know how many adult children have a conversation about extraordinary life-prolonging treatment for a parent, but I imagine it’s a lot. However, because I am such an absentee daughter, I weighed in only with an email saying I agreed with my three sisters, no deathbed resuscitation attempt should be made. I don’t know whether this was a comfort to them, but I informed them that my dad had told me around the time he reached 85 years of age, that he’d had a good run. I couldn’t imagine why. Our family had spent years scraping by after he refused to declare bankruptcy when the print shop that he founded -- and loved so much -- went belly up.
But I do remember thinking, back then, that everything seemed to have turned out all right for him. He had seen his sister sink into dementia, while his wits remained sharp. He had seen his brother die of emphysema, knowing that he’d kicked smoking years ago and his older sibling never could. Life seems ironically cruel now -- he's gasping for breath because of an infectious agent.
The doctors sent him home from the hospital with oxygen and a walker so, just as a business going bust couldn’t defeat my dad, maybe this virus won’t either. But I cannot be equivocating any more about this pandemic – giving a ready ear to conspiracy theories, trying not to be judgmental while being told masks are counterproductive. Neutrality, or at least the way I try to maintain it, is part of being a journalist. So I want to take this opportunity to confess that now that I will be covering the coronavirus crisis with an unflinching scientific perspective. I cannot seem to help myself. There is a man back in a flyover plains state, walking as much as he can, behind a set of wheels, while attached to an Oxygen tank.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS ‘FREEZE’ ORDER County Commissioner Craig Pope has taken concerns over the “freeze” order on certain businesses directly to Gov. Kate Brown, in a phone call yesterday aimed at clarifying how pandemic public-health metrics are being applied to counties with small towns and rural areas. Mr. Pope is the public-health “point person” on the Polk County Board of Commissioners, which acts as the county health authority. He was joined in the call to the governor by commissioners from neighboring counties.
The response from the governor to the nearly hour-long discussion was “favorable,” Mr. Pope reported in comments following the Wednesday meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. The contact with the governor occurred just before the new restrictions kicked in today, which require restaurants to sell food only by take-out and limit any social gatherings to no more than six people from no more than two households. The order also applies to gyms and entertainment establishments, including movie theaters.
The actual venues and precise ways in which the virus is being transmitted aren’t clear, Commissioner Pope asserted. “I’d really like to have data on this,” he stressed, adding that most of the outbreaks in Polk County appear to be from co-housing or working in close quarters. “Yet we don’t close those down,” he observed. At their Tuesday meeting, the Polk County Board of Commissioners expressed worry that many of the small business affected by this new order won’t be able to remain open after it is lifted.
The recent “freeze” prompted a shutdown to the public at the Independence Civic Center and the Monmouth City Hall, but the Polk County Courthouse Building will remain as open as feasibly possible, according to several employees there.
In the meantime, Gov. Brown announced plans for the state to allocate $55 million in financial assistance to businesses impacted by the restrictions.
POLK COUNTY HARD HIT BY COVID CASES An influx of 27 new cases of COVID-19 in Independence, where 11 employees from Marquis Spa tested positive, are part of a record-breaking total for infections in Polk County, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, the public health administrator for the county.
New cases increased by 18 during the time that Ms. Umstead addressed the Polk County Board of Commissioners Tuesday – many of the clusters have been found to occur in retirement communities, such as Heron Pointe in Monmouth.
There’s been an “uptrend” in positivity from the virus, she said. As of today, 955 cases have been recorded – people in the county who have tested positive or are presumed to have acquired the virus based on contact and symptoms. To date, there have been16 deaths.
COMMISSIONER MIKE AINSWORTH: A LESSON IN TIME OF QUARANTINE A two-week self-imposed quarantine undertaken by Polk County Commissioner Mike Ainsworth has resulted in a change in the way contact tracing is conducted in the county. The commissioner, who began a period of isolation after relatively close contact with a county employee who tested positive, never experienced symptoms himself, he said.
However, Mr. Ainsworth did encounter a barrier to contact tracing: a voice mailbox too full to receive his call. He’d been phoned by a contact tracer, and when Mr. Ainsworth attempted to call back, he was unable to connect. “I thought it was interesting they didn’t call again,” Commissioner Ainsworth observed.
The voice-mailbox problem is being fixed, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, the county’s public health administrator. “They are making real-time changes,” she said.
Also back on the job this week was the person to whom Mr. Ainsworth was virally exposed – and who wishes to remain anonymous, but described the illness as days and days of "flu-like symptoms." -end-
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR DISINFECTION A sanitizing system aimed at covid-proofing Polk County buildings is up and running, including two large barrel-like sprayers that can be wheeled around to emit a disinfecting mist in courthouse offices.
The futuristic technology is now part of the county routine during the continuing pandemic. The equipment also includes three portable units that resemble back-packs – also used to make sure that surfaces and air are frequently cleansed. The sanitation process of "misting" is "very similar to what they use on airplanes," explained Matt Hawkins, administrative services director for the county.
One of the initial focuses was in the jail, he pointed out. To date, "we've never been listed as having an outbreak," he noted, which would mean a cluster of people infected by the workplace.
There also are three hand-held sprayers that look like small leaf-blowers, as well as an array of spray bottles used to deep-clean surfaces, he added.
The protocol, which has proven successful so far, may be of interest to other institutions in the county: school re-openings are likely to require similar deep-cleaning approaches, according to state health authorities. However, these measures are "only one piece of it," Mr. Hawkins stressed. Social distancing and facial coverings provide protection for employees during the workday, he said.
ALL-TIME HIGH FOR STATE COVID CASES Yesterday’s daily count of 575 new COVID-19 cases was the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a report from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). This increase reflects “continued widespread community transmissions” that have resulted in small clusters and outbreaks statewide, the OHA stated.
Independence continued to tick up, too, reaching a total of 114 cases yesterday.
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT: PANDEMIC DATA SO FAR Mental health issues for those housed in the county jail are a continual challenge, according to the latest report from the Polk County Sheriff’s Department. The report reflects data gathered last summer after new infection-control procedures were implemented for the pandemic.
The jail “continues to see a high number of emotionally disturbed persons,” according to the report, which was submitted by Sheriff Mark Garton to the Polk County Board of Commissioners at a meeting several weeks ago. The number of available beds at the jail has to be reduced when mental-health issues affect its population, he explained.
A full-time mental health professional is on site for the jail, and a top goal that’s listed for the near future is more mental health training for staff. Already, the jail was operating at less capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions, which cut the number of beds by about half – to roughly 100 from 195. -end-
RAPID COVID TEST FOR ‘POP-UP’ SITE A new rapid test for COVID-19 that’s the size of a credit card and gives results in 15 minutes will be used this coming Wednesday at the Polk County Fairgrounds for free screenings -- and at care facilities ranging from Capital Manor, Dallas Retirement Village and Independence Health and Rehabilitation Center, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, public health administrator for Polk County. About 150 people are expected to participate in testing at the fairgrounds to check their COVID-19 status, including many agricultural workers, Ms. Umstead said.
The senior residential facilities are using the new system, too -- quick results can be achieved in places where occupants are at higher risk due to age or underlying conditions, or both, Ms. Umstead explained at Tuesday’s Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Called BinaxNOW, the test, produced by Abbott, relies on a nasal swab and is highly portable. “With lab-based tests you get high sensitivity but might have to wait days or even longer to get the results,’’ announced Mary Rodgers PhD, principal scientist of infectious disease research at Abbott, during a short video broadcast on the test. In Independence, positive cases for the coronavirus ticked up to 105 last week – many of them occurred within families. Overall in Oregon, the age group with the highest incidence of reported infection continues to be 20- to 29-year-olds; They have accounted for more than a third of reported cases, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). During the week of Sept. 27–Oct. 3, a total of 22,548 Oregonians received testing for COVID-19, and 6.3% of them had a positive result, the OHA reported.
