Skamania County has reported a death from COVID-19, its first and the fifth in Mid-Columbia counties since the pandemic began.  A Wasco County resident died on Friday from the disease.  The other three deaths from the coronavirus previously reported in Mid-Columbia counties were all in Klickitat County.  Skamania County’s numbers also moved its number of positive COVID-19 cases to four.  Klickitat County remains at 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases, Wasco County 12, Hood River County five, and Sherman County one.  Oregon reported 43 new cases on Monday, bringing the state total to 2,354, and one death for a total of 92.  Washington’s latest report showed 13,521 positive COVID-19 cases, and 749 deaths.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center has announced it is implementing a temporary furlough of what it termed “select employees” based on volume and need to care for patients.  In a statement, the hospital said it has received a significant financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with considerable declines in patient volume due to State and Federal executive orders, the suspension of elective surgeries and the desire of some potential patients to simply stay away for fear of exposure to the coronavirus, while at the same time facing increased costs related to the pandemic.  The furlough begins this coming Sunday and is currently expected to last through May 30, but will be re-evaluated in the middle of the month, and MCMC CEO Dennis Knox says they hope to have all staff return to work as soon as possible.  Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced that hospitals and surgical centers can begin reopening for non-urgent medical procedures on May 1 if strict new requirements for COVID-19 safety and preparedness are in place.

Klickitat County has had a cash reserve of over $23 million, and it is being used during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Commissioner Jim Sizemore says they have been using it to cover wages and benefits for all of the County’s employees.  He said they can keep doing that for a while, but they’d like to see an end in sight so they can conduct business normally.  Of course that could be in the hands of state officials.  Sizemore says County officials have not been briefed at this point on a framework for the state to reopen its economy.

Tuesday is the last day for citizens in Oregon to register to vote or change their political party affiliation for the upcoming May primary election.  Visit your county elections’ web page to find links to register online or go to www.oregonvotes.gov.

The Hood River County Commission approved opening County forestlands to local residents for recreation beginning on Tuesday.  Commissioners decided to wait until early next week to give staff and support groups time to prepare signage and other communication, noting they want to make this a soft opening.  Parking lots, staging areas, and restrooms will remain closed, as the County looks to emphasize the opening is for local residents, not for those from out of the area.  Commissioners had tried nearly a month ago to keep forestlands open for access to locals with similar closures, but recreationalists from out-of-town still came in large numbers.  In the order to open the forest trails on Tuesday, Commissioners added language emphasizing the opening is for Hood River County residents only, and a statement noting the Governor’s order against non-essential travel.  Commissioner Karen Joplin said this needs to be a low-key opening of the trails for residents only.  County Forester Doug Thiesies says holding off on the opening until Tuesday will give time for the trails to be examined to make sure they are in good condition.  The forestlands would be open for day use only.

No positive COVID-19 tests have been reported in the region for the past two days.  Klickitat County remains at 16 positive COVID-19 tests, Wasco County 12, Hood River County five, Skamania County three, and Sherman County one.  The Oregon Health Authority listed 51 new COVID-19 cases in an update of statewide numbers on Friday, moving the total to 2,177, 24 percent of which have required hospitalization.  The death count moved up by three to 86.  In Washington, the most recent statistics show 12.753 positive tests for COVID-19, with 711 deaths.  

The Oregon Health Authority released a modeling report update today that indicates the efforts of Oregonians to stay home and practice physical distancing has helped prevent as many as 70,000 COVID-19 cases in Oregon.  The report says the epidemic would have grown exponentially and cases would have doubled every week without social distancing practices.  The interventions are estimated to have averted over 70,000 infections, including over 1,500 hospitalizations, by April 16th.  State epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger says the modeling shows the efforts are working, but they also must continue even as the state moves toward easing restrictions.  The Institute for Disease Modeling works with the OHA on the weekly reports, using Oregon outbreak data with IDM research and modeling techniques to present policy makers with projections for the trajectory of the disease.  The models are updated weekly.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $19 billion program to help farmers and ranchers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The program includes $16 billion of direct support to farmers and ranchers based on actual losses for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted, and to assist producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.  In addition, the USDA says it will partner with regional and local distributors to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat.  The distributors and wholesalers will then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community and faith based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.  A USDA statement indicated it will utilize other available funding sources to purchase and distribute food to those in need.

Data released this week by Columbia Gorge Community College shows an increase in the number of credit hours for which students are registering, reflecting a full tuition load of 15 or more credits per term, in spite of the college having to go completely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  CGCC vice president of student services Gerardo Cifuentes sasy that metric actually increased by 108 credit hours from spring term 2019 to spring term 2020, even with the technical challenges posed by often-limited access to broadband.  The actual number of students paying full tuition is unchanged from a year earlier at this same point in spring term.  In keeping with other institutions, CGCC did see a decline in “full-time equivalent” enrollment or “FTE,” a formula used by Oregon to calculate state financial support for institutions, from 257 FTE in spring 2019 to 229 FTE in spring term 2020.  Cifuentes said the loss in FTE is driven primarily by fewer K-12 students enrolled in “College Now,” one of three “dual credit” programs that enable high school seniors to gain college credit prior to high school graduation.  With school districts closed over COVID-19 self-isolation measures, College Now enrollment dropped by a large amount.  The college has been expanding its distance learning presence for several years, which helped soften the abrupt loss of on-campus classes when Oregon Governor Kate Brown ordered campuses closed.

Klickitat County will put a ban on outdoor burning in effect for its Burn Ban Zone One on May 1.  Zone One is defined as lands east of the Klickitat County Fire District #7 eastern boundary to include but not limited to Klickitat County Fire Districts #2, 9 and 10, and outside the jurisdictions of the Yakama Indian Nation and he Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.  It also prohibits the issuance of burn permits except for authorized agricultural burning.  Residential barbecues will be allowed.  The burn ban will be in effect through September 30.  The public is directed to check with the appropriate authorities concerning burning restrictions within the corporate limits of any city or town.