DC C19 UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 UPDATE #631

(Douglas County, Ore.) A QUICK LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, AS OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

*Our COVID quick look includes the total number of new cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives. **We follow the CDC definition for fully vaccinated, which states that a fully vaccinated person is someone who has received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or one dose of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the individual’s final dose.

As of 12:00 pm today, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, there are FORTY (40) people with new positive test results, TWO (2) new presumptives and FIVE (5) new deaths to report bringing the total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 10,871*. Currently, there are SEVENTY-NINE (79) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, fifty-seven locally and twenty-two out-of-the-area, including one that has been transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here. We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 17 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 8 BiPAP’s (Non-invasive ventilation for breathing support) machines are currently in use, 12 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 14 are in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU).  47% of the total hospitalized patients at Mercy are COVID positive.  Of our hospitalized cases today, SEVENTY-THREE (73) patients out of the 79 patients are not fully vaccinated. 

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, at 12:00 pm we had EIGHTY-SEVEN (87) people with new positive test results, THREE (3) new presumptive and TWO (2) new COVID-19 related deaths to report bringing our total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 10,829*. We had EIGHTY-SIX (86)Douglas County COVID-19 patients hospitalized, sixty-four locally and twenty-two out-of-the-area, including one patient that has been transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here. We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 20 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 8 BiPAP’s (Non-invasive ventilation for breathing support) machines are currently in use, 14 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 16 are in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). 45% of the total hospitalized patients at Mercy are COVID positive.  Of our hospitalized cases on Tuesday, SEVENTY-EIGHT (78) patients out of the 84 patients are not fully vaccinated.

Douglas County Public Health has confirmed the deaths of seven more Douglas County residents related to the COVID-19 virus.  Our one hundred and eighty-nine COVID-19 related death was a 70-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday, August 19, 2021 and passed away on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. He was not vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninetieth COVID-19 related death was a 50-year-old man who passed away on Monday, September 13, 2021, and tested positive for COVID-19 post-mortem on Saturday, September 18, 2021.  He was not vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninety-first COVID-19 related death was a 64-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 and passed away on Thursday, September 16, 2021. He was not vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninety-second COVID-19 related death was an 84-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sunday, September 5, 2021 and passed away on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. He was not vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninety-third COVID-19 related death was a 56-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 and passed away on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. He was partially vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninety-fourth COVID-19 related death was a 54-year-old man who was made a presumptive case on Thursday, September 16, 2021 and passed away on Friday, September 17, 2021. He was not vaccinated.  Our one hundred and ninety-fifth COVID-19 related death was a 66-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday, September 6, 2021 and passed away on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. She was not vaccinated.  In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of this resident, and as our ethical responsibility to follow all medical laws, no additional information will be released.  We thoroughly scrutinize and investigate all deaths, and review all medical records to make sure that everyone we report has met the requirements for a COVID related death, as per the Oregon Disease Investigative Guidelines for COVID-19.  Each death related to COVID-19 is painful for all Douglas County residents, and a sad reminder of the terrible impact COVID-19 has had in our local communities. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the DCCRT team extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all family members, friends, relatives, co-workers and community members of those who have passed after contracting this deadly virus.

**Our COVID case update includes the total number of cases in Douglas County, which combines people with positive test results and presumptives, as well as a breakout of those case numbers. There will be times when a presumptive will move to a positive test result, and our total case number will not change because the case has already been counted. 

More Douglas County residents continue to get the COVID-19 vaccine each week.  In this past week, 1,570 total vaccines were administered in Douglas County.  And, 551 of those were the first vaccine for individuals ages 16 years and above.

• For those 16 years old and above who have received one dose of vaccine, taking into account the Federally reported Veterans Administration vaccine numbers (that are reported separately from the State’s numbers), Douglas County is now at 63.3% (59,747 residents) vaccinated who are age 16 years and above, with at least one dose.
• For those 18 years old and above who are fully vaccinated (as calculated by the CDC) Douglas County is currently at 55% fully vaccinated.
• For the percent of the ENTIRE population who are fully vaccinated (as calculated by the CDC), Douglas County is currently at 46% fully vaccinated.

In addition, as with any outbreak, considering our local data of 10,871 total COVID-19 cases to date, statistics project that there are generally 2.1 times as many infections as reported cases.  So, locally is predicted that Douglas County has had likely upwards of 22,829 residents infected with COVID-19, which equates to about 20% of our population with some natural immunity (note that some may have had both infection and vaccine).  This would suggest that about 65 to 67% of our population is now immune, either by vaccination or natural infection.  Unfortunately, that still leaves about 33 to 35% of our population susceptible, and widespread disease is still possible. 

Shared from Aviva Health, in cooperation with CHI Mercy Health.  With the Latest COVID-19 Surge on the Decline, Aviva Health Ends Pre-Emergency Room Triage Support at CHI Mercy Health - Mercy Medical Center.  Aviva Health is closing out its pre-emergency room triage (pre-ER triage) support at CHI Mercy Health Mercy Medical Center today, a move related to tapering daily COVID-19 cases.  The pre-ER triage began on August 26 during the latest COVID-19 surge, an effort aimed at identifying COVID-19 patients accessing emergency services at the hospital who did not require emergency care and redirecting them to treatment in another setting. 