IS IT TIME FOR COUNTY TO HELM EMERGENCY ALERTS? An emergency system that can link to residents of all cities, communities and agencies across Polk County is proving problem-free, but it hasn’t been adopted for administration by the county’s emergency management system.
“I think we need more information and discussion,” said Craig Pope, after the county commissioners were presented with a report on the system by Sheriff Mark Garton at this week’s meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Called CivicReady, the technology can broadcast alerts from storm warnings to wildfire outbreaks across mobile devices -- and it’s easily available to citizens who want to connect with it, said Sheriff Garton. The sheriff said his department has been using it with 11,000 enrollees and at a cost of only $14,500 annually. However, Commissioner Pope said he’s not certain how it could be improved by switching it to oversight by county emergency services.
“How do we make it effective for all of Polk County?” he asked, noting that there’s a fine line between broadcasting too much information and too little, and that someone has to be responsible for managing those decisions. With scarce use, such alerts may not be widely utilized; With frequent use, they may not be highly valued, he observed. The question is “how to manage that tool,” agreed Greg Hansen, county administrator. The issue is expected to be considered by the commissioners at a later date and, until then, CivicReady will continue to be the responsibility of the sheriff’s office. (On a related topic, see a link to “disaster preparedness” at the bottom of this Public Health Points).
CROSSWALK CRITERIA FOR ERRANT DRIVERS Ever wondered how the Independence Police Department (IPD) makes decisions on who gets a ticket and who gets a warning during crosswalk enforcement periods? There have been several this fall, where police officers pose as pedestrians crossing the street at the designated walkway, and then catch violating motorists in the act. Failure to stop and remain stopped while a pedestrian is crossing results in either a ticket ($) or a warning (a chat) at these “Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operations.” So what’s the distinction?
IPD Officer Richard Gonzalez has helpfully provided some insight. He passed on information from a special training session he attended. “We spoke about when it would be appropriate to issue a citation or give a verbal warning for a driver who commits the violation,” he explained. It turns out that a driver’s actions are deemed “egregious” for violations which include excessive speeding through the crosswalk and texting while driving. However, they also rise to the level of ticket for honking at the pedestrian and otherwise causing “a pedestrian to flee,” he added.
“Typically, warnings are given to drivers who slowly continue driving while the pedestrian is still in the crosswalk but near the end of the crosswalk,” he stated. “This is a common mistake most drivers commit as they believe that if the pedestrian is almost done crossing the road then they can continue driving.”
Trammart News, publisher of Public Health Points, wishes to thank Officer Gonzalez for his thorough explanation of how infractions can be committed by drivers against pedestrians. Horn honks at people peaceably using a crosswalk seem a particularly surprising response -- could this possibly be an indication of a personality with over-abundant Type-A reactivity? Perhaps a future examination is warranted for inexplicable traffic behaviors. In the meantime, Officer Gonzalez stressed that a driver must remain stopped for a pedestrian who is crossing a two-lane roadway before driving can be continued.
N95 MASKS, RAIN FOR AIR QUALITY Respirator masks – both the N95 and KN95 variety – should be worn by anyone who has to be outside for extended periods, said Michael Wood, who heads the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The smoke-impacted air “continues to be an issue,” he said. As a result, the specialized masks are needed for those who work outdoors while the air quality remains substandard due to wildfire contamination.
Mr. Wood issued the advisory during an online presentation today by the Oregon Health Authority. “These are not the facial coverings that generally we have been dealing with in the covid context,” he noted. Instead, they have a higher filtration capability – keeping out tiny particles from the soot and ash that have polluted the air, he explained.
The presentation by the state OSHA administrator occurred after the Polk County Board of Commissioners met this morning in a brief session, where they were asked about the county’s air quality. The inversion layer due to this morning’s fog was disappointing “because what we really need is rain,” commented Commissioner Craig Pope, who is the public health “point person” for the board during the pandemic. However, the air is expected to improve by week’s end, he said.
ANIMAL RESCUE LESSON FROM FIRE EVACUATION Polk County Fairgrounds gained regional recognition this week for providing a unique evacuation model – allowing people under exit orders to bring their animals with them. “This isn’t the typical way, usually there’s a need to separate them,” said Dean Bender, emergency manager for the county.
In a brief interview after the meeting of the Board of Commissioners Tuesday, he explained that Red Cross guidelines generally ask that animals be held at different sites, presumably as a sanitary measure. “But we had the way here to house them both,” he said.
The ability to do so meant that some of the evacuees expressed gratitude, word spread, and even more calls came into the facilities. The emotional connection of owners with horses, goats, sheep, and other animals “can be very strong,” Mr. Bender observed.
COVID-19: RECENT DATA TELL A CHANGING STORY The positivity rate for COVID-19 in Polk County is 5.5% for cases tested recently – but like so much of the data being collected in the coronavirus pandemic, the information is subject to change all the time. That’s the cautionary message that was given this week from Polk County’s public health administrator, Jacqui Umstead RN, who reported the new numbers to the Polk County Board of Commissioners at their Tuesday meeting. For example, positive cases shot up 11%, but that percentage represented only an increase of three cases, to 30 cases for a week that followed one with 27. Also, there’s a lag of about two weeks for arriving at these performance indicators, Ms. Umstead added. -end-
AIR QUALITY ADVISORYFOR PETS AND PEOPLE Local experts weighed in today on coping with smoky air, as a murky haze from fires around the Santiam Pass descended on the mid-Willamette Valley. It turns out that sacrificing outdoor exercise can be tough on people and perhaps equally hard for four-legged companions.
Opting for time on an indoor treadmill instead of going for a daily jog was the alternative suggested this morning by Chief Ben Stange of the Polk County Fire District No. 1. Expressing resignation and disappointment, Chief Stange confessed: “I didn’t do my daily run.” Meanwhile, some residents indicated they weren’t going to miss out on outside exercise – they hatched plans to use non-medical N95 masks on walks, to decrease exposure to the wind-driven smoke.
Dog owners received recommendations, too. Ash Creek Animal Clinic in Independence advised pet owners to consider keeping their animals indoors when possible. This is especially good advice for dogs with respiratory problems, agreed veterinarian Ken Lindsay DVM, who recently retired from practice. However, for highly energetic dogs, time outside probably poses no real problem as long as owners know to take cues from their canines, he said. Dogs are keen responders to their environment, “they let you know” when it’s affecting them, he added.
For some dog owners, indoor activities can be a successful substitute for playtime in the yard, according to Catherine Comden, a certified professional dog trainer who lives in Independence. There are ways to give dogs mental and physical stimulation inside the house, she said. In what she calls the “Hansel & Gretel” approach, she drops bits of food for her dog to follow as she creates a path; In another exercise, she hides food inside a milk jug, which her dog shakes and rolls, in order to empty the contents. Such games engage dogs, who are “opportunistic scavengers by nature,” she said. (for more see https://www.facebook.com/sensiblek9)
CDC’S TIPS ONBAD AIR DAYS For better indoor breathing, portable air cleaners can help during days when wind, fire or both lead to air pollution, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Commercial air cleaners work best when they're run continually, the CDC stated. Also, it’s wise to avoid indoor actions that can lead to more pollution in rooms. These include vacuuming floors and furniture, sweeping with brooms and dust mops, stovetop frying of foods and using gas-powered appliances. In short, the CDC seems to advocate a slow-down of certain housework and chores during periods of low-quality air.
COVID-19: CONTACT TRACING UPS COUNT The COVID-19 count in Polk County increased to 458 earlier today, as 18 new cases over the last five days were added to the tally. The steady rise suggests an upward trajectory, said Jacqui Umstead, the county’s acting public health administrator.
