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Tillamook County Wellness

School Record Set, Sports Page 8

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Headlight Herald

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021

TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM

Mooks Homecoming

Demand for testing decreases, Pfizer requests approval for ages 5-11 T

VOL. 133, NO. 41 • $1.50

State Sen. Betsy Johnson announces bid for Governor

Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer

illamook County Health Department reported during a Tillamook County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13, 14 COVID-19 cases for the weekend case count from Friday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Oct. 10. The 7-day case count from Oct. 3 through Oct. 9 was 26. The 14-day case count from Sept. 26 through Oct. 9 was 55. “When we talk about our breakthrough rate, from Sept. 26 through Oct. 2, it was 75.6 percent of new COVID-19 cases were not vaccinated versus 24.4 percent statewide were breakthrough cases [in the state],” Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Ed Colson said. “Here in the county through the end of September, it was 74.2 percent not vaccinated versus 25.8 percent vaccine breakthrough cases for Tillamook County.” The county’s death toll is at 26 deaths, as of Oct. 12. Twenty-three of these individuals were unvaccinated, one had no vaccine record and two were fully vaccinated. There are six confirmed outbreaks and 15 under monitoring, Colson said. Oregon Health Authority confirmed outbreaks, as of Oct. 13, at Fred Meyer with 31 COVID-19 cases, Adventist Health with a total of 24 cases, and Tillamook County Creamery Association with 20 cases. Monoclonal antibody treatment is available in Tillamook County. “These treatments require provider referral after a positive COVID-19 test,” Colson said. “This treatment is given through our onetime IV infusion currently at Adventist Health Hospital in Tillamook.” Colson said on average, 30 individuals have been tested at each of the testing days throughout the week at the fairgrounds. “Last week, we had on Monday, 34; Wednesday, 36; and Friday, 26,” Colson said. Due to the decrease in demand for testing, drive up testing at the convention center ends after Friday, Oct. 15, Colson said. COVID-19 testing is still available at the health center’s acute care clinic. To make an appointment with the health center, call 503-842-3900. “Our vaccine rates in October so far are averaging about 35 per day,” Colson said. “We had 31 last Tuesday and 37 on Thursday.” Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted a request to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization for those ages 5-11. Colson said the ruling by the FDA is expected in early November. It would then go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee and then to the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, and finally to Oregon Health Authority for authorizing use. “Booster shots for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are going to follow the same steps,” Colson said. “We expect to have a decision in mid-October from the FDA.” A booster dose for Pfizer has been authorized for those who have completed the two-dose series at least six months ago. These eligible groups include people 65 years of age or older, those with underlying health conditions, those who live in long-term care settings, and those who work in high-risk settings such as teachers and grocery workers.

n See COVID, Page A3

S

Tillamook High School celebrated Homecoming all week last week culminating in a home game on Friday night against Marshfield. There were events all week long at the school, with the community invited to join in the fun Friday prior to kickoff. Clubs and organizations hosted a full array of fun for everyone including free food, music, carnival type games, face painting and a dunking booth. (Top) Arrianna Brown a Senior Cheerleader paints school colors on Elija Willett who is a Junior. (bottom) Christy Hartford, High School Principal gets dunked by a student. Christy was a good sport and she says the water was warm. Photos by Joe Warren

Rep. Kurt Schrader hosts virtual town hall for district C

Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer

itizens throughout Oregon’s 5th Congressional District sat in on a virtual town hall Tuesday, Oct. 12, to hear from U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader. Schrader addressed questions on prescription drug pricing, the Violence Against Women Act and the Jan. 6 attack on the state Capitol. Schrader said he has been in favor of drug pricing negotiations and for the last two years, he has been trying for some alternatives for drug pricing and he said the U.S. House of Representatives has come up with a bill that he believes hits the mark. The proposed Reduced Costs and Continued Cures Act would lower patients’ prescription drug costs. The plan is the first to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors. “Seniors can have huge, uncontrolled out-of-pocket costs when they get past their insurance cover-

