Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team - Daily Update - November 6, 2020 (Photo) - 11/06/20

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 – November 6, 2020

DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM - DAILY UPDATE

(Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: The Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team continues to focus on our local COVID-19 response.  As of 12:00 pm today, Friday, November 6, 2020, there are EIGHT (8) people with new positive test results since our noon case update yesterday*.  The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 436*.  Currently, there are SIX Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized locally.

OREGON FOOTBALL IS BACK: PLEASE CHEER RESPONSIBLY

Amid the current rash of COVID cases in Oregon, the much anticipated return of PAC-12 football this weekend means a chance for fans to finally cheer for their favorite Oregon team, but also an increase in possible social gatherings (parties), and the likelihood that we could see another run on COVID cases.  We are asking for your assistance in helping us stop the run! Even though fans are NOT being allowed in Autzen or Reser Stadium to watch the Duck and Beaver games LIVE, the gridiron action will be televised.  Which means fans will be gathering at local restaurants, taverns, eateries and bars to cheer on their favorite teams, as well as considering opening up their homes for fan watch parties.  Please, we ask that you cheer for your favorite team responsibly by limiting your social interactions with others not in your household, and limiting watch parties to include only members of your immediate household, so we can help stop the continued spread of COVID in our communities.  Instead, consider hosting a virtual watch party with fellow fans and dress up in favorite team’s gear, while you cheer, root and armchair quarterback your team onto victory.  

Know the Rules of the Game and Please No Penalty Flags for “Too Many Players on The Field”!

Smart Duck and Beaver Fans who know the rules of the game can help us keep their fellow fans safe this year.  The last thing you want is for your favorite Duck fan or Beaver Believer to be sidelined with aches, pains, fever, chills, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea or vomiting, and be out of action from work with a two-week quarantine.  Further, as our local businesses have been hit hard already this year, don’t be the reason the authorities sideline your favorite restaurant or bar for the remainder of the season. 

Practice the No Huddle Offense!

So, while you watch the games: spread out (no huddling, watch your six…feet); remember to wash and sanitize your hands often (bring wipes or hand sanitizer with you); mask up (get creative and wear team color or logoed masks), do not overcrowd the place (avoid too many players on the field), stay home if you are sick (sideline yourself) and avoid sharing food and drinks with others.  Be part of the team and help to keep your fellow fans safe, your favorite bar open and enjoy the gridiron action! Go Team!

*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. 

**Please note, we retracted ONE positive case number from our totals on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.  After investigation, it was determined that one person previously reported with a positive test result was not a Douglas County resident, and therefore, the case was moved to their respective County.  We have adjusted our chart and numbers to reflect the retraction and movement.

REMINDER: Please Stay Home If You Are Sick, Feeling Sick or Not Fully Recovered from Being Sick!

Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas County Public Health Official would like to remind residents about the importance of staying home when you are sick to help protect others from getting sick.  This means not only staying home from work and school, but also staying home from all other activities and social events.  Please, if you are sick, even if you just have a runny nose or stuffy head, do not attend birthday parties, weddings, poker nights, prayer groups, church or go work out at the gym and expose others to your illness. 

What we have discovered with several of our large local outbreaks are people who were sick, and have chosen to still to go to school, work, poker club, shopping and holiday parties.  A case in point: A local student was sick and went back to school before she was better.  Had she waited a few days, she would have lost 3 or 4 days of school, but her class would not have been impacted.  Unfortunately, she went to school and exposed 40 others.  Now, those 40 others will need to be quarantined for 2 weeks and will miss a total of 760 days away from activity.  In addition, those 40 families will need to take time away from work, school and activities to care for them.  So, the economic impact of going back to school or work before you are well is enormous.

Do You Have to Quarantine or Isolate Because of COVID-19, But Don’t Have Paid Time Off?

