Our local COVID-19 updates represent the coordinated effort of the agencies that make up the DCCRT
JOINT INFORMATION CENTER PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 7, 2020
DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM - NOON AND DAILY UPDATE
(Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: It is Friday, August 7, 2020, and as of 12:00 pm today, there are FOUR people with new positive test results and ONE new presumptive since our noon case update yesterday. One of the new positive results was previously a presumptive. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 149*. Please note that we are listing a hospitalized COVID patient in our chart below, however they are not a resident of Douglas County, are from out-of-state and are not reflected in our case numbers, but we wanted to note that they are being hospitalized locally at this time.
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Douglas County, OR - COVID-19 - Case Update |
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Date |
Monday, August 3, 2020 |
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 |
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 |
Thursday, August 6, 2020 |
Today, Friday, August 7, 2020 |
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Total COVID-19 Cases |
134 |
140 |
141 |
145 |
149 |
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People with Positive PCR or Antigen Test Results |
125 |
127 |
128 |
131 |
135 |
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Presumptive |
9 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
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Total Currently Hospitalized |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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Total Currently in Isolation |
21 |
24 |
24 |
26 |
29 |
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Total COVID-19 Related Deaths |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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Total Negative Test Results |
7970 |
7991 |
8099 |
8201 |
8348 |
*Our daily update includes the total number of cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives. We provide a breakout of the people with positive test results and presumptives in the chart above. Please note there will be times when a presumptive will move to a positive test result, and our total case number will not change because the case has already been counted, instead you will see an adjustment to our breakout numbers for positive test results and presumptives.
Help Prevent the Spread of COVID-19:
DPHN has created a new series of illustrated graphics to continue to emphasize how important it is for our citizens to help in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Douglas County. As we have discussed before, one of the ways you can help is to: stay home if you are sick, stay home if were exposed as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 patient, stay home if you are awaiting COVID-19 test results and especially stay home if you have tested positive for COVID-19. Going to work when you feel you are, “only just a little sick” could potentially expose others to your illness and cause an unnecessary outbreak. Our goal is to keep businesses and agencies open, maintain hospital and health care access and capacity, and have the best chance at reopening all of our schools to in-person instruction. If you need help in order to stay home, talk to your employer about available programs or call our local COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550 for more information and a list of available resources. The local COVID-19 Hotline is staffed by local volunteers from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week.
Previously, we used the OHA definition for recovered that considered people recovered if they were 10 days from onset and symptoms were improving. As more is learned about COVID, the clinical definition of recovery is evolving. Due to the evolving nature of this definition, we have removed the column in our chart listing our recovered cases. We added the number of those in isolation that roughly correlates with the number of active cases. The DCCRT noon case and daily update will report the Total Number of COVID-19 Cases, the number of positive test results (as of 12:00 pm that day), the number of presumptive, total currently hospitalized, total currently in isolation, total COVID-19 deaths and total negative test results in Douglas County. Currently, DPHN is supporting 29 cases in isolation.
Getting Tested & Testing Clinics
The next drive-through testing clinic will be today, Friday, August 7, 2020, in Roseburg. There will also be a testing clinic tomorrow, August 8, 2020 in Reedsport. As a reminder, if you are having symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches and pains, diarrhea, sore throat or decreased sense of smell and taste, talk to your health care provider about being tested for COVID-19. Patients without a Primary Care Provider, that are looking for a COVID-19 test should contact the Sutherlin Aviva Health Clinic at (541) 459-3788. The first drive-through testing site was piloted in the county on March 17, 2020, there have been 1280 people tested in 57 drive-through clinics, while additional testing continues in hospitals, urgent cares and clinics. The drive-through clinics are led by DPHN, in conjunction with partner agencies including; Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Public Works, local volunteers and local health professionals.
Oregon COVID-19 Case Update
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports new cases once a day on their website at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus. OHA also releases a daily situation status report and a weekly report that details the overall picture of the COVID-19 outbreak within our state. The daily report details positive and presumptive cases, as well as deaths by county and statewide, while the weekly report is more in depth and includes statistical data related the severity of cases by age, gender, zip codes, ethnicity, as well as information on workplace and senior care facility outbreaks in Oregon. Find additional information on the state or federal COVID-19 response go to Oregon Health Authority, Centers for Disease Control, and 211Info.
OHA expanded their reporting for COVID-19 case management to now include presumptive COVID-19 cases in their total case number. DPHN is reporting the number of people with new positive test results and any new presumptives and uses the OHA’s definition of presumptive as having had close contact with a known, confirmed COVID-19 case, showing symptoms and not yet having a positive nasal swab/PCR or antigen test for COVID-19. Testing continues, as DPHN has been holding 2-3 clinics a week and hospitals, urgent cares and clinics continue to test. DPHN continues their epidemiologic investigations, identifying individuals who may have had close contact with individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19, advising and supporting quarantine and isolation.
