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 – April 16, 2021
DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM - DAILY UPDATE
(Douglas County, Ore.) DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 TEST RESULTS: As of 12:00 pm Today, Friday, April 16, 2021, there are SIX (6) people with new positive test results to report since our noon case update yesterday. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptives) in Douglas County is now at 3,035*. Currently, there are SEVEN (7) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, five locally and two out-of-the-area. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID response.
|
Date |
Monday April 12, 2021 |
Tuesday April 13, 2021 |
Wednesday April 14, 2021 |
Thursday April 15, 2021 |
Today, Friday, April 16, 2021 |
|
Total COVID-19 Cases |
3,003 |
3,014 |
3,020 |
3,029 |
3,035 |
|
People w/ Positive PCR or Antigen Test Results |
2,858 |
2,869 |
2,874 |
2,883 |
2,889 |
|
Presumptive |
145 |
145 |
146 |
146 |
146 |
|
Total Currently Hospitalized |
9 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
|
Total Currently in Isolation |
106 |
108 |
93 |
84 |
85 |
|
Total COVID-19 Related Deaths |
65 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
*Our daily update includes the total number of cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives, as well as a breakout of those case numbers. There will be times when a presumptive will move to a positive test result, and our total case number will not change because the case has already been counted.
LOCAL CONTACTS AND CASES BEING SUPPORTED IN ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE
Currently, DPHN is supporting 85 cases in isolation, as well as another 215 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 astounding 300 total contacts and cases in isolation or quarantine. This number represents a snapshot of the significant amount of work being done locally to help control the spread of COVID.
AVISTA OFFERS COVID-19 DEBT RELIEF GRANTS TO HELP RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS
Shared from Avista. The pandemic has been financially hard on many people. Avista cares and is doing something about it—by providing COVID-19 Debt Relief grants to help residential customers who are behind on their energy bills. If you have a past-due balance with Avista, you may qualify to receive funds to pay some or all of what you owe. The grants are available through September 30, 2022, or until funding runs out—whichever occurs first. There are other ways Avista can help. Recognizing the uncertainty that the pandemic has created, they want to assure their customers that help is available for your current and future bills, as well. They are offering to assist you with: Payment Arrangements - Short-term and long-term payment arrangements can be made on an individual basis. Comfort Level Billing – They divide your yearly energy costs into 12 equal and predictable monthly payments. Preferred Due Date - Aligns your bill’s due date with your payday to help your budgeting during the month. If you need additional assistance to pay your bill, contact your local community action agency to see if you may qualify for our other assistance programs. To find the agency nearest you, please visit their website at myavista.com/assistance or call (800) 227-9187. Avista Customer Service Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
COMING SOON: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND GRANTS
Shared from the SBA Office of Disaster Assistance and the National Restaurant Association. One of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic has been restaurants, with shutdowns and restrictions cutting off revenue opportunities. The newly passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) aims to help restaurants, bars and related businesses with a new grant program called the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will offer $28.6 billion in grants to hard-hit restaurants and bars, with restaurants able to apply for grants based on lost revenue. Restaurants will not be required to acquire a System of Award Management (SAM) number. As of April 15, 2021, there was still no specified release date for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant applications, according to SBA associate administrator Patrick Kelley. But Kelley recently noted some important details operators need to know about where and how to apply when applications go live. The web application will be available at restaurants.sba.gov (when the link goes live) and SBA says they are “on the precipice of opening.” For more information on RRF eligibility, documents applicants need to have on hand and how grants are calculated, check out the recent Q&A published by the National Restaurant Association.
“By our estimates, we've lost $250 billion in revenue from the beginning of the pandemic,” National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President Sean Kennedy said. “From March until January of this year, 110,000 restaurants have been closed. … Our goal has always been an industry-specific solution, and the announcement of the passage of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund is a big step towards that.”
For more information on other pandemic relief programs for small businesses, log onto the SBA COVID-19 RELIEF OPTIONS website at: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SAFE
We continue encourage everyone, for the sake of our local businesses, services and residents, to gauge your risk level, and to make the best choice in order protect yourself and those around you from contracting or spreading coronavirus. We have provided education on the widely proven COVID-19 safety measures, and encourage you to limit your contact with others not from your household, stay home if you are sick, and wear face coverings where recommended. Click here, for a graphic on how to protect you and your family from the spread of COVID-19. We know how important family, businesses and faith are to you, so we ask that you consider all options available in order to eliminate and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our communities to help protect the ones you love, the businesses you love and the places you love to go.
DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 DRIVE-THRU TESTING CLINICS TAKING A PAUSE
Due to the widely available COVID-19 testing opportunities in Douglas County, your local public health authority and DPHN decided to step-back our drive-through testing clinics for the time being. If needs increase, we are prepared to bring back testing on a weekly basis again. 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 can contact the Sutherlin Aviva Health Clinic at (541) 459-3788.
COVID-19 FACEBOOK LIVE WITH DR. BOB
Tune in on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 4:00 pm for the next Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, the Douglas County Public Health Officer. For future Facebook Events with Dr. Bob, please submit 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 the Facebook event. The Facebook Events are hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page.
STATE AND FEDERAL COVID-19 INFORMATION
It is important to understand that Federal and State Government and their Agencies are the ones setting policy and issuing the guidelines for the pandemic. Locally, we are following the recommended guidance issued by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). If you have questions about the current guidelines or the recommendations, contact the CDC or OHA directly for more information. OHA posts their daily updates at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus.
Please do not call 911, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or Douglas County Offices to report compliance issues with the State of Oregon, OHA or 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 the current State COVID guidelines. If you have concerns, questions or wish to report compliance, issues contact these state agencies directly: OSHA: (800) 922-2689 or OSHA website or OLCC (503) 872-5000 or OLCC website.
ACCESS TO LOCAL COVID-19 RESOURCES
Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the DCCRT team have been working hard to cooperatively provide accurate and timely information to Douglas County residents since March 8, 2020.
Local Online Access to Updates
Stay up to date with accurate and local COVID-19 information in Douglas County by visiting the Douglas County Government website or DCGOV Facebook page or the DPHN website or DPHN Facebook page.
Free Local e-Newsletter Subscription
You can also sign up for the Douglas County e-Newsletter that publishes and sends out the daily update to our subscription base free. You can sign up for the Douglas County e-Newsletter at www.co.douglas.or.us. Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the DCCRT have been working hard to cooperatively provide accurate and timely information to Douglas County residents since March 8, 2020.
Douglas County COVID-19 Hotline (541) 464-6550
Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners and DPHN continue to offer a local resource hotline for Douglas County residents for COVID-19. The hotline provides answer to frequently asked questions, basic information and referrals to resources and services. Our local hotline number is (541) 464-6550 and is staffed from 8:00 am to 5: pm, 7 days a week.
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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