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Douglas County Had Lowest New Cases in US Last Week For A 100k Person County

(DCCRT) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: As of 12:00 pm Today, Wednesday, January 6, 2021, there are TWELVE (12) people with new positive test results and ONE (1) death to report since our noon case update yesterday. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 1,486*. Currently, there are THREE (3) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, two locally and one out-of-the-area. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, who administer our local public health program and oversee the work by Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer and Douglas Public Health Network, continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID response. COVID-19 Related Death of a Douglas County Resident Our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, has confirmed the death of another Douglas County resident related to the COVID-19 virus. Our forty-second death is a 60-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 and passed away on Sunday, January 3, 2021. In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of this resident, no additional information will be released. 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. Local Cases Being Supported in Isolation and Quarantine Currently, DPHN is supporting 138 cases in isolation, as well as another 160 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 298 total contacts 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-19. Notice: Please Be Patient – COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming Soon! We know you are all anxious, but we ask for your continued patience as we await more information on the availability of the COVID vaccine for the next phases of distribution. Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer did a special Facebook Live event last night, where he talked about the current state of the COVID-19 vaccine. You can check out the FB Live event here on the DPHN Facebook page. As a reminder, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), along with Federal and State Health partners are in charge of distributing, prioritizing and establishing the guidelines for the release of the COVID vaccines. The CDC has distributed vaccines for Phase 1A citizens, which include health care workers and people who live or work in long-term care or skilled nursing facilities. According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon, like other US states, has not received enough vaccines to immunize everyone against COVID-19 at this time. OHA's Vaccine Data Dashboard shows the total number of vaccines given to date in Oregon, based on the Phase 1A populations and is working with other state and local health agencies to begin the next phases. Please be aware that DPHN, Mercy Medical Center, Lower Umpqua Hospital, Aviva, our local COVID Hotline, Douglas County Government or the Douglas County COVID Response Team do not have a timeline or additional information about when we will be able to begin the next phases of vaccine distribution. Like you, we are awaiting more information from the CDC and OHA concerning the release and availability of the next phase of COVID vaccinations. As soon as we receive a definite timeline, we will let everyone know. In the meantime, for the most up to date information on the COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon, log onto the COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon website. The State of Oregon and OHA will be determining which residents will be included the next phases of vaccine distribution, as well as how and when they will start the next vaccination phases. We ask that you not call us, but instead contact CDC or OHA, for the latest updates and information on the status of vaccine availability. Remember You are the KEY to a COVID Safe 2021! The DCCRT team encourages residents to make virus prevention measures a priority in their everyday routines. The key to stopping the continued spread of coronavirus is, YOU, our residents, our families, our communities and our businesses. Please help by keeping gatherings small, maintaining healthier eating habits; incorporating exercise and good hygiene routines; keeping your six-foot distance from others; choosing minimal or no contact 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. Our primary focus is to do everything we can to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents, while also supporting our local businesses. Please, if you are sick, even if you just have a runny nose or stuffy head, do not got to work or attend any social gatherings and unknowingly expose others to your illness. Help STOP the Spread of COVID • Make a habit of washing and sanitizing your hands, regularly. • Please wear a mask when you are around others not from your household. Not just for you, but for others too. • Stay at least six feet apart from anyone that is not from your immediate household. • Stay home from work, school and play if you are sick. • 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. Getting Tested & Testing Clinics The next drive-through testing clinic will be Friday, January 8, 2021, 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. Since then, there have been 2,164 tests performed in local 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 Information OHA reports new cases daily on their website at www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus. OHA reports include presumptive COVID-19 cases in their total case numbers. The DCCRT separates the number of people with new positive test results and new presumptives, and uses OHA’s definition of presumptive as those 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. DPHN performs their epidemiologic investigations, identifying individuals who test positive, as well as those that may have had close contact with individuals that have tested positive while advising and supporting quarantine and isolation. OHA has chosen to no longer report negative test results or recovered cases, so we will no longer be reporting this data in our daily update. Please contact the OHA directly for more information. Local Workplace Outbreak Listed OHA started reporting workplace, school and care facility outbreaks in early June 2020. Since then, OHA has reported hundreds of workplace outbreaks, and locally we have had several dozen workplaces affected by the COVID-19 virus. We wanted to let you know that OHA will be listing a COVID-19 workplace outbreak in Douglas County in their Wednesday, January 6, 2021, weekly COVID report. OHA, due to privacy concerns, only publishes data on cases in workplace outbreaks when there are five or more cases (which include positive test results and presumptives) and only for workplaces with at least 30 workers. If more than 50% of the workers are COVID-19 cases, specific case numbers will not be reported. Any suspected workplace outbreak is required to be reported to the local public health authority (see OAR 333-018-015). Please note that, with a workplace outbreak case counts include all persons linked to the outbreak, which may include household members and other close contacts with positive test results or presumptives. OHA attributes cases to what they define as an epidemiological link or an epilink. An epilink is what a place or person or a group, who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, have in common, such as a workplace or family member. When OHA declares a workplace outbreak, which it does on a weekly basis, it does not mean that the workplace was the source of the outbreak, only that the worksite is the shared “epilink.” Click here to read the OHA Workplace Outbreak FAQ. This week, OHA will list a workplace outbreak linked to Aviva Health in Roseburg. Locally, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer and the staff at DPHN have been working directly with Aviva Health and their staff. Ongoing epidemiology work including communication with contacts of positive cases and additional testing is continuing to happen. Both DPHN staff and Aviva Health officials are supporting staff that are in isolation or quarantine. "After the last several days of epidemiology investigation, we believe the risk to the general public from this outbreak is low. Aviva Health has done all the right things in preparation, testing and supporting their staff in quarantine. Our experience with this outbreak is a fine example of an organization working together with public health to reduce transmission and support those who test positive,” commented Dr. Dannenhoffer, Douglas County Public Health Officer. Douglas County (541) 672-3311 Douglas Public Health Network (541) 440-3571 “We’ve made every effort to keep the virus at bay and our staff safe, measures that have staved off coronavirus for several months. But like so many other Douglas County organizations and community members who have been equally vigilant, COVID-19 has now directly impacted our Aviva Health family. We are committed to working closely and cooperating with DPHN to minimize this outbreak and continue our work to protect our community and bring this pandemic to an end,” stated KC Bolton, CEO, Aviva Health. Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Join us Friday, January 8, 2021 at 4:00 pm for the next Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, the Douglas County Public Health Officer. The show is hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page. Residents are encouraged to submit their questions during the live show or can email 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 live shows. 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. The Hotline is staffed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week. -------------------------------------------------------------- ACCESS ACCURATE, LOCAL COVID-19 INFORMATION Stay up to date with accurate and local COVID-19 information in Douglas County on the Douglas County Government website or Douglas County Facebook page and the DPHN website or DPHN Facebook page. 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. ACCESS STATE COVID-19 INFORMATION To access information on the State of Oregon and Federal COVID-19 response go to Oregon Health Authority, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 211Info. If you have questions or need more information on statewide guidelines or risk levels, go to the State’s Building a Safe and Strong Oregon website or the Governor’s COVID-19 website or call the Business Oregon's Navigator Hotline at (833) 604-0880. 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 COVID-related guidelines. To report compliance issues contact them directly OSHA: (800) 922-2689 or OSHA website or OLCC (503) 872-5000