However, in many cases, the numbers were due to household members who’ve had close contact with those already diagnosed. They “develop symptoms, get tested and test positive,” she noted. Contact tracing has shown this kind of transmission is more common in parts of Polk County, including Independence; In contrast, this past week only nine of the county-wide cases were “sporadic,” meaning cases that could not be traced to a known exposure. -end-
CITY WATER SERVICE SHUT-OFFS AVERTED Access to drinking water at household faucets was preserved recently for several dozen Independence residents who had fallen far behind on their water-sewer utility bills – they were saved from service disconnection by the City of Independence, which scrambled to contact all of those in arrears.
Only two non-payers remained at the end of a period in which intense efforts were made to avoid the shutdowns, including visits by city staff, some of whom made personal out-of-pocket donations, according to City Manager Tom Pessemier, who reported the outcome at the last Independence City Council meeting.
The issue surfaced when it became clear that some residents – experiencing sudden job loss in the pandemic – were having difficulty collecting their unemployment benefits, due to system-wide delays. City Councilor Jennifer Ranstrom-Smith had asked, at a previous city council meeting, that help be made available to citizens with this kind of need. She was joined by Councilor Shannon Corr, who this week commended Independence for its action.
Councilor Corr said she favors “continued liaising with residents.” It’s a burden to the staff to take on all the extra communication, she acknowledged. “But the city did a lot to help businesses and I think we need to do the same for residents.” she said. “I’d also be in favor of the city finding more ways to help residents pay utility bills during crises,” she added.
POP-UP & IN-HOUSE COVID TESTS TO RISE A “pop-up” covid-testing site in central Independence for more than 80 manual-labor workers provided an on-site way of viral screening in Polk County recently – and soon there will be others, including at the Independence Health and Rehabilitation Center and at Dallas Retirement Village, according to acting County Public Health Administrator Jacqui Umstead RN.
There’s a statewide push to get testing instruments into long-term care facilities, she explained. And faster, less-invasive sampling probably isn’t far-off, she added.
As positive tests tick up – Independence reached a total of 75 confirmed COVID-19 cases last week – it’s essential to identify specific outbreak locations; Quick responsiveness, sanitizing procedures and other measures can stop infections, as shown by successful containment in senior living facilities like Dallas Retirement Village and Capital Manor, said Ms. Umstead, during her report to the Polk County Commissioners last week.
Asked how veterans can obtain testing – some have objected that it can be difficult to get – Ms. Umstead suggested that they first to contact a primary care provider. If that doesn’t succeed, the County Public Health Department can be called, she said. The veteran service office, headed by Eric Enderle, can be reached at: (503) 623-9188.
HIGH COST OF COVID TEST WORRIES COMMISSIONER A $544 bill for a family member’s nasal-swab coronavirus test prompted Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope to call for more accountability comparing procedural costs for covid-19 screening with the sum that actually arrives on the medical bill.
“My sister went to a ‘drive-through’ at West Valley Hospital,” he told commissioners at their board meeting last week, adding that she wanted a test and was told by her doctor it would be about $114. The bill was more than four times that amount, he said. “This is just frustrating to me,” he said.
The billing came from her insurance company, he explained, adding that he’s worried about others who may experience this higher-than-estimated “gotcha nonsense.” In fact, a 2019 study of insurance claims by UnitedHealthcare Group shows substantial variation in billing for diagnostic tests.
At West Valley Hospital, “we charge somewhere around $137 typically for the COVID test if it is a ‘send-out,’” said Brandon Schmidgall, chief administrative officer of West Valley Hospital in Dallas. “Without more details I can’t really give you a better answer other than to say we don’t bill anywhere near $500 for a COVID test,” he said. -end-
NEW COUNTY CONTRACT FOR RURAL BROADBAND In a move designed to meet the need for more broadband service across the county during COVID-19, Polk County has entered into an agreement with Philomath-based Alyrica Networks for expansion into rural areas where access is low or lacking. About 90% of those not yet served will have coverage in the coming months, according to a county statement issued Wednesday, which noted that far more community members now work from home and depend on the internet, as well as youth and children who require it for school this year, too.
Details of the contract haven’t yet been announced, but Craig Pope, a member of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, previously labeled the effort a critical one that would help connect county residents to the online resources necessary for staying abreast of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘KEY TO OREGON’ NOW CANCELLED A public health investigation into the epidemiology of the coronavirus that sought to enroll 100,000 Oregonians has been called off in order to concentrate on special underserved groups.
“This difficult decision was not made lightly,” according to the statement from the research team, led by Jackilen Shannon PhD, associate director of Knight Community Outreach and Engagement and a professor at Oregon and Health Science University (OHSU).
“The disproportionately adverse public health impacts that have long harmed black, indigenous and people of color – as well as other historically disadvantaged populations including, but not limited to, Latinx and Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islanders – have gotten worse due to the virus,” according to the researchers’ message – and it’s time to learn more about COVID-19 prevalence by focusing research “on those most affected.”
The study, which was stopped for 10,000 people, was cancelled “to ensure the best use of state funding” amid limited long-term resources, according to the note.
NO VERIFIED COUGAR VIEW! BUT GOOD ADVICE BY ODFW An unsubstantiated story about a cougar being spotted near Inspiration Garden is likely the result of an unusually large feral cat that roams the vegetation, but wildlife experts say mountain lions actually can be seen sometimes in Polk County.
The alleged account – of uncertain origin – didn’t deter visitors to Mount Fir Park today. Three people there said they hadn’t heard of any such sighting and none seemed curious about it. However, it could happen, according to those at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
“Cougars move within their territories year-round in search of their primary prey, deer,” explained Anne Mary Myers, acting district wildlife biologist for ODFW in Corvallis. Young males may leave the area where they were born at any time of year, and then remain on the move, she said.
What to do if you see one? Stand your ground, stay calm, make good eye contact and don’t run – running can trigger a chase-the-prey response, states ODFW’s guide for human cougar encounters. These animals usually will retreat if given the opportunity, so leave a way to escape and back away slowly, the ODFW information advises, adding that if the cougar seems aggressive, raise your arms to make yourself look bigger and clap your hands loudly.
If all this sounds like a difficult plan to follow in the presence of a feline predator, it nonetheless is the current recommendation, according to Michelle Dennehy, communications coordinator of ODFW. More information on these big cats can be found at the link below. -end-
YOUNGER AGES IN COVID CASES State-mandated markers for pandemic control show Polk County is succeeding – that’s what performance metrics demonstrate, according to the Oregon Health Authority – so why do COVID-19 cases keep going up? That’s one of the questions posed at the meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners last week.
In general, the recent daily count has increased by at least five, but a large share appears to be from a younger population, noted Jacqui Umstead RN, acting public health administrator for Polk County. In fact, many of the new cases are in age cohorts ranging from 20 to 49 years, she said.
One reason for these infections could be that those in the work force are likelier to have jobs where social distancing isn’t always possible; another might be that younger adults gather in closer contact. Either way, perhaps members of this group aren’t under serious precautions as often. “Maybe they feel ‘I’m young and I have no underlying health conditions,” Ms. Umstead said, adding that more testing has meant people with less-severe symptoms are being diagnosed.
Craig Pope, the commissioner who serves as the “point person” for the county health authority, said the situation illustrates that “we’re not done fighting here.”
OHSU RESEARCHERS TAKE ON COVID-19 A clinical trial to find out whether blood plasma from people who have been infected with COVID-19 is effective in fighting coronavirus is being conducted at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). The plasma is being taken from those who have recovered. The aim is to give it to those who are newly sick, according to a recent announcement by OHSU.
