Even though this year’s Hood River County Fair was cancelled, youth involved in FFA and 4-H are readying their animals for their Livestock Auction coming up next week. This year’s auction is a virtual affair because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Jason Johnston, a member of the Youth Auction Committee, the auction opens for bids next Thursday, July 23rd at 8pm. He says there seems to be at least a few of most farm animals.                                                                                                                                           The annual Buyer Appreciation Dinner will take place Friday, the 24th, at the Hood River County Fairgrounds, sponsored by First Interstate Bank. It begins at 5pm, outside, for anyone interested in the auction. The winning bids will be awarded at the dinner, starting at about 6:30.  You don’t need to be registered to participate, but it makes it much easier. Go to hryauction.fairwire.com/buyerlogon.aspx to register. You can also get more information on the Facebook page of the Hood River Youth Auction Committee.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The number of new coronavirus cases in Oregon rose on Sunday to 332, the Oregon Health Authority said.  Meanwhile, two more people with COVID-19 died, bringing the state’s death toll to 234, the agency said. The latest deaths were an 86-year-old woman in Malheur County with underlying conditions and a 93-year-old woman in Washington County, whose medical history is being reviewed. Oregon has had 11, 454 cases since the pandemic began. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. Hood River County had one case reported Sunday and now has a total of 105 positives during the pandemic. Wasco County also had one additional case Sunday, pushing the total to 117. Sherman County had one new case and is up to 5 in total.   In Washington, Klickitat County is now at 78 cases during the pandemic and Skamania County has had 23 cases so far.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown held a news conference Monday morning to, in her words, “sound the alarm”. She stated the virus is spreading rapidly across the state and the state had more cases the last week than in the entire month of May. According to statistics, half of the cases in the state are persons under 40 and one third are persons under 30. She reported the state had recorded its second death of an Oregonian in their 30s. The Governor announced two steps the state is taking – first, a statewide ban on indoor gathering of more than 10 persons, although that does not apply to businesses and churches. And beginning Wednesday, face covering is required outdoors if you cannot keep social distancing of at least 6 feet. She is still counting on business owners, along with state agencies to do the main enforcing. But she said citations, fines and closures are possible for businesses not following the rules. The Governor said she doesn’t want to force another closing of businesses if she can avoid it. The Director of the Oregon State Health Authority, Patrick Allen said if Covid-19 keeps increasing, cases in the state could triple in the next 6 weeks. He said contact tracing is very important, and asks that if you are contacted by a tracer, please respond. The Department of Education is working with local school districts to hopefully open schools this Fall, but it must be done safely.  

Oregon Health Authority officials said today that even their latest modeling shows even with decreased transmission rates the numbers of COVID-19 cases will grow exponentially, and called on Oregonians to limit indoor social gatherings to ten people or less.  OHA executive director Patrick Allen says a gradual lifting of restrictions doesn’t mean a return to normal, adding Oregonians need to limit indoor gatherings along with wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing and good hand hygiene.  Allen said they are “asking everyone in the state to voluntarily limit indoor social gatherings to fewer than ten people for at least the next three weeks.  We ask they neither host or attend these gatherings.”  Allen said the cases they have seen in the last few weeks since reopening began have tended to involve social gatherings where people let their guard down, adding the state is especially concerned about outbreaks in Umatilla and Malheur counties.  State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger did say during questioning from the media that on the current trajectory of cases, hospitals in the state have the capacity to handle it for the next 60 days, but they evaluate that on a daily basis.  On Friday Wasco County was up by four new COVID-19 cases, Hood River County two, and Sherman County one.

Columbia Gorge Community College held a small groundbreaking ceremony Friday for its regional skills center and student residential hall.  The ceremony was limited to a few representatives of community partners due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  CGCC President Marta Yera-Cronin says permitting issues delayed the groundbreaking for about a month, but they don’t expect the pandemic to cause construction delays.  The college plans to open the facilities in fall of 2021.

The Northern Wasco County Aquatic Center reopened Friday.  Pool operator Northern Wasco County Parks & Recreation District closed the pool on Tuesday after two aquatic staff members had reported feeling ill with Covid-like symptoms.   District Executive Director Scott Baker announced that pool staff had tested negative for COVID-19, so the decision was made to reopen.  He noted the pool facility has been thoroughly sanitized during the closure, adding they clean after every 90 minute open swim session.  He says they use sprayers with a bleach solution that are used on chairs and high touch points, and the pool slide is wiped down with sanitizer after each use.  Those with questions or concerns can call the District office at 541-296-9533, or go to nwprd.org.  

The North Wasco County Education Foundation is embarking on a fundraising effort to enhance its classroom mini-grants program.  Foundation Director Rebecca Thistlethwaite says the program has helped eight-to-ten teachers a year since its inception in 2017, and they want to double that for this year knowing the need will be greater with state school funding expected to be impacted by the pandemic.  The Foundation has set a goal of raising $10,000 for the grants.  As part of that, they are holding a raffle with a grand prize of a family vacation on the Deschutes River in Maupin.  For information, go to northwascoed.org.

With Hood River County seeing 13 new COVID-19 cases after going a couple of weeks without one, County health officials are once again emphasizing the need to wear face coverings in public settings.  County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg does emphasize face coverings are just one of the key components in trying to prevent the spread of the virus, along with physical distancing, hand hygiene, and staying home when sick.  Van Tilburg adds if you think you have a reason not to wear a face covering consult your physician, but also do not go into public places.

One of the topics that gets tossed around in social media in regards to COVID-19 is the concept of herd immunity, in which people develop immunity through prior infection.  But North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell and other health experts say that’s not possible with this virus.  McDonell says it would take potentially 80 percent of the population to be exposed the virus and mount an immune response, and the human cost of that would be great with a death rate of 1% makes it unacceptable and not realistic.  McDonell adds she is hopeful about a COVID-19 vaccine…noting there is a lot of work and a number of trials underway for that.

Wasco County added five confirmed and presumed COVID-19 cases Thursday to move its pandemic total to 102, and Hood River County health officials said they added two more to move up to 101.  North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell said on Mid-Columbia Today that she had expected that to go over the century mark.  McDonell reminds people that while the rising numbers they hear can be concerning, there are steps they can take to reduce risk for themselves and their family.  Those steps include wearing a face covering in public settings, especially indoors, practicing physical distancing, and washing your hands frequently.  Mid-Columbia Medical Center’s Stephanie Bowen told the Wasco County Commission on Wednesday they currently have two COVID-19 patients hospitalized, but bed capacity is not an issue.