EXCLUSIVE Rep. Kurt Shrader. File photo age,” Schrader said. “Under our bill, the maximum out-of-pocket cost for a low-income senior would be $100 a month.” Insurance and pharmaceutical

ORIGINAL

companies would also have to pick up the bill, Schrader added. He said there is a great chance right now to

n See HOSTS, Page A3

Commissioners approve new location added for needle exchange events T

Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer

he Tillamook County Board of Commissioners approved during a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13, an agreement for an additional location for harm reduction needle exchanges. The health department has been holding these needle exchange events since April. “We currently hold an event on the first and third Wednesdays of each month in the CARE parking lot,” Tillamook County Public Health Representative Tara Stevens said. “We’d held a total of 11 events to date.” Stevens said the health department usually sees about three individuals at each of the events. These individuals will sometimes exchange syringes and pick up supplies for other people.

“We estimate we’ve reached a total of 43 unique individuals represented by those attendees,” Stevens said. “We’ve seen a handful of individuals return to an exchange once more.” To date, the health department has exchanged 13,829 syringes and provided 69 sharps containers, Stevens added. “We have distributed 54 Narcan kits and 23 Naloxone kits and many safe injection and wound care kits in addition to information on services in our county or nearby,” Stevens said. The health department has worked with Tillamook Family Counseling Center to come up with the agreement to include the counseling center’s Ivy Avenue Wellness Center as a location for an event. Stevens said the agreement outlines the use of the build-

ing, parking lot and supply storage auctions. The health department is also looking to reach more people by looking for locations in north and south county. Chair Mary Faith Bell said she supports harm reduction. Commissioner Erin Skaar said it is a way for people to get healthier. “It’s a way to help people who have substance use disorder or opioid use disorder stay safe while they are using and have an opportunity to be connected to services when they are ready to be able to end their usage of the drugs,” Skaar said. “It’s a really, really important service.” The commissioners approved the agreement. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

Staff

tate Sen. Betsy Johnson, of Warren, announced Thursday on her Facebook page that she is running for Oregon Governor, “as an independent leader unaffiliated with any party and loyal only to the people of Oregon.” The Oregonian first reported Johnson’s announcement following her Facebook post. The following is Johnson’s Facebook letter. Dear Friends: With an election for Governor fast approaching, Oregonians are eager for a fresh start and new leadership. But having to choose between another left-wing liberal promising more of the same or a right-wing Trump apologist – is no choice at all. Oregonians deserve better than the excesses and nonsense of the extreme left and radical right. Oregonians are ready to move to the middle where sensible solutions are found. That’s why I have decided to run for Governor as an independent leader unaffiliated with any party and loyal only to the people of Oregon. I will be a no-nonsense leader with the backbone and life experience to tame the partisan excesses and with the humility to know that delivering results matters more than who gets credit. As Governor, I will force the two parties to work together to put Oregon ahead of narrow partisan politics. Our campaign will be like no other in Oregon history – because the stakes for Oregon’s future have never been higher. Freed from the distraction of a primary election, I will formally launch my general election campaign after the first of the year. Until then, I will be listening to Oregonians, raising money, and building a first-rate campaign organization. Next summer, I will be nominated for Oregon Governor by the people through the power of their signatures. Taking on the entrenched two parties will be difficult and expensive. Oregon’s state motto is “She Flies with Her Own Wings”. But this Oregonian can’t fly anywhere without your early and generous financial support. The decision to run independent of any party, by law, requires me to give-up my Democratic Party registration by next Spring. Rest assured, my bedrock values will not change. I was raised in a moderate Republican family and became a Democrat because the Republican Party had moved too far to the right. For twenty years, I’ve been an independentminded, pro-choice, pro-jobs Democrat proudly serving the people of Northwest Oregon. This is who I am. Governor Tom McCall, in his first inaugural address, urged Oregonians to “put aside the temptations to be guided by regionalism, factionalism, or anything which fragments the public interest.” Tom McCall was a maverick Governor the likes of which we have not seen since. I believe we need leadership that reaches beyond partisan labels and geographic boundaries and that unites Oregonians around our shared values. As I begin this exciting and important journey, there is only one thing I

n See BETSY, Page A3


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