28 New Cases Today in Douglas County; Hospitalizations Down to 15 Locally

(DCCRT) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: As of 12:00 pm today, Wednesday, November 25, 2020, there are TWENTY-EIGHT (28) people with new positive test results and ONE (1) 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 887*. Currently, there are FIFTEEN (15) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized locally. 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 continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID efforts. A Time of Thanks for Mercy Medical Center and Health Care Workers COVID-19 has been challenging time for everyone, but none more so than on our health care workers and health care facilities. We wanted to take a moment, at this time of Thanksgiving to recognize all the doctors, nurses and staff at Mercy Medical Center for their dedication, commitment and hard work since COVID-19 descended on Oregon and arrived in Douglas County over eight months ago. Despite COVID-19, our local, community hospital continues to provide and deliver the type of care you’d find in a much larger facility, and does so with a sense of pride, precaution and compassion for every patient, as well as their families. During these uncertain times, Mercy has been fortunate to have access to sufficient supplies, treatment space, rapid testing capabilities, great community partners, amazing staff and increased infection control practices in order to treat not only COVID patients, but offer care for any patient needing treatment, critical services and surgery. As a reminder, if you have been postponing necessary care, know that all of Mercy’s facilities are safer than they have ever been, and you do not need to wait any longer. Please be assured that the safety of patients and staff remains their top priority, as they continue to provide much needed care for our community. Across the country as well as here in Douglas County, there’s been an outpouring of support and gratitude for our health care workers. I hope you join me in continued support, trust and faith of our local health care workers. Thank you Mercy for doing your part in keeping us safe and healthy here in Douglas County. Series: Reason #3 Why Covid-19 Is Spreading Locally Reason #3, in no particular order, we continue with our series on the reasons why we are seeing a huge surge in local cases. Over the last two days we have talked about reasons for our local outbreaks, they included unsafe or unprotected birthday parties and church gatherings. Again, we do not have anything against churches or celebrations, we are just pointing out where our recent case surges are originating. Today, we will talk about reason #3, going to work or participating in social activities when you are sick. We currently have active outbreaks related to people who are choosing to go out in public and not stay home when they are ill. Again, we have mentioned this several times in our updates, but people are still not heeding the advice. Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Douglas County Public Health Official, urges residents to stay home when they are sick to help protect others from getting sick and spreading disease. 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 got to work or attend gatherings, church, parties, events, weddings, game nights, prayer groups, or go work out at the gym and expose others to your illness. Because COVID-19 is spread through person-to-person contact, we wanted to stress the importance of protecting yourself and others you care about. Right now we need everyone to think about the risk factors associated with these types of activities. How would you feel if you were responsible for passing this virus onto someone that you love, that might not be able to fight off the disease? Please limit your interactions with others, opt for online options, food and supply deliveries, remote working, and stay home until you are fully recovered. Please be safe in all you do, not just for yourself, but for the health and safety of others, especially those that already have a compromised immune system. Especially During the Holiday Season - 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. 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 measures into their daily routine, we could see a huge decrease in our COVID case numbers. Check out the COVID-19 incubation timeline that Douglas Public Health Network. As you can see, COVID-19 doesn’t take a holiday, so be careful. If you are exposed to COVID-19, even if you test negative, stay in quarantine for the 14 days. Jane unwittingly exposed 17 family members that now could expose other family, friends and coworkers and the domino effect of a COVID-19 outbreak begins. We need each and everyone one of our residents to take steps to minimize the spread of germs and contagions. You can help by staying home this holiday season, keeping gatherings to just your household, maintaining 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. Tips to Help Stop the Spread of COVID 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 when you are around others not from your household. 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. 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. Getting Tested & Testing Clinics The next drive-through testing clinic will be Friday, November 27, 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 1964 people tested in 92 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. 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 antipyretics (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. Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Please join us Friday, November 27, 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. School District Responds to Positive COVID-19 Case Shared from Sutherlin School District. In a press release issued yesterday, November 24, 2020, Sutherlin School District announced that they are taking steps to ensure the safety of all students and staff. The release stated that a student at Sutherlin Middle School had tested positive for COVID-19, but has not been in school since last week. They are working closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to respond to this news and protect the health of our community. Sutherlin Middle School is cancelling all on-site classes for Wednesday, November 25 due to lack of coverage for quarantined staff. All other Sutherlin Schools will continue with classes as planned. On November 24, they began notifying staff and parents of the children in the cohort that a student tested positive, asking them to quarantine and monitor for symptoms. They provided quarantine guidance and let them know that someone from the DPHN will be in contact to provide additional monitoring. All schools in Sutherlin School District will return to Comprehensive Distance Learning Monday, November 30. They encourage our community to follow and maintain the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education guidelines; namely handwashing, staying home when sick, physical distancing, mask wearing and practicing disinfecting protocols. They understand families are concerned and our hearts go out to everyone directly affected. They 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. If you have concerns or questions about COVID-19, please call the Douglas Public Health Network hotline at 541-464-6550, seven days a week between 8 am - 5:00 pm. A Message from Mercy Medical Center Shared from Mercy Medical Center. Due to the increasing number of COVID patients we are caring for and the pressure on our staff, we are instituting emergency changes to our Visitor Guidelines. To ensure the safety of both patients and staff, as well as to allow staff to more fully focus on patient care, the follow changes are being made: Effective Wednesday, November 25: COVID Positive Patients: No Visitors (see exceptions) This policy will replace all other Visitor Guidelines (last updated 10.20.20) until further notice. No visitors for COVID positive patients, except for: Compassionate care for patients at end of life Patient has a disability that requires assistance with making care decisions or with daily living activities. Reference SB1606 Effective Friday, November 27: Outpatients No Longer Allowed Visitors Due to facility space limitations and our ability to manage both social distancing and the OR-OSHA’s cleaning protocols for public areas, patients coming for outpatient services – day surgery, imaging, lab, heart center procedures, wound care, infusion services, pulmonary function – will no longer be allowed a visitor, unless patient has a disability that requires assistance. Reference SB1606 Effective Friday, November 27: Changes in Visiting Hours for Inpatients Hospital-wide Visiting Hours will now be from 2-6 p.m. every day What’s Not Changing: Emergency Department patients may continue to have one visitor, unless: o If the ER patient is admitted, the visitor may accompany the patient to their room, but is asked to leave promptly after patient is settled if before or after visiting hours Family BirthPlace patients may have one support person, no visitors For inpatients without a COVID diagnosis, one visitor per day (only during new visiting hours of 2-6 p.m.) Pediatric patients may have both parents with them No visitors under the age of 12 Visitors must comply with PPE requirements and might be excluded from having visitation privileges if they fail to pass the screening process. Stay Informed with Accurate Local Information LOCAL COVID-19 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 Statewide Rules? If you have questions or need more information on statewide mandates, guidelines or rules, 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 other counties and around 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