UPDATE: (5:50 p.m. PT) — The economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and its tight government restrictions, has claimed another business — this time a college.
Related: For-profit Pioneer Pacific College Closes 3 Campuses, Lays Off 131 Employees
Pioneer Pacific College is shuttering three campuses and eliminating 131 jobs in a move college officials say was necessary due to the coronavirus. College officials pointed to “statewide operational restrictions put in place by [Oregon] Governor [Kate] Brown” for what a filing released Tuesday called a “dramatic loss of business” with no sense of “when business will return to normal.”
Pioneer Pacific is a for-profit private college with three programs in the Willamette Valley: in Springfield, Beaverton and the Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland. All three locations are shuttering, in what the filing called a “permanent closure … on July 31, 2020.”
The Beaverton and Springfield campuses are laying off a combined 90 employees.
The closure of the college’s Portland location includes staff at the Oregon Culinary Institute, as well as a number of administrative positions. The college is laying off 41 people in Portland, including 12 instructors.
More on this story here.
Oregon reports 299 new COVID-19 diagnoses, 7 deaths
The Oregon Health Authority announced Tuesday 299 new COVID-19 diagnoses in the state and seven new deaths due to the virus.
The deaths announced Tuesday were:
- An 88-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on June 10 and died on June 15, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
- An 88-year-old woman in Malheur County who tested positive on June 28 and died on July 19. Her place of death and underlying conditions are being confirmed.
- A 52-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on June 24 and died on July 18 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
- A 59-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on June 23 and died on July 15, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He did not have underlying conditions.
- An 88-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on July 7 and died on July 19, at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
- An 87-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on June 23 and died on July 20. He had underlying conditions. His place of death is being confirmed.
- A 47-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on June 29 and died on July 17 at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Washington. He had underlying conditions.
4 deaths reported in Clark County, Washington
Health officials in Clark County, Washington, on Tuesday, reported 132 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4 new deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, 1,566 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the county, and 38 have died.
The latest available data from the Washington Department of Health shows 47,743 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the state and 1,453 are known to have died of it. As of Tuesday, COVID-19 has led to the hospitalization of 5,102 people in Washington.
New Oregon site helps people locate COVID testing centers
The Oregon Health Authority has published a new online tool to help Oregonians find their closest COVID-19 testing site. With versions in both English and Spanish, the tool features interactive maps to help users find a place in their community to get tested for the virus.
OHA still stresses that people should contact a health care professional prior to seeking testing. The medical professional will be able to determine if someone's symptoms are consistent enough with COVID-19 to warrant a test, officials said Tuesday.
“Removing barriers to testing is important to help Oregonians stay healthy and to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon's state epidemiologist and state health officer. “This new resource can help people find ongoing testing locations in their community, which is especially important for people who don’t have a primary care provider.”
Oregonians can enter their address into the web page or select their state, county and ZIP code. The map then presents them with their nearest options and contact information for each testing location for scheduling an appointment.
Oregon eases restrictions on visits to long-term care centers
Oregon is relaxing restrictions on visits to long-term care facilities (such as nursing homes) — so long as those visits occur outside and don't include households where there have been COVID-19 infections. Indoor visitations remain off-limits at all licensed care facilities.
The new policy from the Oregon Department of Human Services comes as data from state health officials revealed more than half of all coronavirus-linked deaths have occurred at group housing facilities, including long-term care centers. The new visit regulations aim to balance the needs of supporting the mental health of elderly residents while trying to manage the significant risk of an outbreak of the virus.
“We hope this policy provides some relief to residents, their family members and friends who we know have suffered extreme hardship as a result of visitation restrictions required during the pandemic. Balancing resident safety with the essential need to have contact with family and friends is challenging as COVID-19 presents life-threatening risks and spreads rapidly in congregate care settings,” said Mike McCormick, interim director of the DHS Office of Aging and People with Disabilities.
Facilities currently coping with COVID-19 infections cannot allow visits.
OHA warns of testing supply shortages
While the numbers reported out of the Oregon Health Authority were not as dire as in recent days, the state’s public health agency warned of a related “concerning situation.” Health officials warn that testing wait times in Oregon could be affected by growing national demand for testing supplies, as COVID-19 cases increase across the country.
Related: COVID-19 in Oregon: By the numbers
OHA reported 277 new confirmed and presumptive cases Monday, with nearly half of those numbers coming from the Portland-area counties of Multnomah (85) and Washington (38). Last week, elected officials representing Clackamas County, which reported 11 new cases Monday, asked that their county be separated from Multnomah and Washington, for reopening decisions.
The state health authority also reported two deaths — both in Marion County involving people with underlying health conditions. One was a 76-year-old man who tested positive on June 22 and died July 17 at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. The other was a 92-year-old man who tested positive July 8 and died July 18 in his residence.
Public health officials have been emphasizing the importance of timely test results as a key component of tracking the virus and controlling its spread. But in OHA’s statement Monday on weekly testing, officials said “several major manufacturers have informed OHA that testing supply allocation are being or may be reduced over the next six to eight weeks due to the recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases.” OHA said it is “receiving widespread reports of extended turnaround time from commercial laboratories.”
New Oregon COVID-19 Cases By ZIP Code
This map shows new cases of COVID-19 in each ZIP code in Oregon. ZIP codes are colored by the number of cases per 10,000 residents. ZIPs are shaded to show contrast; rates in Oregon remain lower than most of the U.S.