Shared from Oregon COVID-19 Temporary Paid Leave Program.  The COVID-19 Temporary Paid Leave Program is available to people who need to quarantine or isolate because of COVID-19 exposure or are experiencing symptoms and need a medical diagnosis, but do not qualify for COVID-19-related paid sick leave (or do not have access to COVID-19-related paid time off).  If you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you will get a $120 per-day payment, up to 10 working days ($1,200 total) for the time you need to quarantine or isolate.  To see if you are eligible, take this quiz or see the requirements below. Read the instructions for help completing the application. Click here to complete the application.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the program, you must meet all the following requirements:

• Work in Oregon and required to file an Oregon personal income tax return.
• Directed to quarantine by a local or tribal public health authority or health care provider because of exposure to someone infected or have COVID-19-related symptoms and are seeking a medical diagnosis.
• Not able to work (including telework) because you need to quarantine or isolate.
• Do not expect to earn more than $60,000 individually or $120,000 jointly in 2020.
• Your employer does not provide COVID-19-related paid sick leave or you have exhausted your available COVID-19-related paid sick leave.
• Are not applying for unemployment insurance benefits for the time off due to quarantine or isolation.
• Are not applying for workers’ compensation benefits for the time off due to quarantine or isolation or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
• Are not seeking or using benefits from similar COVID-19 quarantine relief programs in Oregon or another state.
• Are not applying for or receiving other forms of paid leave from your employer during your quarantine or isolation, such as banked sick leave or vacation leave.
• Are not laid off or furloughed by your employer.
• Must have notified your employer that you need to quarantine or isolate.
• Can claim only one quarantine period.
• You are not self-employed.

You Are the Key to Controlling the Spread of COVID-19!

It is no secret that the key to stopping the continued spread of the coronavirus is, YOU, our residents, our families, our communities and our businesses.  Yes, prevention is the best medicine, and not just to help stop the spread of COVID, but for your overall health and wellbeing as well.  If each and every individual in our county would make a real concerted effort to implement prevention measure into their daily routine, we could see a huge decrease in our COVID case numbers.  That means we need each and everyone one of our residents to take steps to minimize the spread of germs and contagions, by choosing every day to maintain healthier eating habits; incorporate exercise and cleaning routines; being cautious and keeping distance from others; making modifications to how you socialize with others; choosing no contact deliveries and services; and staying home if you are sick.  The suggestions we make and the guidelines presented by public health are not just for your health and safety, but for the health and safety of everyone, including our kids, our grandparents, our coworkers, our first responders, our teachers and our businesses.  We know we sound like a broken record, but our primary focus is to do everything we can to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents. 

We Encourage You to Help Stop the Spread and Stay Healthy

• Make a habit of washing and sanitizing your hands, regularly.  That means washing after you eat, if you touch new surfaces, go to the bathroom, open a door, go to the store, go to the post office or after a meeting.  Also try and avoid touching your face as much as possible. 
• Please wear a mask where recommended.  Not just for your protection, but for the protection of others. 
• Stay at least six feet apart from anyone that is not from your immediate household.  This means paying attention to the distance stickers at the store, the bank, at restaurants and at businesses.  Please be respectful, kind and polite, by giving people ample space.
• Stay home from work, school and play if you are sick.  This includes not running errands or going shopping or inviting visitors to your home.  If you need help, reach out to friends, family or utilize an app or businesses that offer no contact deliveries or services.
• Minimize travel, especially out of the state and limit visitors to your home. 
• Minimize attending social gatherings or going places where there are large groups of people.

We are now passed four hundred mark with COVID-19 cases in Douglas County, with 8 new total positive cases and presumptives combined today.  This trend of has become increasingly concerning for all of us.  An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure — and that’s never been more true than right now.  But, just like the old adage, the recommendations from public health for preventing the spread of diseases, viruses and illnesses are not new notions, but rather age old advice based on decades of scientific research.  From a young age we are taught to wash our hands, cover our coughs, clean and disinfect and stay home if we are sick.  This sage advice continues to be the basis for good hygiene and virus prevention practices today.  The DCCRT team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, along with Dr. Dannenhoffer and Douglas Public Health Network encourage residents to make prevention measures a part of their everyday routines.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend six daily habits that can help you avoid sickness and prevent the spread of viruses to others too.

UPDATED: OHA Reporting and Definition for Recovered

As per the Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 Investigative Guidelines, the number of recovered cases is no longer being assessed or reported by OHA.  Up until May 1st, 2020 recovery from COVID-19 was defined as being afebrile (not feverish), without the use of antiphyretics (medicine to reduce a fever), and having resolution of cough, shortness of breath and diarrhea for at least 72 hours.  As more was learned about symptoms, recovery and contagious period, the definition of recovered changed.   Beginning May 1st, OHA stopped reporting recovered cases while also separating recovery from contagious or isolation period.  Many cases were no longer contagious, as they were outside of the contagious period, but still having lingering symptoms.  To be consistent with OHA and to adapt as we learn more about this new virus, we removed the column in our chart listing recovered cases.  At that point, we added the number of those in isolation, roughly indicating active or infectious cases of COVID-19 in Douglas County.

