November 11, 2020 4:10 a.m.
Dealing with COVID-19 has been priority one for County government and area health officials, according to Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman.
The Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to talk about the surging cases of the virus and urge residents to follow recommended health precautions.
The event was held in the Cascade Conference Hall of the fairgrounds, providing plenty of space for officials and members of the media to be socially distanced.
Freeman said the County has spent $2.5 million responding to the pandemic since March. That includes around $100,000 per month to pay the staff and handle expenses incurred by the Douglas Public Health Network. The private non-profit organization contracts with the County to handle public health. Freeman said DPHN normally has a handful of staff, but is now employing over thirty people to deal with things like contact tracing.
Freeman noted that DPHN had the first drive through COVID-19 testing clinics in the state. He said leaders around Oregon have commented on how quickly Douglas County has responded to the situation.
Freeman was joined by County Public Health Officer Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, Incident Commander KC Bolton from Aviva Health, and Mercy Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Gray.
Dannenhoffer said about half of the people in quarantine are tied to positive cases of the virus in area schools. He said those who are sick should stay home until they are well, plus one more day, to reduce the potential spread. Dannenhoffer said most people get COVID-19 from family and friends. He urged people to avoid gatherings, parties and travel.
Dr. Gray said he is especially concerned with what may happen over the next three months when people gather for holiday events. He said the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has grown significantly at Mercy and said the hospital is ready should the case count continue to rise.
Bolton said people should “follow the science” when it comes to things like wearing masks. Freeman said masks are “not political”. Gray agreed and said they are a sign of respect for others and have “no political color”.
Dannenhoffer said DPHN is set to use the drive through model for dispensing a COVID-19 vaccine when its ready.