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Soccer season a success
County reports fifth death
Marshfield, North Bend grow on field, B8
Statewide COVID-19 numbers soar, B2
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Local hospitals wait on vaccines ZACK DEMARS The World
With some doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on the ground in Oregon, local health officials still aren’t quite sure when doses will arrive on the South Coast. Across the country this week, communities cheered as they watched the first vaccinations take place for doctors, nurses and other health care workers who are at the highest risk for contracting the virus. Doses arrived in Oregon this
week, the first of over 35,000 scheduled to arrive in the state this week, according to the Oregon Health Authority. But Coos County hospitals will likely have to wait until another round of shipments next week, officials say. “We do not have confirmation of the number of vaccine doses but have been informed that it will be an adequate supply for our employees that are opting to be vaccinated with this first shipment,” Julie Burton, a spokesperson for Bay Area Hospital, wrote in an email. In Oregon, the first shots
were administered to health care workers Wednesday at hospitals in Portland and Ontario. The first shipment of Oregon’s vaccines went to the Legacy Health, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Kaiser Permante and Saint Alphonsus health systems, OHA said. A key consideration for vaccine distribution is temperature. Two vaccines are scheduled for shipping to states across the country: One, produced by Pfizer, has already begun shipping, and the second, produced by Moderna, was expected to be approved for distribution by the
Food and Drug Administration Friday. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at super cool temperatures in specialized freezers — freezers that not all hospitals and pharmacies have access to. But the Moderna vaccine, if approved, doesn’t have to be kept as cold, meaning more hospitals and pharmacies — especially those in rural and less populated areas — will be able to store it. “We are excited to hear the news of the expected approval of the Moderna vaccine which
will significantly increase the speed and availability for Bay Area Hospital to administer the vaccine to healthcare providers and staff,” BAH’s Burton wrote Thursday. Those temperature considerations are central for Coquille Valley Hospital, too. It doesn’t have the ultra-cold storage facilities that the Pfizer vaccine requires, meaning it has to wait for the arrival of the Moderna vaccine, according to hospital CEO Jeff Lang. Please see Vaccine, Page A8
City bans fires in CB parks DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
Zack Demars Photos, The World
The Coos Art Museum's Atrium Gallery exhibits work of the museum's Studio Group.
Coos Art Museum on pause again Exhibits were only open one week ZACK DEMARS The World
COOS BAY — Coos Art Museum fans had just a few days to enjoy a set of short exhibitions as COVID-19 guidelines continue to shift what the museum is able to do. Faced with both a pandemic and a construction project, the Coos Art Museum has been closed for the majority of the year. Now, after just a week of being reopened to the public, state restrictions and high case numbers are forcing it to close once again. “It’s a little strange. It’s just different,” said Steven Broocks, the museum’s executive director. The museum’s first hurdle has been, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring, it was forced to close to the public to prevent the spread of the virus. But the challenges continued,
Paintings by members of the Coos Art Museum's Studio Group are on display in the museum's Atrium Gallery. according to Broocks. The city, which owns the building that houses the museum, needed to make some improvements to the building’s entry way, since the sidewalk had sunk an inch or two below the accessibility ramp in the years since it was first constructed. “It was probably the time to do it,” Broocks said. So, with the construction
blocking the door, and access already limited because of the pandemic, museum leaders chose to remain closed for much of the summer, the busiest season for the museum. That meant cancellations. Events and fundraisers? At least six were cancelled. One of the longest-running maritime art exhibitions on the west coast, held at the museum
each of the last 26 years, and another exhibition of artists from 13 states? Both cancelled. The springtime exhibition of over 800 works by area students? Closed, just a few weeks after the pieces had been put up on the walls. “So that was kind of a shame to have to end that right in the middle,” Broocks said. But funding and logistical challenges are constants in the museum industry, according to Broocks. That means this year’s been yet another lesson in “just how to roll with the punches.” “Right now we’ve got some good donors that are helping us out,” Broocks said of the museum’s financial picture after fundraisers had to be cancelled. But since the pandemic began, exhibitions held during the museums one-week opening has been some reason for optimism. A small handful of artists have been lucky to have their work on display for a small handful of visitors for the past week.
Photo gallery: Bus Jam 2020 Photo gallery: North Bend, Empire celebrate the season
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COOS BAY - Outdoor fires are now banned in Coos Bay parks. On Tuesday, the city council voted unanimously to enact an ordinance to ban fires in city parks. Jim Hossley, director of the public works and community development project, said the request came about due to a series of problems over the last year. “This past spring and summer, Coos Bay Fire responded to a significant number of fires on undeveloped properties, including parks throughout the city,” he said. “Some of these fires were started intentionally, others were unintended due to the dry summer conditions. For the sake of public safety and protection of public property, city staff recommends that recreational fires, camp fires and fires for warming and cooking be prohibited within the boundaries of city parks.” Please see Parks, Page A7
COVID leave program set to expire Dec. 31 Coos Bay schools clear up confusion over e-mail JILLIAN WARD For The World
COOS BAY ─ An email drew concern after it circulated through the Coos Bay School District, raising questions if teachers would get paid during any needed COVID leave. The answer: yes, teachers will get paid during COVID leave. But there is a worst-case-scenario where they might not, something that officials at the federal level are looking to resolve by the end of the year. Please see CB schools, Page A7
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