Oregon School Reopening Metrics
For information about the State’s reopen schools initiative and metrics during the COVID-19 pandemic (Ready School, Safe Learners), click here or check out this .pdf. OHA released a weekly case rate and test positivity report that lists the total state numbers, as well as a county by county breakdown. Click here for the most recent OHA case rate and test positivity report released on July 5, 2020. The report details case and test positivity rates for the weeks of July 5 – August 1. As a reminder, OHA and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) officials will be working directly with local schools and school boards to adopt and implement their school reopening and/or student learning plans. We will be sharing the updates on Thursdays.
Prevention is the Best Medicine
Just like the old expression says, ‘prevention is the best medicine’, we continue to stress the importance of weighing your COVID-RISK and preventing the continued spread of the virus in Douglas County. Several of our recent positive test results have been directly linked to travel outside Douglas County, and especially those residents that have chosen to travel outside of Oregon. In addition to limiting travel, we are asking that you also limit attending social gatherings, stay home if you are sick and reschedule visits from out-of-the-area friends and family to a later date. Reversing the trajectory of COVID-19 cases in our county is really up to YOU, our residents. Data from CDC and OHA show that traveling and coming into contact with people from other areas, especially COVID-19 hot spots, DOES significantly increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. The COVID-19 virus is still here, still infectious and will be around for quite some time. The bottom line is that each and every person needs to take personal responsibility for their actions and adopt the proper precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Whatever your reason for traveling, going to work while sick, inviting Aunt Sally to come visit or attending a wedding or a pool party, we encourage you to please reconsider and really access the COVID-RISK to you, your family and your community. And remember to please follow these simple daily precautions as well: wash your hands, stay six feet apart and wear a mask where recommended.
COVID-RISK INDEX: Several businesses, agencies and individuals reached out to the DCCRT Team asking about the COVID-RISK Index chart we shared Tuesday, August 4, 2020 in our DCCRT Special Update. The index was adapted from research done by Doctors from the University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University and the University of Arizona, and is an excellent illustration to help residents, employers and our communities evaluate their COVID-RISK.
Click here to download the COVID-RISK Index chart.
Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer
Join us tonight, Friday, August 7, 2020 for the next virtual town hall Q&A with Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, your Douglas County Public Health Officer at 6:00 pm, hosted by DPHN and found on the DPHN Facebook page.
Free Service for Job Seekers Interested in Long-Term Care
The Oregon Department of Human Services issued a press release recently talking about a free service for anyone looking at a career in long-term care. So, if you are looking for a job and have thought about working in long-term care, then ConnectToCareJobs.com can help connect you with more than 680 nursing, assisted living and residential care facilities in Oregon and more than 1,400 adult foster homes. Licensed long-term care facilities in Oregon are also invited to create accounts to post open positions. The website then matches these job seekers with appropriate openings.
“We want to do everything possible to ensure that Oregonians have options when they need long-term care,” said Mike McCormick, interim director of the Oregon Department of Human Services Office of Aging and People with Disabilities. “For Oregonians who want to receive care in a long-term care facility, it is essential that those facilities have enough staff to meet the needs of people who want to live there.”
To learn more, read the press release from the Oregon Department of Human Services
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Stay Informed Accurate Local Information Stay up to date on COVID-19 in Douglas County on the Douglas County Government website or the DPHN website. Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team (DCCRT) have been working hard to cooperatively provide accurate and timely information to Douglas County residents since March 8, 2020. Our local COVID-19 updates represent the coordinated effort of the agencies that make up the DCCRT.
Local COVID-19 Hotline If you have questions about COVID-19 and available local resources, call the Douglas County COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550. It is staffed by local volunteers from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week.
Questions about Governor’s Reopening Plans or Statewide Rules? If you have questions or need more information about the Governor’s Phased Reopening Plans, Sector Specific Guidelines or her newest Statewide Orders go to the Governor’s COVID-19 website at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-covid-19/ or call Business Oregon's Navigator Hotline at (833) 604-0880.
Who Do You Contact to Report Compliance Issues with the Governor’s Statewide Rules? Please do not call 911, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or Douglas County Offices to report compliance issues with the Governor’s orders. The Governor has directed the State of Oregon offices for Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) to be the enforcement agencies responsible for ensuring restaurants, bars, and other businesses comply with COVID-related rules.
Click here to read the Governor’s official press release on COVID-19 rules compliance. Click here for the Governor’s latest statewide rules, effective Friday, July 24, 2020.
For more information or to report compliance issues concerning the Governor’s COVID-19 orders contact: OSHA: (800) 922-2689 or OSHA website or OLCC (503) 872-5000 or OLCC website.
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Contact Tamara Howell, Public Information Officer, Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, (541) 670-2804 cell/(541) 957-4896 tjhowell@co.douglas.or.us
Contact Vanessa Becker, Public Information Officer, Douglas Public Health Network, (541) 817-6552 cell (541) 440-3571 vanessa@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org