So, here’s one fuck of a headline: As Oregon coronavirus cases grow, state holds off on drastic measures to stop virus’ spread. Found via today’s COVID-19 newsletter from The Oregonian, which includes some warnings given our proximity to Seattle.
Experts in the field of infectious disease say many more tests need to be administered to understand the extent of the problem in Oregon and elsewhere, but Oregonians should expect cases to grow and shouldn’t become complacent. Seattle and Portland are “epidemiological mirrors of each other,” said Benjamin Dalziel, an Oregon State University assistant professor of integrative biology who has studied the spread of infectious diseases. “What happens in Seattle is going to happen in Portland.” The issue is timing. “Portland is saying, ‘We are going to be doing the prudent things now and be ready to ramp it up when we need to,’” Dalziel said. “When is that moment? That’s just a really hard question.”
Reading this piece—which also reports on a baffling tweet from my county’s health department—I’ll repeat myself: what the fuck are we doing, Oregon? You know what would have helped Washington? Faster and more aggressive testing; why are we waiting?
Addenda
- Governor Brown apparently finally declared a state of emergency, but why is Oregon only running 20 tests per day?
Still, it is unclear why state health officials have tested so few people compared to the amount they are already able to—especially since local hospitals want to test more. Oregon doctors are frustrated with the lack of testing kits being made available to them, KGW-TV reported yesterday.