Candidates for the study are limited to those “ill enough to have symptoms requiring a visit to the emergency department but not so sick that they require hospitalization,” stated the OHSU announcement. OHSU is one of several centers participating in the investigation.
Also, work on vaccine development is taking place at OHSU, as well. Klaus Früh PhD, a professor at the university, and colleagues, are achieving medical strides that have made national news for OHSU’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.
GOPHERS POPULATION DOWN AT FAIRGROUND Abatement is underway for the gopher-related “caddyshack problem” at the Polk County Fairgrounds, which for years has threatened to literally trip up visitors at the site.
In the past, gopher traps periodically were pulled for safety’s sake during times when the fairgrounds held family-oriented activities. The result was that gophers were able to burrow and build – and their holes and mounds dotted the landscape. Now, with pandemic measures in place, traps are a more permanent part of the campus, and there are fewer gopher homes, said Tina Andersen, manager of the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center.
This year, virtual fair activities and drive-by food vending have meant that the traps could remain in place, she explained in a recent report to the County Board of Commissioners. Over the last few years, the challenge of ground-altering gophers in the area has incited comparisons with the movie “Caddyshack,” a 1980 comedy in which one of the busy rodents tunneled underneath a country club golf course. -end-
NEED HAZARD PLAN FOR TREES IN RIVER A safety concern beneath the Willamette River near Independence – submerged trees – surfaced again at the Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting, nearly a year after County Sheriff Mark Garton first reported the issue to the board.
About 11 months ago, the drowning death of a woman who’d worn a life jacket prompted the sheriff to call for a “mitigation plan” for underwater trees, which can capture floating watercraft, like inner tubes, even in calm waters. Despite signs warning of the hazard, there was a recent entanglement that required a rescue effort, said Capt. Jeff Isham of the sheriff’s department. “The day the signs were put up, someone got sucked into a snag,” he told the commissioners. Branches have been sawed and removed by county personnel, he added.
However, the situation calls for a more formal protocol involving the Oregon State Marine Board, he said. “We are hoping to have that finalized this summer,” Capt. Isham noted.
CATCHING CROSSWALK OFFENDERS IN THE ACT A pedestrian-safety operation designed to spot motorists who failed to yield for pedestrians resulted in five citations and 25 warnings from law-enforcement stops made over a five-hour period recently by the Independence Police Department (IPD).
The IPD officers dressed casually, then walked back and forth at a crosswalk. Errant drivers were spotted when they failed to yield the right-of-way to the “pedestrians.”
“Independence Police Department is committed to doing our part to keep the community safe,” said IPD Officer Richard Gonzalez, who issued a news release on the outcome. When behind the wheel, “be on the lookout and stop for pedestrians,” he advised.
Because the IPD announced when and where the operations take place, one resident previously reported driving by to observe the scene. A cautious driver, the curious citizen attracted no attention at the time.
COUNTY HITS MARKS BUT CHANGES DAILY Polk County contact tracing by public health workers and investigators hit high marks this past week, including hard-to-reach benchmarks like tracking outbreaks to a single source within seven days. However, even as these performance measures hit new heights, positive cases continued rising, said Jacqui Umstead, acting public health administrator for Polk County. . In Independence, positive cases pushed past 50, helping bring the county total to more than 340, adding 13 more today. Dallas Retirement Village reported three positive cases, Ms. Umstead said. That’s still significantly lower than many Oregon counties, according to figures released by the Oregon Health Authority.
EDITORIAL by Gail Oberst
Gail Oberst is a longtime Oregon writer, editor and publisher currently working for travel and agricultural publications. She is also working on two novels and volunteers for several local nonprofits. (She is a resident of Independence.)
Journalism and free speech are taking many forms these days, but no matter what the form, when that freedom is threatened, we all lose.
Recently, a community reporter wrote a story about a local liquor store with employees who weren’t wearing masks. The owner then banned the writer from the store – a police officer called her and she went to the Independence Civic Center, where she was served a “No Trespass” notice – an action which, although mean-spirited, is legal.
The reporter was understandably frightened. She was reporting the news, had tried to get both sides of the story, and was strong-armed in response. She sought assistance and received it from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and The Society of Professional Journalists (Oregon Territory).
Now, the matter has blown up to involve police officers, a state representative and possibly other state agencies. Will the business owner’s practices come under review? That seems likely.
These are the days when, more than ever, we need to be able to communicate with each other without fear of retribution. We don’t have to agree with each other, except on this: that the lines of exchange remain open, and that the only right we really have is to extend, and expect, respect.
What might that business owner have done? First, mask up, in my opinion. Second, if that was not an option, in the face of a story already printed, the owner should have talked to the reporter to tell her side of the story. Maybe we wanted to hear it. -end-
Commission Summary There was both good news and bad at the recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, in terms of pandemic response. An outbreak of COVID-19 at Capital Manor appears to be confined to the initial cluster – the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Human Services have concluded a successful “infection site review” of the facility in West Salem, said Jacqui Umstead RN, acting public health administrator for the county.
However, new COVID-19 cases keep pushing up, with a current count of 305. Continual increases are part of the reason the county’s now at risk of being added to the governor’s “watch list.” As positive tests have risen, the immediate follow-up by the county has been excellent, at 100%, but the task of tracing-to-source within a week’s time has yielded much lower performance metrics, she acknowledged.
“We should be able to meet that need,” Ms. Umstead said, noting the county health department has several new staff members and is being assisted by a group of college interns from Western Oregon University. Two contact investigators are about to be added, as well, she said.
This record for Polk County comes as substantial community spread appears to be occurring in many parts of the state. However, a recent survey of businesses shows most are taking appropriate precautions, using masks and face coverings, and only a small minority are out of compliance – though a few appear to have flouted guidelines.
In an effort to provide insight into the “mask divide,” as it is being called, Trammart News took a look at Independence and found similarly skewed results for mask adherence. In the article below, which also appeared in the Polk County Itemizer-Observer, it’s evident that these anecdotal accounts match the results reported today by the governor’s office, for the “spot check” inspection survey.
MASK REQUIREMENT: A VARIABLE INTERPRETATION When Mike Lodge, a longtime resident of Independence, stopped in a few weeks ago at the liquor store a couple of blocks from his home, the sign on the door surprised him. “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service,” it stated. Lodge was wearing both, but he had on a mask, too – and he’d expected that requirement to be listed. “There I was, with one on my face,” Lodge said. “But not the guy inside, at the counter.”
The clerk said the mask isn’t required, Lodge recalled. So, Lodge started driving about 10 miles – to Dallas or West Salem – when he wanted to buy his cocktail mix. At those liquor outlets, postings at entrances clearly stated that masks are necessary. “My feeling is that everybody needs to cooperate on this issue, whether they believe it works or not – it helps us all,” Lodge said. “And the risk far outweighs the inconvenience.”
A small, gray-lettered sign on the liquor store's front door states "face masks required" then adds that "if you are not wearing a mask, Independence Liquor will assume you have a Federal ADA medical condition that prohibits it. (Per Federal ADA laws we cannot ask customers why a mask is not being worn)." The store owner indicated inquiries about business practices weren’t going to be answered.
In fact, masks are mandatory for retail employees in liquor stores, unless an employee needs to be provided an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “In that case, the retail agent could provide an employee with a face guard instead of a mask,” said Mark Pettinger, spokesman for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). The liquor store in Independence has been the focus of several inquiries to the OLCC, he noted.
Yet masks, as well as other measures against the spread of COVID-19, appear to be a significant source of questions – and complaints, according to the Oregon office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Since March, the state’s OSHA has received almost 8,300 complaints about non-compliance, compared with the roughly 2,000 that occur in a typical year, said Michael Wood, OSHA administrator.
