UPDATE (8:30 p.m. PT) – State and local health officials reported 46 new coronavirus diagnoses in Oregon on Tuesday afternoon. That brings Oregon’s confirmed case total to 2,002.
Oregon officials also reported three new coronavirus-related deaths.
Seventy-eight people in Oregon are known to have died after contracting COVID-19.
The Oregon Health Authority detailed the three new deaths as
A 47-year-old man in Washington County, who tested positive March 16 and died April 17 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.
A 61-year-old woman in Washington County, who tested positive March 24 and died April 18 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying medical conditions.
A 65-year-old man in Multnomah County, who tested positive and died April 20 at Adventist Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon Health Authority expands testing guidelines
The Oregon Health Authority Tuesday announced new coronavirus testing guidelines.
The agency now recommends “people without symptoms and those with symptoms that do not necessitate medical evaluation call their provider to discuss symptoms and whether they need to be evaluated.”
The agency said, if supplies allow, people without symptoms within group living systems, such as health care, long-term care and corrections facilities, can be considered for testing.
That’s a departure from previous guidelines that did not recommend testing for such people. Initially, testing was limited to certain people with symptoms such as health care providers.
The agency still urges people with mild symptoms that don’t require a medical evaluation to stay at home until at least 72 hours have passed without a cough or fever, but it said for people with mild symptoms who do seek medical care, testing will be at the discretion of the provider.
“Clinicians can order COVID-19 testing at their discretion through clinical laboratories,” OHA said in its new guidelines. The agency also said that clinicians do not need to routinely notify local public health authorities when ordering testing.
Notably, OHA has expanded recommendations for testing to new groups of people with symptoms such as frontline service workers, like people who work in grocery stores or for delivery services.
The agency is also recommending testing for people of color who have coronavirus symptoms and for people who have disabilities.
"[D]ata indicate that these communities are at higher risk for COVID-19 and associated complications due to longstanding social and health inequities.”
Washington reports 30 new deaths
Clark County Public Health said Tuesday that there were 10 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Southwest Washington. There are now 306 confirmed cases there.
To date, 16 people in Clark County are known to have died of COVID-19.
The latest available data from the Washington Department of Health indicated the state had reported 12,282 diagnosed cases of the coronavirus and 682 related deaths.
Oregon governor asks for additional federal funding
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Tuesday sent a letter to Congress calling for additional federal funding in its federal relief and economic recovery packages for Oregon’s coronavirus-related needs.
The letter requests federal funding to support Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities and small businesses. Brown is also requesting additional funding for needs including unemployment insurance, rental assistance and food assistance.
"Oregon took quick and decisive action to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19. Oregonians have done their part and made sacrifices to save lives during this crisis, and it's time for Congress to address the toll this pandemic has taken on their livelihoods and the economy," Brown said in a statement. "States have been at the tip of the spear in this crisis and have had to shoulder significant costs while experiencing unprecedented losses of revenue.”
Southwest Washington lawmakers defend attending rally
Two lawmakers from Southwest Washington acknowledged the dangers of the coronavirus after they attended a Sunday protest of stay-at-home orders, saying they did so to amplify their disapproval of Gov. Jay Inslee.
But Washington state Reps. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, and Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, believe the worst effects of the pandemic have passed and it’s time to plan for some industries to get back to work.
"It’s time to move ahead and start safely reopening Washington,” Kraft said.
Both lawmakers spoke at the weekend protest in Olympia, where an estimated 2,000 people attended. By attending, they broke Inslee’s order and the widely held guidance of public health officials to avoid large gatherings.
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Cash assistance for low-income Portlanders soon available
Low-income Portlanders can start applying for $250 cash assistance next Monday, April 27.
Applications are available online or by calling 211, the city’s information hotline. In order to be eligible for the one-time cash payment, households must earn no more than 50%of the area median income prior to the pandemic. That’s a little less than $44,000 for a family of four, according to the percentages provided by the city’s housing bureau. The loss of income must be due to COVID-19 - and the household must be able to document this hardship in their application. The households will be reviewed on a first-come-first basis with applications opening at 10 a.m. Monday.
Out of the one million dollars the housing bureau set aside in March for its new “emergency household stabilization fund,” $200,000 will be used for this cash assistance. The other $800,000 will be distributed by social service providers who serve "culturally specific communities, and individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability,” according to the bureau.
The city says more funding is on the way. On Tuesday afternoon, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler convened local leaders on a Zoom call with each leader given a two-minute window to outline the steps they were taking to help the region recover from COVID-19. During the conference call, Wheeler said he plans to expand the housing bureau’s fund. It’s possible the city might be able to use some of the $114 million it’s receiving through the federal coronavirus relief package for the cash assistance. But he’s not sure because the treasury hasn’t provided rules regarding how the money can’t be used.“I can tell you that that million dollars was the baseline,” said Wheeler.
“I can tell you there will be more resources available in the form of grants. I just can’t tell you the amount today.”
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