Readers’ Choice Ballot
Tillamook County Wellness
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Headlight Herald
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
TILLAMOOK, OREGON • WWW.TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM
VOL. 133, NO. 37 • $1.50
Pelican Party
This image photographer titles ‘Pelican Party’ was captured by Bruce Lovelin at Happy Camp in Netarts taken last Thursday as these Pelicans bask in the sun. Do you have a camera and an eye for beauty? Send us your photos to jwarren@countrymedia.net.
Two school districts make plans for in-person learning T
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
illamook School District began in-person learning Sept. 7, while Neah-Kah-Nie School District and Nestucca Valley School District began with distance learning. Now, Neah-KahNie School District is making plans to possibly begin a transition to in-person learning. Nestucca Valley School District plans to begin in-person learning with a staggered return schedule beginning Monday, Sept. 20, with limited in-person learning. Tillamook School District Superintendent Curt Shelley spoke during a school board meeting Monday, Sept. 13, about COVID-19 protocols at the schools. “I cannot tell you how excited I was in June to take these masks off,” Shelley said. I can’t tell you how much more excited I was last Monday to welcome over 2,000 students into our building.” Shelley said if you are wearing a mask correctly, you do not have to isolate if you are a close contact, unless you test positive for COVID-19 or develop symptoms. “We have a shortage in teachers,” Shelley said. Shelley told the Headlight Herald that since in-service in late
August, the district has had 13 staff resignations, which include one certified teacher who transferred to another district and 12 classified employees. Of those 12 employees, six of them resigned as a result of vaccination requirements. The recent classified incentive, effective for one year, will increase classified salaries by 10 percent. The school district has implemented many new things this school year, including vision screening, encouraging vaccinations, wearing masks and more. “If we have the safety protocols in our schools, we can mitigate COVID,” Shelley said. “We do have some issues and we do have some positive cases.” Shelley added that the district has not had a tremendous increase in cases since opening school. Employees need to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 in K-12 schools. Shelley said he understands the frustration with the governor’s
mandate but employees have choice within the mandate. Employees can either be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or file a religious or medical exemption. Due to a downward trend in test positivity in the county, Neah-KahNie School District and Nestucca Valley School District are making plans to transition to in-person learning. Both districts began the school year with distance learning. On Sept. 15, Neah-Kah-Nie School District announced in a letter to the community, that on Monday, Sept. 20, Neah-Kah-Nie School District and health officials will discuss the most current COVID-19 data and make a decision on whether to continue with distance learning or transition to in-person learning. If the district moves to in-person learning, the plan is for a Monday through Friday schedule. School administrators will continue to develop a plan to serve students who will be in quarantine.
“It is important for all of us to understand, we will be living with the virus until there is widespread immunity,” Superintendent Paul Erlebach stated. “The best tools to protect ourselves and others are vaccination, physical distancing, face coverings, ventilation, hand hygiene and staying home if exposed to someone with COVID-19. On Sept. 15, Nestucca Valley School District announced in a letter to the community a plan to return to in-person learning. The school district asked every family to complete a survey about transportation and preferred instructional model. The school district will be offering instruction virtually for those that do not wish to move to in-person learning yet. Limited in-person instruction begins Sept. 20 for a handful of students that were previously contacted. On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the 6th and 7th grade students return to in-person learning. Kindergarten classes begin in person Friday, Sept. 24. On Monday, Sept. 27, 1-5th grade students will return to in-person learning. Bus transportation will begin Monday, Sept. 27. Send comments to: headlightreporter@countrymedia.net
Adventist Health Tillamook announces elective surgeries restarting Sept. 20 C
iting decreased pressure on the Adventist Health Medical Center to attend to COVID-19 patients, Adventist Health Tillamook is restarting elective surgeries starting Monday, Sept. 20. Elective surgeries cover a wide range of procedures, typically scheduled in advance and are considered nonemergent or urgent for an immediate and potentially life-threatening issue requiring medical attention. Emergent and urgent surgeries have continued throughout the most recent COVID-19 surge spanning through the most recent pause of elective surgeries beginning Aug.18, responding to a wide range of emergencies that a critical
access hospital like Adventist Health Tillamook would typically respond to. “Our role in supporting our community must always be to provide compassionate care,” said Adventist Health Tillamook president Eric Swanson. “We have been closely watching, and acting on the most recent COVID surge so that we can provide a safe environment for our patients, and provide elective surgery capacity they need as soon as we can.” While recent numbers of patients needing COVID-19 testing have shown a decline strong enough to allow for elective surgery to return, Adventist Health Tillamook believes that the evidence of getting a vaccine is still very important to the communities they serve. All COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and readily available to protect against the Delta variant as well any new variants they may encounter in the future. Getting a vaccine,
and continuing mask usage will prevent another surge so that they
may provide elective surgery to patients for the foreseeable future.
COVID-19 update
Tillamook County at 23 deaths T
Hilary Dorsey Staff Writer
illamook County Health Department reported during a Tillamook County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, Sept. 15, 51 COVID-19 cases for the weekend case count between Sept. 10 and Sept. 12. For the 7-day case count, from Sept. 5 through Sept. 11, there were 150 cases. For the 14-day case count, there were 304 cases from Aug. 29 through Sept. 11. “There are different causes for breakthrough cases,” Administrator Marlene Putman said. “Really the causes are multi-factorial. They can include such things as an individual’s immune system and the amount of virus that’s in an individual’s body.” As of Wednesday, Sept. 15, the death toll is at 23. As of press time, the health department had not provided information on whether the two new cases were unvaccinated or vaccinated individuals. On Sept. 14, the county stood at 21 deaths, with 17 of those unvaccinated individuals, three with no vaccine record and one fully vaccinated individual. “With the COVID-19 surge across the state, Oregon Health Authority notes that an associated increase in COVID-19 related fatalities will and has occurred and will continue to do so,” Putman said. “Oregon Health Sciences University has forecast that they expect this peak in COVID-19 related deaths to reach that peak actually by mid-September.” Putman said they hope and expect a decrease shortly after the peak. Putman said Tillamook County has 77 hospitalizations, as of Sept. 15. Test positivity is currently at 16 percent, a slight decrease from the previous week, which was 16.6 percent. Oregon Health Authority confirmed
n See COVID, Page A3