In Oregon, OSHA is moving forward to create a “temporary rule,” which would extend the pandemic provisions beyond the legislatively imposed deadline this month, to February next year. However, in late July, the Freedom Foundation, a non-profit conservative group, filed a legal challenge with the Oregon State Court of Appeals against Gov. Kate Brown’s order on masks. A decision is pending.
The divide also can be seen in Independence, though it’s been a fairly uncommon sight, according to merchants. In one incident, a frustrated customer told another patron, a stranger, loudly and angrily about the alleged ineffectiveness of masks while the two waited for their take-out. The owner politely ignored the outburst and so did everyone else.
"It should, at this late date, go without saying that the science says it (mask-wearing) will hasten control of this pandemic and save lives," said David Clyne, a resident of Independence and the former city manager. In addition to providing a safeguard against coronavirus infection, "the mask sends a message that I care about your well-being, not just my own."
Some people are simply confused, said Sue Barker, who manages the city’s Riverview Farmers Market. “When they’re outside, some people don’t think they need to cover their face at all,” she said. However, when within six feet of someone else, they do, she noted. Most are agreeable when she tells them they need to either put on a mask or increase their personal space, Barker added. She has a pool noodle she playfully uses to keep mask-less customers at a six-foot distance. “It works and they think it’s funny,” she said.
At Jubilee, the dessert shop at Main and Monmouth streets, owner Dana Heuberger feels similarly. “Most people (not wearing masks) are very nice when I tell them – and they step outside,” she said. Then a cupcake, or another of her creations, is delivered curbside.
“I do feel sorry for business owners,” said Craig Pope, a member of the Polk County Board of Commissioners and the designated “point person” for the county health authority. “Should we be expecting them to enforce this? In some cases, it’s difficult,” he said. Recently, while dining out, he saw a group of young men and women seated closely together at a table. “What’s the restaurant manager supposed to do? Go over and ask if they’re actually family?”
The answer to that question appears to depend on the state agency. Though Oregon’s OSHA has indicated an intent to focus on outreach and education, “if complaints are voluminous or significant enough it may issue fines with the first reported violation,” according to an analysis by Davis Wright Tremaine, a law firm in Portland. Conversely, the Bureau of Labor and Industries “may investigate, fine or even bring a lawsuit against businesses that discriminate on the basis of disability by failing to accommodate either customers or employees, if accommodation is possible,” according to the legal team’s advisory.
It’s true that masks can feel constricting to some – but now there are face shields, observed Kate Schwarzler, president of the Independence Downtown Association and proprietor of Indy Commons, a shared worksite space on Main Street. This newer form of face protection offers the benefit of allowing facial expressions to be fully seen, including smiles. “I think it’s a good alternative,” she said. -end-
COUNTY COVID CASES INDEPENDENCE RISES Positive tests for coronavirus are ticking up fairly slowly in parts of Polk County -- but, in Independence, the “covid count” shot up 17%, according to a report given at the Polk County Board of Commissioners Tuesday. By Thursday, there were 42 cases in Independence, which has an estimated population just over 10,000.
“That’s a jump,” said Commission Chair Mike Ainsworth, who inquired about the source of the infections at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Homes shared with multiple family members are a likely reason – the spread often occurs largely between occupants of the same household, noted Jacqui Umstead RN, interim public health administrator for the county.
The county’s tally of COVID-19 cases is at 272, which is low compared with several other counties, including Marion. However, the incidence is part of a statistic that currently would preclude school districts in Polk County from reopening K-12 as originally scheduled, according to pandemic metrics announced by Gov. Kate Brown this week.
COMPLICATED TASKS of CONTACT TRACING Barriers to contact tracing are becoming a common subject for discussion by the Polk County Board of Commissioners – currently more than 40% of COVID-19 cases in Polk County can’t be traced to a “known source” within the recommended time period of seven days. Worry and confusion on the part of those who are asked to provide information about where they’ve been and who they might have exposed can be a substantial obstacle, said Commissioner Craig Pope, the public health “point person” on the commission.
The numbers certainly aren’t a reflection on the diligence and skill of the staff, “which is working very hard,” he pointed out. “But honestly, asking someone where they’ve gone and who they’ve seen in the past…well, if you ask me to come up with that, I’m not always sure, either,” he said.
Commission Chair Mike Ainsworth said he considers such questions potentially concerning to some. Some parents may fear their families will be disrupted, once covid-positive status is known. When they get a call asking questions, “they may think their children might be taken away,” he said.
However, Polk County staff has a near-perfect record of gathering initial information within the recommended 24-hour follow-up on new cases, according to this week’s state public health report. “The communicable disease team tries to establish rapport and build trust during each interview,” explained Jacqui Umstead RN, interim public health administrator for the county.
But it’s entirely up to those who are identified as having tested positive to decide what information to provide, she added. There is no law requiring anyone to name all who may have been exposed during a period in which there was the possibility of contagion. The potential reasons cited by commissioners for cases or contacts "not wanting to engage with the public health department" are possibilities, agreed Ms. Umstead. However, “most people that we have encountered are willing to be interviewed, provide the information being asked and follow the recommendations,” she said.
CAPITAL MANOR COVID RESULTS Of nearly 250 individuals recently tested for a coronavirus cluster detected at Capital Manor, seven were positive for COVID-19. These included four employees, two residents and one person who'd had contact with a worker there, according to a report given Tuesday.
FINAL NOTE Kristty Polanco MPH, former public health administrator for Polk County, has transitioned into a new contractual county position; She will continue to assist in county health pandemic management. -end-
PUBLIC HEALTH POINTS 7/21/20
By Anne Scheck
CAPITAL MANOR COVID CLUSTER, OUTBREAKS Capital Manor in West Salem has become the site of a new cluster of COVID-19 cases, with three workers and one resident testing positive for the virus, according to Jacqui Umstead RN, interim county health administrator for Polk County. She reported the positive cases at the well-known retirement community, and other workplace outbreaks, during a meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners today.
Polk County has sent 500 face shields and 50 gallons of hand sanitizer to Capital Manor, which has 300 employees, said Dean Bender, manager of emergency services for the county. The retirement complex has apartments for independent living inside a multi-story building, with other housing provided in cottages and townhouses.
In an update on other outbreaks, Ms. Umstead noted that one that occurred a few weeks ago but initially went unidentified – at West Salem Clinic, a medical facility – is no longer considered active. An outbreak investigation also was closed on Meduri Farms in Dallas, a distributor of dried fruit, she said. Still under monitoring is Truitt Bros, which was reported last month.
TESTING, TRACING UNDERWAY ONE EXAMPLE: MINET STAFFER Testing has been a source of controversy across the county – some business owners have said they want it to be more available and widespread, others believe it offers no real assistance to workplaces.
One challenge, according to Polk County Board of Commissioner Craig Pope, is that a negative result is subject to change at any time. "We can test you today and then, within the two-to-three days it takes to gets those results back, you could be exposed and become positive," he said. As "point person" for the Polk County COVID-19 Response Team, Commissioner Pope facilitates emergency management and public health services collaboration for the county in responses to the pandemic.
When a person who tests positive has had contact with others, attempts to identify them are made – and those exposed individuals are encouraged to take isolating precautions. An employee of MINET who was notified in this way, called "tracing," is now in self-quarantine, according to Marilyn Morton, a representative of MINET who regularly attends the Board of Commissioners' meeting. Ms. Morton also is an Independence city councilor.
Outside the meeting, Ms. Morton was asked if the MINET staff member was key to the municipal fiberoptic company’s operation. “I think they’re all key people,” she responded, but she acknowledged that the absence of this worker wasn’t likely to have a deep impact on MINET.
