Douglas County Reports 28 New Cases Today; 12 People Now Hospitalized Locally

(DCCRT) We are reporting another double-digit increase in cases today with 28 new positive and presumptive cases. It takes just one person attending a social event while they are sick to start an outbreak of 10-20 cases, which then requires 50-100 people or more having to stay home in isolation and quarantine. It takes one student going to school when they are sick to infect or cause 40+ people to miss school, work or activities for two weeks. Please think about your actions and activities and make sure they are safe for everyone involved. We have put together a list of the top 10 reasons why our case number are soaring in Douglas County to help our residents understand that it is their actions that are causing this increase. #10 Residents are huddling too close at the bar to watch football games. #9 Residents are hosting poker games where the players are sitting very close to the others for long periods of time, while repeatedly passing playing cards and poker chips around. #8 Residents are not following COVID guidelines while doing what they consider normal, everyday activities, like going to the grocery store, going out to eat, going to the playground or visiting friends. They are not practicing social distancing measures or keeping their face masks on. #7 Residents are joining larger prayer group sessions and not following spacing, occupancy or face covering guidelines. #6 Residents are gathering for in-person birthday parties with several guests from outside their household, who are in close contact with each other and serving themselves from the same food and drink buffets. #5 Resident are attending large holiday parties at fraternal organizations that include unmasked, close contact activities like dancing, singing, sharing drinks, sharing food and crowding into small spaces. #4 Residents are sending their children to school when they are sick. #3 Residents are traveling to COVID hot spot locations (areas with large outbreak numbers or cases) and bringing the virus back to our county. #2 Residents are not wearing face masks or not wearing them properly in order to protect and show respect for themselves, those they care about and the vulnerable people in our communities. #1 And the number one reason why our COVID case numbers are soaring is because residents are going to work when they are sick! Our new cases are due to a large number of people attending social events and not following COVID-19 guidelines for social distancing and wearing of face coverings while in close contact with others. These events include crowding in small rooms or in small areas to attend birthday parties, Halloween celebrations, weddings, baby showers, dinner parties, poker games, in-person meetings and other social gatherings. You may think it’s just a small gathering, but if one person attends the event and is sick, then they can infect the entire group. Attendees from of that event take it home to their families, and it then pass it onto their co-workers, classmates, customers and our community. This triggers an exponential explosion in cases that leads to numerous outbreaks and new positive cases. Again, we ask our residents to step up and help us to control the spread of COVID-19 by choosing to not attend these events AND delaying in-person parties, events and meetings until a later date AND opting for a safe virtual event instead. And, please, stay home if you are sick. Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: As of 12:00 pm today, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, there are TWENTY-SEVEN (27) people with new positive test results and ONE new presumptive since our noon case update yesterday*. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 545*. Currently, there are TWELVE Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized locally. Despite the spike in cases, our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Public Health Officer and Douglas Public Health Network staff continue to focus on COVID prevention, testing and education efforts. Currently, DPHN is supporting 148 cases in isolation, as well as another 559 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 707 total contacts in isolation or 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. PLEASE STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK, FEELING EVEN A LITTLE 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. We Need Your Help! You Are the Key to Controlling the Spread of COVID! 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 five hundred and forty mark with COVID-19 cases in Douglas County, with 28 new total positive and presumptive cases 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 encourages 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. Getting Tested & Testing Clinics The next drive-through testing clinic will be Friday, November 13, 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.