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Omicron likely to reach Oregon soon By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
As a new variant of COVID-19 begins to spread around the globe, state officials are urging residents to get vaccinated before Omicron becomes a serious threat. The new variant has established itself in South America and appears to spread more easily than the Delta variant that
spread around the globe and caused cases and deaths to spike on Oregon. Initial reports in South Africa show the Omicron variant spreads easily, but most cases are less severe with many reporting cold-like symptoms. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist, said work is ongoing to learn more about Omicron, but he said one thing is for certain - it will get to Oregon.
“Omicron has not yet been detected in the Oregon, but we expect it will be in the coming days due to its reported high transmissibility,” Sidelinger said. “Oregon has one of the most robust variant surveillance systems in the United States, and so far, no cases of Omicron have been detected. What we do know is that the basic prevention steps we have long talked about remain the best ways to protect
yourself against Omicron, Delta or any variant of COVID-19 that is circulating. Vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19 infection and transmission, including most circulating variants.: While it is too early to tell if Omicron can be stopped with the vaccine, Sidelinger said the success in keeping people out of the hospital and alive in Delta shows the vaccine is effective, even if
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someone catches COVID. “The vaccines have remained highly effective against other variants, and we expect the same to be true with Omicron. We should have early answers in the coming weeks,” he said. “The best way to protect yourself against Omicron, or any variant of COVID-19 that is circulating, is to be vaccinated. Vaccination Please see OMICRON, Page A10
North Bend to get two rapid-response fire engines By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Santa Claus came to Empire last Friday to bring Christmas joy and special gifts to children in the community. Santa and his elves rode around the community, driving street by street on a Coos Bay Fire Department engine. As he made his way through the town, Santa and his elves gave gifts to children who were eagerly waiting to see the jolly old elf. The gifts were donated by shoppers at Dollar Tree and were given as an early Christmas present to those in the community. Before he started the journey, Santa walked over to a city park to give gifts to children playing in the area. The event was sponsored by the Community Coalition of Empire and ended with the lighting of the city’s Cristmas tree.
Photos by David Rupkalvis
As Omicron lurks, COVID cases on the rise By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
As the world prepares for a new variant of COVID-19, Coos County is still struggling with the Delta variant. While case numbers have dropped from the highs of September and October, new cases and new deaths continue to be announced at a rate higher than any month before Delta arrived. After cases dropped late in November, Coos Health and Wellness reported case numbers were beginning to move upward again, with health experts concerned the holidays could lead to another spike. As of Thursday, the county reported 239 active cases and 11
people in the hospital. With three new deaths reported last week, the death toll of people who died after contracting COVID was 110. Several of the new deaths were from previous months as the Oregon Health Authority worked to report a backlog of deaths linked to Delta. While Delta continues to impact the county, many are already keeping an eye on Omicron, a variant recently found in South Africa. The Omicron variant is reported to be highly contagious, although early signs show the variant might have milder symptoms than Delta. “It is in the States now. I believe it’s in California,” said Katrinka McReynolds with Coos
Health and Wellness. “We’ve had several variants of concern. Delta is the only one that really created an issue. We’re still waiting to see what Omicron will bring on. We just don’t know.” McReynolds said the state does testing on positive cases to determine the variant of COVID, but it cannot use the rapid test most local places offer. When Omicron is found in Oregon, OHA will announce it. When the new variant arrives and how it impacts the county is still to be determined. “If there’s nothing we’ve learned from this, it’s not really predictable,” McReynolds said. One bit of good news from the health department’s view is the number of people who have been
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vaccinated continues to inch upward. As of Thursday, 69.1% of adults in Coos County have received at least one dose of the vaccine. While the vaccine has been approved for young children now, the roll out for those ages 5 to 11 has been slow. As of Thursday, 334 young children have been vaccinated, just over 7% of those eligible in that age bracket. Even as vaccinations rise, Coos Health and Wellness is concerned cases might increase in the near future with the holiday events coming up. “If anything, we’re expecting an increase,” said Becky Fairhurst. “With gatherings and travel, we’re prepping for an increase.”
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The North Bend City Council voted unanimously to purchase two rapid-attack vehicles for the North Bend Fire Department. The vote authorizes the fire department to spend $320,000 to purchase two four-wheel drive pickup trucks that will be outfitted to make them small fire engines. The move will save wear-and-tear of the larger, and more expensive, fire engines while saving the city money on fuel costs. Best of all, the purchase will be fully funded by American Rescue Act Plans. Fire Chief Jim Brown said the move would have many benefits at no cost to local taxpayers. “We are proposing to get two rapid-attack vehicles,” Brown said. “They are a large pickup, small fire engine. We’re going to try to lessen the wear and tear on our bigger fire engines and go out on a lot of calls with our smaller vehicles. It’s a way to lessen the load on our heavy apparatus. These heavy apparatus are a half million dollars apiece.” Brown said 65% of the calls the fire department responds to are EMS calls, and he said those calls could be made with the smaller vehicles. “You take out a big fire engine, and it uses a lot of fuel per hour and it adds up fast,” Brown said. “It’s obvious, even for fuel costs alone, it’s going to add up quick.” Another savings will be in repairs, Brown said. By choosing trucks with gasoline engines, the department will make it easier and cheaper to make repairs when needed. “The costs to the big engines are really high,” he said. “In the last month alone, we’ve had over $6,000 in what would be normal repairs.” The trucks can carry up to four firefighters, and as fourwheel drive can go off-road or through difficult terrain, if needed. Brown said experts say at some point an earthquake or a tsunami will put part of the city underwater, making it difficult to respond to calls in the larger, heavier vehicles. “These would extend our firefighting abilities to both sides of town,” Brown said. “When we have a Cascadia event, and we will have one, this will allow us to get through mud, over trees and offer firefighting capabilities and EMS as well.” The council voted unanimously to apply for the ARP funds and to use much of it to purchase the two new rapid-responded vehicles.
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