FINAL NOTE Polk County finally received three long-awaited industrial deep-cleaning machines for interior use during the pandemic, but two of them are non-functional, according to Matt Hawkins, administrative services director for the county. One lacks appropriate control, and applies the sanitizing solution non-stop till emptied; the other “just drizzles,” he said. County personnel are making efforts to resolve the problem as quickly as possible, according to a discussion today on these mechanical failures, which took place at the meeting of Polk County Board of Commissioners. -end-
By Anne Scheck NEW THERMOMETERS INTO COUNTY OFFICES To help detect early cases of possible workplace COVID-19, non-contact infra-red thermometers are being sent to destinations across the county, ranging from operations such as Polk County Fire District #1 in Independence to the district attorney’s office in Dallas. “They will go out to critical agencies,” said Dean Bender, manager of emergency services for the county.
After ordering nearly 200 of the temperature-taking instruments, the county health department received only 45 – but that’s enough to initially equip every place they’re really needed, he said. The thermometers act like scanners, taking rapid forehead readings. They can be used effectively as a general screening tool, according to a recent report from the US Food and Drug Administration – though they aren’t considered to be highly accurate.
The announcement was made last week at the County Board of Commissioner’s meeting.
DRESSING DOWN FOR CROSSWALK SAFETY For safety’s sake, police wearing casual clothes will pose as pedestrians later this month. And, as other officers in uniforms monitor the crosswalks, they’ll walk back and forth across selected street sites – to identify those who fail to yield the right-of-way.
It’s all part of a program to improve crosswalk safety in Independence, according to the Independence Police Department (IPD), which issued a news release on the ongoing effort this week. The five-hour operation will take place on July 29 at the crosswalks on Monmouth Street, Hoffman Road and on South Gun Club Road in Independence.
Drivers and pedestrians stopped during this safety operation will be issued warnings or citations, according to IPD Officer Richard Gonzalez. “This pedestrian safety operation is another tool our department can utilize to improve traffic safety and educate motorists,” he explained. “When approaching a crosswalk where pedestrians are present, drivers must yield the right-of way,” he said. It’s “easy to avoid a ticket by simply yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians who are in a crosswalk,” he added.
Crosswalk accidents have accounted for a large – and alarming – share of traffic injuries and fatalities over the past several years, according to injury statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CONTACT INVESTIGATION TAKES TIME & EXPERTISE Contact tracing in the county is hitting some hitches – and one reason is because the first step in the process takes so much time and expertise, according to Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for Polk County.
When a positive case is reported, the individual who makes the initial call often spends hours confirming contact possibilities, she said. This person, called an “investigator,” has to meticulously collect and evaluate essential details. “In the investigation, they determine all the ‘contacts’ in the case,” Ms. Polanco observed.
The “contacts” eventually are moved into the category of “persons under monitoring,” and contact-tracers follow up on them with daily symptom checks. -end-
By Anne Scheck NO TO MINET TESTING FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICE STAFF The Polk County Board of Commissioners quashed MINET’s quest to conduct coronavirus testing of its employees, citing the need for a doctor’s order – not their own approval. Last week, MINET representative Marilyn Morton asked the board how testing could be done for staff at both MINET and Dallas-based Willamette Valley Fiber (WVF). She explained that being able to offer the tests would ensure these employees are staying healthy. The company’s insurance plan has provisions for it, she added. Ms. Morton addressed the board in its capacity as the county health authority, which is one of the commission’s roles in county government. Under Oregon’s definition, MINET and WVF employees are considered essential service providers – internet and telecommunications are regarded as vital for public access to information. On this basis, Ms. Morton asked how periodic testing could be carried out. So far, any testing requires a directive from a health care provider, said Commissioner Craig Pope. “It’s the protocol,” he stated. Later, Ms. Morton observed that “the wall of ‘provider referral’ remains standing.” This is a barrier that apparently can’t be “breached” by even services classified as “essential,” she said, expressing disappointment at the apparent lack of county clout for establishing an alternative. Mr. Pope pointed out that a negative test doesn’t necessarily reflect a reliable outcome – infection could occur any time after obtaining that result. However, the state has embarked on a study of 100,000 randomly selected Oregonians to monitor and test people in order to determine how widely the disease is spreading, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
U of O SURVEY SHOWS JOB LOSS DEPRESSION Business owners who attended meetings of the Polk County Board of Commissioners over the past few months – to express uncertainty over the future – led the board to conclude that local economies are suffering significantly. Now research from the University of Oregon suggests that this sudden financial change is taking a deep psychological toll, too. Benjamin Nelson, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the university, conducted an online survey with other researchers that invited internet users from around the world to document their COVID-19 concerns. Most of the more than 2,000 people who responded were from the United States – and loss of employment was associated with greater depressive symptoms. The investigation, which has not been peer-reviewed, was released in “pre-print” form; That refers to publication of early findings, to make them available during the pandemic.
DENTISTS NOW GET PPE Dentists now are able to receive personal protective equipment (PPE) from the county, and a handful of them have requested – and been approved – for the PPE needed for their practices, according to Dean Bender, emergency manager for the county. Earlier in the pandemic, the county wasn’t allowed to send PPE to dental offices. However, since then, the state has deemed dentists appropriate recipients of it. -end-
By Anne Scheck POLK COUNTY COVID CASES A medical clinic in Polk County has been linked to five cases of COVID-19 and, at Salem Hospital, 15 employees have tested positive for the virus. These numbers, reported this past week, likely represent some individuals with symptoms – the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) doesn’t recommend routine screening for healthcare providers or other essential workers, according to an OHA statement issued earlier this month.
The clinic-related cases were announced last week by Polk County Health authorities; The COVID-positive personnel at Salem Hospital were reported by Becker’s Hospital Review, a publication that includes coverage of the Pacific Northwest.
The OHA provides data on hospital-associated infections, so the hospital could be identified. However, the medical clinic in Polk County cannot be named, according to a spokesperson for the OHA. “We understand the great public interest in cases at particular worksites, but we must balance that public interest with protecting patient confidentiality,” explained Jonathan Modie, lead communications officer at the OHA.
All of the medical clinic-related COVID-19 cases are being examined and “isolation precautions” will be done under OHA investigative guidelines, said Jacqui Umstead RN, health services program manager for Polk County.
In late April, the OHA advised medical offices to utilize “enhanced risk screening” for patients before delivering care, including tele-medicine visits, when possible.
ZIP CODE TRACKING The Polk County tally for coronavirus infection has climbed to 139 cases – and the zip code for Independence shows 17.
Neighboring Monmouth, listed at less than 10, hasn’t hit the threshold for this specific reporting method. The Oregonian has provided an interactive map for zip-code tracking. Here’s the link: https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/cases-by-zip
A FEW GOOD ANSWERS Kristty Polanco MPH, Polk County public health administrator, offered responses for some of the questions that have arisen over the past week, following the last Public Health Points. Two are below. In a previous Public Health Points, it was stated that the Polk County Board of Commissioners talked about cases increasing from 3 to just 4 cases. Then it said that Independence had 4 cases, Dallas 2, and West Salem 13 cases. That's 19 cases. Can you explain the discrepancy between 4 and 19?
Those were case reports for two different weeks. The latest numbers were for the week of June 8th-14th.
This contact tracing sounds like it won’t work for everyone who gets COVID-19. Won’t some individuals refuse to talk about who they were with or even remember who they had contact with?
The focus of contact tracing has an important role in educating. The public health personnel are focusing their interviews on educating about the importance of providing contact information and overall education on disease transmission. The focus on education is really emphasizing the protection of our community's health.
DANGEROUS USE OF CELL PHONES Individual cell phone use has increased by a third or more during the pandemic – and the Independence Police Department (IPD) has been putting in extra traffic patrol hours this month to try to curb the habit in drivers.
The IPD, in partnership with The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, spent part of June on a quest to “seek out and educate motorists” who are operating their cell phones while at the wheel, according to Sgt. Juventino Banuelos.