During the four-week mission, the pre-ER triage staff comprised of clinicians from Aviva Health and Mercy assessed and treated more than 210 COVID-19 patients, easing the burden on the hospital’s emergency room at a time when that service line and inpatient capacity was pushed to their limits.

“Given the strong partnership we have with Mercy and the talents and selfless commitment of staff members from a variety of organizations, Aviva Health was able to quickly stand up the pre-ER triage operation,” says KC Bolton, CEO of Aviva Health. “We are grateful for the bonds that have developed between and among many community organizations over these last 19 months.”

As the pandemic pushes on Bolton says Aviva Health will continue to assess the needs of its health care partners and the community and respond as necessary.

“During our recent COVID surge, the mobile unit served a valuable service to our patients that presented to our ED in need of care but could be treated and prescribed follow up outpatient treatment options. This partnership with Aviva was a great benefit to our staff and more importantly, our community members for whom we provide care,” says Dr. Jason Gray, CMO, CHI Mercy Health.

The pre-ER triage service also benefited from the use of Aviva Health’s “Mobile 1,” the larger of two mobile medical units (MMU) assigned to the organization by the Douglas County Commissioners. The MMU served as an exam room where individuals with COVID-19 were assessed and advised of available outpatient treatment options, including monoclonal antibody therapy, oxygen, and intravenous fluids. Local coordinated care organization Umpqua Health Alliance also played an important role by providing discharge planning, case management and non-emergency transportation services.

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

💻 Local Online Access to Updates: Stay up to date with accurate and local COVID-19 information 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 free Douglas County e-Newsletter that publishes and sends out the update to our subscription base. Log onto: www.co.douglas.or.us. 

📞 Douglas County COVID-19 Hotline (541) 464-6550: Your Douglas County Board of Commissioners and DPHN continue to offer a local resource hotline for Douglas County residents for COVID-19. The hotline provides answers to frequently asked questions, basic COVID information and referrals to local resources and services. Our local hotline number is (541) 464-6550 and is staffed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week. 

🔍 DPHN Vaccine Information: Want more information on the vaccines? Log onto: http://DougCoVaccine.com.

🔍 DPHN Informational Videos: Check out DPHN’s YouTube Channel for informational videos about COVID-19.

🐯 Douglas County Tiger Team: The Tiger Team organizes our county-wide COVID-19 vaccine program via free pop-up vaccine clinics, with Umpqua Valley Ambulance, who provide a certified vaccinator and medical assistant.  The clinics are open to anyone 18 years of age and older, and preregistration is not required. Click here for the calendar of upcoming clinics or call (541) 670-3110 or (541) 464-6550, if you are interested in having team come to your location.

👩‍⚕️ Aviva Health: Offering free drive-through COVID-19 vaccination and testing services to all symptomatic residents, as well as registered Aviva Health patients who are asymptomatic.  No appointment needed.  Patients must be Douglas County residents and be 12 years of age or older***.  The drive-through is located at 4221 NE Stephens Street, Suite 101A in Roseburg and is open M-F: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.  Vaccinations are also available on a limited basis at Aviva Health’s outlying clinics in North County, Sutherlin, Glide, and Myrtle Creek. People seeking vaccinations at their outlying clinics should call (541) 672-9596, to determine availability. For more information please visit www.aviva.health/covid-19-resources/.  Aviva also has an online COVID FAQ page with answers to frequently asked questions. 

🏥 Lower Umpqua Hospital District: Lower Umpqua Hospital District has a COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center for COVID-19 vaccine information in the Reedsport area. Call (541) 271-2175, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. 👨‍⚕️ Cow Creek Health and Wellness Center: Effective Monday, September 13, ALL COVID Testing will be held via drive thru clinics in Roseburg at 2360 NE Stephens Street, and at the South Clinic in Canyonville at 480 Wartahoo Lane from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The last test will be administered at 12:45 pm. Testing is free, available for all community members and done on a first-come first-served basis.  Those accessing this service should be prepared for a minimum of a 30-minute wait time. This testing is for medical diagnostic purposes to assist exposed and symptomatic individuals only; all individuals being tested will be asked to self-attest they are being tested for medical purposes only.  Effective Monday, September 20, ALL COVID-19 vaccinations will be administered at the Public Health Site at Seven Feathers Casino Resort, South Parking Lot by appointment only, please call (541) 670-2949 to schedule an appointment. You must be 18 years or older to receive the vaccine.  If you are waiting to receive a COVID booster from Cow Creek Public Health, call and ask to be placed on a list, and they will call you to schedule your booster when available.  In addition, effective Monday, October 11, 2021, Cow Creek Health and Wellness Center will no longer offer community testing. They will be transitioning back to the clinic based COVID-19 testing model at both locations.  Testing will be available by appointment for Cow Creek Health and Wellness Center patients, Tribal Members, Employees of Cow Creek Government Offices and affiliated businesses at the new Roseburg Clinic at 2589 NW Edenbower Blvd and the South Clinic in Canyonville at 480 Wartahoo Lane.

🏥 Roseburg VA Health Care System: Veterans can set up an appointment COVID-19 vaccine, by calling the Roseburg VAMC at (541) 440-1000.

👵 Douglas County Senior Services can help seniors with questions, find testing and vaccines at (541) 440-3677.

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