Currently, DPHN is supporting 80 cases in isolation, as well as another 381 contacts in quarantine in Douglas County.  Isolation is recommended for confirmed and presumptive cases, quarantine is recommended for contacts of confirmed or presumptive cases.  Currently, staff is supporting an astonishing 461 total contacts in isolation/quarantine.  This number represents a snapshot of the significant amount of work being done by our county and our public health to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Getting Tested & Testing Clinics

The next drive-through testing clinic is Today, Friday, November 6, 2020, in Roseburg. 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 1747 people tested in 87 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.

Oregon COVID-19 Presumptive

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.

Travel Caution: Please Limit Travel, Social Gatherings and Visitors

Our recent surge in cases can be attributed to travel and unwitting and unintentional behavior by residents choosing to attend or host social gatherings where COVID-19 guidelines for social distancing, food preparation, hand washing and masks are not being followed.  Cases have been linked to travel and social gatherings including: birthday parties, weddings, funerals, prayer groups, play dates, visiting family members and school events. Again, we ask that you take a moment and revisit how you are socializing and please protect yourself, your loved ones and our communities from the spread of this virus.  We encourage you to delay travel, consider stay-cations and reschedule visits from out-of-the-area friends and family to a later date.  We continue to identify people with positive test results that have chosen to travel out of Oregon to visit relatives or to take vacations.  While traveling those individuals and families have come in contact with someone with COVID-19 and brought it back to Douglas County.  Other cases and outbreaks were the direct result of someone coming to Douglas County to visit and bringing the virus with them and infecting their host family.  Please stay safe and remember to be kind to others. Stopping the increase of COVID-19 cases in our county is really up to YOU, our citizens.

Facebook Live with Dr. Bob

Please join us Tonight, Friday, November 6, 2020 at 4:00 pm for the next Facebook Live event with Dr. Bob. hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page.  Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer will continue their normal schedule of Facebook “Live Q&A Updates” next week with both his Tuesday night at 6:00 pm and Friday night at 4:00 pm on the DPHN Facebook page.  Residents are still able to submit their COVID-19 questions to Dr. Bob during the live shows, but you can also email your questions to: Facebookquestions@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org.  Dr. Bob and the DPHN team will do their best to respond to as many questions as they can during their weekly updates.

REMINDER: Join Us for the 2020 Douglas County REVERSE Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, November 11

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners issued are calling upon all citizens of Douglas County to join us in supporting our local military heroes by attending the special “Reverse” 2020 Douglas County Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, starting at 11:00 am, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. 

Despite COVID-19, the Douglas County Veterans Forum and Veterans Day Parade Committee knew our annual parade honoring our veterans must go on, so they put their heads together and came up with the idea of a “Reverse” parade format to keep the tradition alive.  In a reverse parade, the floats are stationary, while the parade spectators are the ones driving by in vehicles.  The parade route was moved to the Douglas County Fairgrounds this year, in order to provide proper distancing for staging of the parade entries.  The reverse format takes into account the current social gathering guidelines, as well as the concern for the health and safety of our residents during the pandemic. The 2020 Douglas County Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshals will feature our Military Doctors & Nurses, while the theme is Embrace the past –Engage the present –Envision the future.  The Douglas County Veterans Day Parade, is one of only two Veterans Day parades in Oregon that was not canceled due to the pandemic.

The Commissioners are proud to support this cherished annual event, often called Oregon’s Greatest Veteran’s Day Parade and this year possibly the largest.  In Douglas County, ‘We Honor Veterans’, and encourage you to take time this Veterans Day to recognize the brave men and women who have fearlessly served our nation by thanking them and their families for their dedication, service, as well as the many sacrifices made on behalf of our great nation.  We hope you are able to join us for the 2020 Veterans Day Parade at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

REMINDER: Aviva Health Offering Veterans Free Drive-Thru Flu Shots at the 2020 Veterans’ Day Parade

Shared from Aviva Health. Aviva Health is providing area veterans with the option to get a free drive-thru flu shot at this year’s ‘Reverse’ Douglas County Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, November 11, starting at 11:00 am. The 2020 Veterans Day Parade will be a reverse format at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.  The Douglas County Veterans Day Parade Committee have planned a reverse parade, where floats and other elements of the parade remain stationary while visitors to the event drive by them in their cars. Proper social distancing and masking guidelines will be followed to protect people from COVID-19.  Aviva Health typically hosts a Veterans Day event at its Roseburg campus called Vets and Their Pets, but the pandemic forced the organization to cancel this year’s festivities. Still, Aviva Health intends to honor and assist those who have served in a meaningful way.

