New Guidance For School Reopening
July 29, 2020
Governor Kate Brown and leaders from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education shared new guidance about schools and how they might operate this fall.
Unfortunately there is not a simple, statewide answer for every school in Oregon. It is important to get students back to class, but returning to class depends on a number of important factors, such as: prevalence of the virus, availability of testing, the capacity of the local health care system to provide quality care, and the readiness of the public health system to work with schools to contain any outbreaks.
Oregon's Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance outlines three learning options for Oregon schools:
- On-site: Students attend in person full-time.
- Hybrid: Students attend in person part time and do distance learning part-time.
- Comprehensive Distance Learning: Students learn remotely, experiencing daily interaction with teachers who will guide the students' full educational experience. This option will provide additional supports for mental, social and emotional health, as well as family engagement.
As of today, Clackamas County does not meet the health metrics for safely reopening schools for in-person learning. Schools need everyone in the community to help students safely return to the classroom and keep them in school. We can suppress COVID-19 and return to levels where we can safely reopen schools if we all do our part.
- Wear a mask or face-covering
- Maintain physical distance
- Avoid large group get-togethers
Stay up-to-date on how the West Linn/Wilsonville School District is preparing for back to school by visiting their website.
Fact Check: Hydroxychloroquine is Not a Treatment For COVID-19
There have been many questions about whether there's evidence for using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.
According to Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: "Early questions about whether hydroxychloroquine might be of help to patients with COVID-19 have been addressed by high quality research, and the results do not support the medication's use. In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery and revoked the medications authorization for us in treating COVID-19."
Other studies are underway to identify medications or treatments that are effective at preventing or treating COVID-19, but many of the home remedies people have tried are dangerous.
Please avoid self-medicating and consult a healthcare professional for your health needs. If you have questions about poisoning, contact the Poison Center of Oregon, Alaska, and Guam at 1-800-222-1222.
OHA Announces New Online Testing Locator
The Oregon Health Authority has published a COVID-19 test site locator to help Oregonians across the state find testing sites in their community. The interactive map is available on pages in both English and Spanish and can be toggled into multiple other languages.
Tracking COVID-19 in Our Area
The recent COVID-19 resurgence continued during the week between July 13 and July 19. OHA recorded 2,409 new cases of COVID-19 infection, a 26% increase from the previous week. In addition, 25 Oregonians died, after 22 deaths the preceding week. Visit Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 updates for more information about demographics and disease severity.
In Clackamas County, there have been 1,283 cases and 34 deaths as of July 27th. Visit www.blueprintclackamas.com for more details.
Watch Out for Imposter Contact Tracers
With COVID-19 cases increasing in our area over the past several weeks, answering the call from a contact tracer is an important way we can work together to help stop the spread of the virus. Contact tracers reach out to anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19, and they will leave a message asking you to call them back. They never ask for Social Security numbers, bank information or credit cards. If you are concerned about fraud as it relates to contact tracing, visit the Oregon Department of Justice.
Clackamas County Go Teams
From a mental health perspective, the COVID-19 pandemic is already having far reaching and widespread effects throughout our community. As a way to address these mental health needs, Clackamas County has developed Go Teams.
Go Teams are made up of peer support specialists, mental health therapists, dental assistants, office support staff, case managers, health educators, and substance use prevention specialists, and are able to reach out to you where you are, even at your home. Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and practicing physical distancing, team members are able to provide Psychological First Aid to help individuals who are struggling with anxiety, worry, isolation, and other stressors.
To request Go Team support for yourself or a loved one in Clackamas County, call their crisis and support line at 503-655-8585.
