The Oregon Health Authority today announced Lincoln County’s first presumptive positive case of COVID-19. The new case brings Oregon’s total to 209 cases.
Lincoln County is in close coordination with Oregon Health Authority (OHA) about these cases. Test results are now coming from multiple laboratories and are delivered electronically to providers, counties, and OHA throughout the day. As a result, some counties may release county data sooner than it is reported on the Oregon Health Authority website. healthoregon.org/coronavirus.
The person is over the age of 55 and is hospitalized outside of Lincoln County. The individual had no known contact with a confirmed case, and had not traveled from a country where the virus is circulating, so the case is being investigated as a community-acquired case.
This case is unique because the patient is a resident of Lincoln County, however they became symptomatic while outside of the county and have not returned to Lincoln County prior to their hospitalization.
Statement by Nicole Fields, MPH, CHES Deputy Director of Lincoln County Public Health
“I can only imagine the concern among the family and friends of this person. My concerns and positive thoughts go out to the patient and their family; may they have a speedy recovery.” said David Long, M.D., Health Officer for Lincoln County. “The Public Health system as well as Samaritan Health Services are on high alert and geared up to care for all patients who are affected by the Coronavirus. I’m asking you, as my neighbors and as my community, to keep this individual and their loved ones in your thoughts. let us all do what we can to keep our health system strong and minimize the number of other people who must go through this.”
Health officials continue to urge all Oregonians to take steps to protect those who are most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19.
Those considered “high risk” include adults 60 and older, or anyone with a serious health condition, including lung or heart problems, kidney disease, or diabetes, or anyone who has a suppressed immune system.
People vulnerable to complications should follow federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings.
Every community member should take these basic steps to protect those most at risk:
- Never visit a hospital or long-term-care facility if you have a fever or cough.
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces like bathrooms, desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, faucet handles, toys and cell phones.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home and away from others if you are ill.
The COVID-19 virus spreads like the flu, when someone who is sick coughs or sneezes close to another person (close means about six feet).
After someone contracts COVID-19, illness usually develops within 14 days. Symptoms include fever and cough or difficult breathing.
As testing capacity increases — with Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics online, and clinical laboratories at some Oregon hospitals expected to begin testing by next week — officials expect the number of people who test positive with COVID-19 to rise.
“We are not talking anymore about stopping the spread of this virus,” Dr. Long said. “Without a vaccine and without medicine, our best bet as a community is to slow the spread so those who do get seriously ill can get the care they need from our health system.”
Stay informed
Regional response: Lincoln County updates its site with COVID-19 news and guidance.
Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority leads the state response.
United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.
Global Response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.
It should not have taken Covid-19 to get the governments attention on these horrible nursing home conditions. These facilities have been a source of filth, contamination, abuse and neglect for decades and residents and their family members have been reporting this for years. But the NFSU’s (Nursing Facility Survey Unit) hands have been tied behind their backs by our uncaring government. Just a few years ago Avamere in Eugene had 7 residents die in 10 days. Not due to low pay, but from flu and management not being able to hire and keep good care providers and the veteran aides being burnt out and uncaring and unattentive and untrained aides being left to fend for themselves without adequate training and supervision. They cross contaminated residents rooms from room to room and hall to hall. This pandemic is a grand example why seniors should not have to share crowded rooms and be forced to be subjected to others germs and viruses due to over crowding that is done just to line the facility owners pockets. My family and I have witnessed verbal abuse and neglect of residents and when reported to the NFSU residents and their families are told “if we don’t see it happen, then we can’t prove it happened” in order to fine the facilities. I have seen veteran staff lie and falsify records in order to protect their licenses. I have seen residents be blamed for the injuries staff caused as well as family members accused of interference or sabotage when they are trying to protect their loved ones and after they provid 100% proof that staff are lying and falsifying records, nothing is corrected and the neglect continues on. Even when you provide the proof to the State Nursing Board they either turn a blind eye or lose the evidence they receive; there is absolutely no accountability of State Agencies and therefore no accountability to the facilities causing residents harm. When 90% of staff are incapable of providing adequate care, the care is left to the 10% who do care and then they become responsible for trying to correct the bad outcome of the poor care by other staff.
Management, nurses and aides should have to pass stringent psychological testing just like police officers are. Then maybe, just maybe, our senior, disabled and elderly will receive the care, respect and dignity that they are entitled to. Because APS is of no help either, when they just field our complaints to another agency and it gets lost in the shuffle. The NFSU is so far behind, by the time an investigator gets to the complaint, it can be up to 6-8 months after it was initially reported. God help us all when we come to the age when we need this care.