Sutherlin School District Issues Positive Case Notice

Shared from the Sutherlin School District Facebook Page. In a notice posted to their Facebook page at 10:53 pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, Sutherlin School District Superintendent, Terri Prestianni, announced that they were notified by DPHN and Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer, that a student at Sutherlin Middle School had tested positive for COVID-19. Sutherlin School District officials have been very proactive in their approach in dealing with this event to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Below is a copy of the notice that was posted:

“November 4, 2020 - School District Responds to Positive COVID-19 Case(s)

The Sutherlin School District is taking steps to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

A Sutherlin School District student at Sutherlin Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19. We are working closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to respond to this news and protect the health of our community.

We are taking steps to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

As soon as the Douglas Public Health Network informed us that a student in our district tested positive for COVID-19, we started notifying staff, and parents of the children in the cohort that a student tested positive, asking them to quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms. We provided quarantine guidance and informed parents of exposed children that someone from the DPHN will be in daily telephone contact to provide additional monitoring.

We will continue to follow and maintain the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education guidelines; namely practicing handwashing, physical distancing to the degree we can, requiring people wear masks inside the building, and upholding cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

At this time, in-person learning will resume for the students and staff who are not quarantined.

We understand families are concerned. We will keep families and the school community updated with any new information as it becomes available, while meeting the requirements to honor everyone's right to privacy.

• Terry Prestianni, Superintendent”

Roseburg School District Issues Positive Case Notice

Shared from the Roseburg School District. In an announcement released today, Roseburg School District Superintendent, Jared Cordon, announced that they were notified by DPHN and Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer, that two staff members at Hucrest Elementary School had tested positive for COVID-19. Roseburg School District officials have been very proactive in their approach in dealing with this event to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

“The Roseburg School District is working closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to respond to the situation and protect the health of the school community,” commented Superintendent Cordon.  “At this time the individuals are at home self-isolating and monitoring for symptoms.”

Roseburg School District in collaboration with DPHN, is taking the following steps:

*Following contact tracing efforts, RPS decided that two additional classrooms should temporarily transition to remote learning out of an abundance of caution. Families directly impacted are being notified and will work with their teachers to navigate the transition.

*Instructional and resource support is being provided for students temporarily participating in remote learning.

*The district will continue to maintain safety protocols and guidelines established by the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority.

For reference: The Oregon Health Authority issues a weekly COVID-19 report that publishes data on K-12 schools with in-person instruction, child/day care centers, businesses and care facilities that meet their outbreak criteria. As of last week, OHA’s policy related to school outbreaks is to report outbreaks with 1 or more cases in school settings at any place of learning for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, or a subset, with at least 30 students enrolled. Case counts includes employees, staff, volunteers or students at the school. According to OHA, the notice is to inform the public of potential COVID-19 exposure and to provide transparency surrounding COVID-19 in schools. School is defined as any place of learning for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, or a subset, with at least 30 students enrolled. This includes, but is not limited to, public schools, private schools, parochial and charter schools. Staff is defined as any person who works full time or part-time at the school, regardless of their position. A volunteer is defined as any person who volunteers onsite.

Stay Informed with 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, DPHN 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. 

Douglas County Resource/COVID-19 Hotline: (541) 464-6550:

Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas Public Health Network have added a resource and referral service to the current COVID-19 hotline for Douglas County residents.  The added service will help residents get connected to resources and services due to the local wildfires.  Referral and resource information will be available about local emergency shelters, livestock and animal boarding options, donation locations, volunteer opportunities, welfare check referrals, food and water resources and help with health and wellness questions.  This is NOT the hotline for Fire Updates or Evacuation information.  Please contact or follow DFPA and DCSO for the most up-to-date wildfire information.  The Resource/COVID-19 Hotline is (541) 464-6550.  It is staffed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week until further notice. 

Questions about Governor’s Reopening or Statewide Rules?  If you have questions or need more information go to the Governor’s COVID-19 website at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-covid-19/ or call the Business Oregon's Navigator Hotline at (833) 604-0880.  For information on COVID-19 in Oregon, call 211 or visit 211info

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 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.  For more information or to report compliance issues 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