Explanations to police include “looking at directions, changing songs or having blue tooth issues.” Analysis by Verizon, as well as other cell-phone companies, indicates cell-phone use has risen by 30% and more, as measured both in the number of activities conducted on phones, including texting, and the duration of engagement on screens, such as in virtual meetings. -end-
By Anne Scheck HERE COMES PHASE TWO WITH NEW RESTRICTIONS Polk County has been cleared for Phase Two of the pandemic guidelines starting Friday. Bars and restaurants can serve until midnight, the city pool can begin operation and the movie theater can re-open to show films. However, now “monitors” are recommended to ensure compliance with social-distancing at entrances, exits and bathrooms – and some business patrons will be required to wear masks indoors, beginning next week.
The news arrived late today, one week after Gov. Kate Brown notified Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope that the county hadn’t been approved for Phase Two, due to a 33% increase in new cases for the previous week. However, that jump in percentage was the result of three cases that had ticked up to four – an increase of a single case. At this week’s Polk County Board of Commission meeting, Kristty Polanco, the county’s public health administrator, told the board she was perplexed by the outcome. “Wouldn’t you expect our positive numbers to increase if we are doing more testing?” she asked.
With so few cases, “when do we get to a threshold and how does it align” if the numbers remain low but continue to increase? Ms. Polanco added. She told commissioners she planned further investigation of the issue through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
“Kristty, you are doing a great job,” said Commission Chair Mike Ainsworth. “This is not a reflection on you,” he stressed. In her reversal today, Gov. Brown noted that Polk County has seen a decline in hospitalizations and has implemented “timely follow-up” on cases.
INDEPENDENCE COVID CASES TREND UP TO 4 Four cases positive for COVID-19 were identified in Independence from June 8 - 14, a number double that of the county seat of Dallas, which recorded two for the same period, according to Kristty Polanco, county public health administrator. During the same week, 13 new cases of COVID-19 were identified in West Salem. On Wednesday, the outbreak at Prestige Senior Living in that city, which had involved both patients and staff, officially was declared over, she confirmed.
CONTACT TRACING RAISING QUESTIONS Contact tracing, a requirement of OHA for finding people possibly exposed to the coronavirus, seems to be raising as many questions as answers.
One that arose recently among meeting attendees at the county Board of Commissioners centered on whether anyone can be certain about the legitimacy of a contact-tracing inquiry, when one is received. Protecting personal information was cited as a concern by several audience members. In fact, the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) just issued a “scam alert” about bogus contact tracers. “These imposters send emails and text messages with links to fraudulent websites,” according to the DOJ advisory. Recipients of such messages should be wary because “clicking on the link may download software onto a device, giving access to an array of your personal and financial information,” the DOJ warned.
And, in recent weeks, small business owners asked if their establishments, such as restaurants, can be held liable if contact-tracing leads back to the premises. Today, Commissioners Lyle Mordhorst and Craig Pope said they viewed the best protection as adherence to state guidelines – a view supported by County Administrator Greg Hansen. Visible signs showing that prescribed hygienic procedures are being followed should be posted, according to Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, for example, has begun issuing qualified members a “Commitment to Safety Seal” that can be prominently displayed for customers and employees. -end-
By Anne Scheck CITY’s SODIUM LEVEL IN WATER EXPLAINED A new water-quality report indicates the sodium level in Independence drinking water exceeds the standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and it asks consumers to take into account “diet or health” considerations of the finding. “If needed, consult your physician,” the report advises.
However, the city staff has provided clarifying details on those test results. The EPA recommends drinking water contain no more than 20 mg/l of sodium; The city report, from 2019, states that Independence water has a sodium content that ranges from 20 mg/l to 25 mg/l (a value also expressed in parts-per-million, or PPM). “One of our source-water well fields is at 20.9 PPM and the other source-water well fields is at 17.6 PPM,” explained Independence Public Works Director Kie Cottam.
“We report the higher of the two levels,” Mr. Cottam pointed out. “Our distribution level averages below the recommended 20 PPM, but we include the information to be transparent to our residents,” he added. An EPA representative confirmed that the agency recommends drinking-water sodium be held to 20 PPM. When the level is higher, there is a public notification so that “anyone who is on a prescribed low-sodium diet can notify their doctor of this source of sodium in their diet and consider it when evaluating total sodium intake,” according to a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
COVID-19 TEST SYSTEM NOW IN PLACE AT WVH A new rapid testing device for COVID-19 at West Valley Hospital, the Abbott ID Now, can yield 1,300 test results weekly – but false-negative rates associated with this instrument are under examination by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
In mid-May, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) questioned the accuracy of this Abbott test for COVID-19, suggesting it has lower sensitivity compared with other methods – resulting in false negatives. However, studies also have found that the test can correctly identify many positive cases of the virus within minutes.
The OHA is assessing the “magnitude of the problem” pertaining to false negative results, according to an OHA spokesperson, who also noted that other studies cited by Abbott have shown good sensitivity.
Various news reports have suggested a backup test might be needed if a patient’s symptoms point to COVID-19 but the test proves negative (see editorial by Michael Cairns below). “We are aware that a certain level of false negatives are possible using this test, depending on the progression of the disease,” said Brandon Schmidgall RN, Chief Administrative Officer at Dallas’ West Valley Hospital, in a statement on the issue.
Under the direction of OHA, West Valley Hospital is relying on physician discretion for suspected COVID-19 patients with symptoms who have a negative result, “to treat patient(s) as if they are active in the disease,” he said.
“The Abbott device is not the only testing pathway we have to support our community and COVID-19,” Mr. Schmidgall pointed out. For people with “active, non-urgent symptoms,” health providers can refer them to the West Valley Respiratory Clinic, he said. West Valley Hospital also offers physician-ordered antibody testing, which can be performed at the hospital’s outpatient lab, he added. -------------- EDITORIAL: Michael Cairns, a longtime resident of Independence, was the first to raise questions about Abbott’s rapid-test system for COVID-19 after the initial reporting on county testing in “Public Health Points” two weeks ago. He was joined by others, who also expressed concerns. Mr. Cairns, who wrote the editorial below, previously served as a city councilor for ten years. He has a dual background in science and political science – a bachelor's and master’s in fisheries and a bachelor’s degree in public policy & administration.
As someone with “underlying health conditions” I fully support the Stay Home; Save Lives policy of Oregon’s government. At the same time, I get a bit of cabin fever, and I empathize with those who are unable to earn a living during this pandemic. In order to “open up” the state again to something like normal business as usual, we must check off certain conditions. One important condition is to know how many people in our communities are infected and how many have recovered. How we get that information is through testing, testing and testing. Results of the testing then can enable us to contact people who have been in close proximity to infected people and isolate them until they are healthy.
Again, this all depends on 1) thorough testing, and 2) accurate test procedures. To address the first point, we currently are only testing those with severe symptoms of the COVID-19 virus. Well, guess what, this results in a fair number of positive results, although it’s still a low percentage. An unnamed Polk County Commissioner has suggested that we test more healthy people, thus "spiking up the negatives," and making the county’s situation look better so we can open up more quickly.
Instead of "spiking up the negatives," why don't we try to get a realistic picture of the prevalence of the disease in our communities? The way to do that is to conduct randomized testing like OSU is doing in Corvallis, and now in Bend. Isn't that approach better than trying to hide or skew the true infection rate?
Regarding the second point, accuracy of test procedures, that is a problem. Reports from sources including the FDA, OPB, 60 Minutes and the Statesman Journal have discussed the fact that the rapid test being used in Polk County and across the nation has sometimes high false negative results, and sometimes close to 50% of the infections are missed with this test. Local health officials need to be aware of this situation and take action accordingly. For instance, re-testing after a negative result for someone with symptoms.
