COVID-19 Coronavirus: Resources and what to know

By Jon | Filed in Health, Safety
Coronavirus Prevention

It’s unavoidable: the COVID-19 novel coronavirus is in Oregon, here are updates and resources on the pandemic.

Update: As of May 19, 2021, the number of total cases in Oregon is 196,787, with 9,271 in Deschutes County so far, and 2,601 statewide deaths. Crook County has a total of 1,154 confirmed cases, Jefferson County has a total of 2,235 cases. More below.

Let’s start with two online resources:

Additional resources to follow:

The County’s page has a good short summary of what coronavirus is:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: fever, cough, shortness of breath.

For prevention in contracting and spreading the disease, the CDC recommends the following:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
  • Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others, as well as by health care workers those taking care of someone with COVID-19.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Really, washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water is one of the most effective things you can do in general in preventing the spread of illness, but is vitally important here. Also note the importance of staying home if you feel sick, and encouraging co-workers to do so as well.

In case you need to stay home for an extended period of time, there are additional recommended preparations you should be making—note, however, that this is not doomsday prepping and shouldn’t be approached as such!

  • Get a flu shot. It won’t help in preventing catching coronavirus, but it will potentially help to keep you out of the hospital if/when they need beds for coronavirus.
  • Shop for the basics: enough non-perishable food and home supplies for your family for two weeks, so if you can’t leave the house you’re not going hungry. Don’t forget the pet food, too.
  • Have potable water on hand: I doubt there would be a problem with the water supply here, but if you’re worried, stock up on drinking water accordingly.
  • Prescriptions and medications: Stock up with that two-week timeframe in mind.
  • Movies, books, games, etc.: I think if you’re cooped up for a couple of weeks, having some extra activities on hand wouldn’t hurt either.

Overall, stay safe and use common sense!

I’ll update this post as needed.

Updates:

(March 9) Three relevant stories in the news: A Redmond man and his mother were stranded in Thailand, and are now back in the U.S. (but not in Oregon yet); a self-styled “digital nomad” staying near Bend was also in Thailand, might have had it (test came back negative); and the Oregon Department of Human Services is starting “illness-prevention reviews at all nursing, assisted living and residential care communities statewide.”

(March 11) The Bulletin reports that the first known case in Deschutes County is here. It appears to be community spread as the patient (unidentified) did not travel to any of the affected countries or have any known contact with any other confirmed cases.

(March 12) With Oregon’s ban on mass gatherings over 250 people and the growing realization of the severity of the pandemic, local events are being canceled, including the St. Patrick’s Day Dash, the Central Oregon Golf Show, the Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show, non-essential school events, and more; KTVZ has a list here.

(March 16) With many businesses being closed (even Mt. Bachelor), and Governor Kate Brown’s announcement this afternoon officially banning all gatherings of more than 25 people, as well as closing all restaurants, bars, and taprooms to on site service, only offering take-out and delivery, it’s safe to say Oregon is under defacto lockdown for at least the next four weeks. Many are working from home (myself included) and the number of reported cases continue to jump—at least twice today, to bring Oregon’s official total number of cases to 51, with 6 here in Deschutes County. I expect these numbers to go up in the morning. I hope everyone is practicing social distancing and using common sense and washing hands frequently!

(March 23) Oregon has the executive order to stay at home as of today, with non-essential business required to close. On top of that, all Oregon state parks are closed as of today. People, listen up: stay at home.

(May 15) Phase One of the governor’s relaxing of restrictions (“re-opening”) is underway as of today, with many businesses re-opening under limitations.

(May 19, 2021) It’s been a confusing year full of sometimes contradicting guidelines and advice, and right now there’s much confusion surround the state of vaccinated people and mask wearing. Folks, continue to wear your masks, despite what the CDC recently recommended, because there are still many vulnerable people out there who will suffer if you don’t.

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