My apologies if this all seems very negative. Actually I’m very positive about the future. As a scientist, I have faith that if we follow the facts and use statistics to our benefit as a society, that the medical professionals will lead the way to lessen the epidemic and develop a vaccine, if we only follow their wise counsel and be patient. -end-
By Anne Scheck COUNTY'S FIRST WORKPLACE OUTBREAK RAISES QUESTIONS Meduri Farms near Dallas has been identified as the site of Polk County’s first official outbreak of COVID-19 in an agricultural setting, but the seven positive cases happened over a period that stretched from March to May, according to a report at the Polk County Board of Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday.
Noting that this doesn’t seem like a surge, “I’d like to dive more into the details,” explained Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for the county. An “active” outbreak occurs when there are five or more infected individuals – and that label remains until the last person recovers, she told the commissioners.
Three of the workers in the cluster are from Polk County; Four are from Marion County, she noted. Currently, one patient remains under quarantine. Ms. Polanco said she plans to touch base with the Oregon Health Authority this week about this finding and others affecting the county.
ON-TARGET COVID-19 TEST REFERRALS SKEW RATIOS An uptick in the number of positive tests for COVID-19 is a threat to Polk County’s progression to phase two – but only if testing fails to turn up a substantial amount of negative results to offset the confirmed cases.
The need for more testing, which was discussed at length during the Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting, was cited as a challenge by Commissioner Craig Pope. So far, doctor referrals for the tests largely have been limited to patients whose symptoms closely match those caused by the coronavirus – and are likely to yield positive findings. More testing would probably help by “spiking up the negatives,” said Mike Ainsworth, chair of the commission.
“We don’t have control over how much testing is going on in our community,” said Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for the county. Medical requests for testing generally are made when three diagnostic signs – coughing, shortness of breath and fever – are present, she said. These features can prove fairly accurate, making negative results less probable, Ms. Polanco observed. Even so, “we haven’t seen a large increase in our cases,” she added.
UPDATE Several county locations are kicking off higher-capacity COVID-19 testing this week, including West Valley Hospital, but doubts have surfaced on the reliability of newer and more rapid testing technology. In mid-May, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent an announcement that early data on an instrument by Abbott Labs may return inaccurate results, specifically false-negative findings. Since Abbott’s system was cited as one of those being used in the county, Ms. Polanco was asked about the FDA alert. She said she hasn’t been informed of any possible complications, and the Abbott device is approved by the Oregon Health Authority.
For Safety's Sake Independence residents concerned about streets of speeding cars and other traffic concerns are invited to give their opinions on an update of the city’s Transportation System Plan at an online “open house.” Click here to share views until Sunday, June 7th. -end-
By Anne Scheck COUNTY WANTS CLARITY FOR A RED FLAG FINDING An unsatisfactory rating for one indicator of Polk County’s COVID-19 response needs more clarification by the state because it doesn’t reflect “reality,” according to Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for the county. She reported the update to the Polk County Board of Commissioners at their meeting Tuesday.
As the county moves into phase-one, it’s “in the red” on one of the state findings – tracking new cases to a known source, she stated. “It’s a negative performance value,” confirmed Commissioner Craig Pope.
The state standard requires county personnel to successfully carry out source-identification for a large majority of county coronavirus cases – a mandate that seems to have been accomplished, Ms. Polanco stated. She will be “pushing” for a more complete explanation by the Oregon Health Authority on why the state record shows the county fell short, she said. “There needs to be more transparency and clarity on this,” she explained. Such county metrics need to be met in order to move into the next operational phase.
There are four different categories for classifying COVID-19 spread within the county: within a household, such as between family members; by congregant housing, such as a nursing home; from a cluster, such as a crowd at an event; and “sporadic,” which arises in the absence of an obvious underlying reason. The latter seems to be “triggering the data” that flagged Polk County as out of compliance, but “there is more to come on this,” Ms. Polanco said. She plans to get more definitive answers, which should be available for the commissioners next week, she said.
CONTRACT TRACING UNDERWAY in POLK More than two dozen county employees have received training or will undergo it to learn how to trace COVID-19 infections. The 25 health workers, who will track and monitor contacts of infected individuals, were selected from the current county staff, noted Kristty Polanco, Polk County health administrator.
“Contact tracing” is part of the state plan for containing transmission of the coronavirus. A digital system is being set up for this use by the county; Secure emails and texts have been created to maintain confidentiality. The program will provide oversight of new county cases. Currently, there are eight families being followed for this purpose, Ms. Polanco said.
FINAL NOTE: As Independence re-opens its civic center, new hygiene measures will include frequent disinfection of the reception area and mandatory mask-wearing by personnel, according to City Manager Tom Pessemier. The second-floor lobby will be cleaned twice daily by the janitorial staff and state protocols will be followed for maintaining good sanitation throughout the building, he said. -end-
By Anne Scheck COUNTY COVID-19 TESTS TO INCREASE By June 1, screening for the coronavirus in Polk County is expected to increase to 1,300 tests weekly, more than doubling the current capacity, thanks to a new box-like device by Abbott Labs that’s being placed at West Valley Hospital in Dallas, according to Kristty Polanco, public health administrator for the county.
So far, the nasopharyngeal-swab testing has been limited by test kits that take hours or even days to complete. With the new technology, nasal swabs can be processed in minutes. Currently, the Polk County Health Department is able to provide only 50-60 test-kits weekly to the hospital, “so this means expanding the testing,” Ms. Polanco said.
Initially, the samples for the new system will be taken from emergency-department patients and those who are scheduled to undergo surgery. However, as contact tracing gets underway, faster testing can be carried out for suspected cases of COVID-19 -- people who show some symptoms or have had known contact with an infected person, or both.
The information was reported by Ms. Polanco Tuesday to the Polk County Board of Commissioners. Presently, there are 93 COVID cases in the county, two of which are “presumptive,” Ms. Polanco said. There have been nine deaths.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration advised that these rapid tests by Abbott may not be as accurate as previous methods. However, the company has vigorously defended the reliability of its instrumentation. Independent, well-controlled studies on it are expected soon.
COUNTY CAN’T PROVIDE PPE To LOCAL DENTISTS The arrival of thousands of face shields and surgical masks are giving Polk County plenty of personal protective equipment (PPE) for use by healthcare providers and others – but none of it can be given to dentists, said Dean Bender, emergency manager for Polk County.
“This is such a shame,” said Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst when the PPE tally was given Tuesday at the Board of Commission meeting. Under current regulations, dentists aren’t able to be given state-issued PPE, Mr. Bender explained. For agencies that are allowed to receive it, the county has delivered the masks and other wearable protection “as fast as Amazon can,” he said.
Noting that scores of dentists “stepped up” to donate PPE products at the start of the pandemic, Commission Chair Mike Ainsworth said: “I just feel sorry for them.”
County PPEs now include more than 70,000 face masks, as well as several thousand gloves and face shields. For dentists who call with PPE needs, “I have a list of (other) providers that I give them,” Mr. Bender said.
Dentists routinely are exposed to misty air from oral cavities due to their work, Mr. Bender observed. However, the state has provided a way for dentists to replace equipment they donated, though doing so likely requires some bureaucratic navigation.
INDEPENDENCE LOSES PRIMARY CARE DOCS Salem Health announced Tuesday that all staff at the family medical clinic on the S Curve in Independence has been moved, ceasing physician-provided primary care from a building that has served patients for decades.
It remains unknown whether the relocation is permanent, but health care providers are now elsewhere, at a similar facility on Main Street in Monmouth, according to the announcement. The vacated Independence address, 1430 Monmouth St., is where family physician Keith White MD worked for much of his career, until retiring two years ago. -end-
