In an effort to help keep the community informed, Harney County Health Department and Harney District Hospital (HDH) are providing a joint update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Harney County.

COVID-19 tests

As of Monday, Jan. 11, the HDH lab has conducted a total of 1,495 COVID-19 tests since the beginning of the pandemic. This is in addition to the tests that were conducted by the health department and other healthcare providers in Harney County. Unfortunately, due to changes in the way that the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) records its data, it is difficult to determine exactly how many COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the county.

COVID-19 cases

As of Monday, Harney County has had four deaths and 157 positive cases since the pandemic began. It should be noted that OHA does not differentiate positive cases from presumptive positive cases in its count. However, the majority of these cases are confirmed positives, not presumptive positives.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) website, “A presumptive positive result is when a patient has tested positive by a public health laboratory, but results are pending confirmation at CDC.”

On April 21, 2020, HDH had its first COVID-positive patient. However, OHA assigns cases to county of residence, and the patient who tested positive was a resident of Deschutes County. On April 28, 2020, Harney County had its first case that was counted by OHA. The county’s case count climbed to 12 between July and August 2020 and held steady until October 2020, which is when we started to see a spike.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday, Jan. 11, a total of nine patients have been hospitalized at HDH with positive COVID-19 test results since the beginning of the pandemic. Some of these patients were transferred to a larger hospital because they required a higher level of care. HDH has had two COVID-positive patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), but neither required placement on a ventilator or life support. HDH currently has two ICU beds and one ventilator available. However, in the event of an emergency, the hospital has access to four other ventilators. Contingency plans have been created if the hospital is unable to transfer critical patients to a higher level of care.

Personal protective equipment

The hospital and health department feel comfortable with the county’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). In November 2020, both organizations had trouble obtaining gloves due to a national shortage. However, by December 2020, they were both able to secure an adequate supply, and they are confident in their ability to stock gloves in the future.

Staffing

Throughout the duration of the pandemic, the hospital and health department have worked to ensure that staffing levels are sufficient to meet the needs of our community. The health department has not experienced any staffing issues due to the pandemic. Though the hospital has had some occasions where staffing levels were affected, actions were taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the patients and the staff were not compromised.

COVID-19 vaccination

The health department, hospital, and Burns Paiute Tribe were each allocated doses of the Moderna vaccine. The health department is using its allocation to vaccinate any members of the 1A group (healthcare workers and teachers) who would like to be vaccinated. The hospital vaccinated its own employees, and the health department vaccinated tribal members. After completing its vaccinations, the hospital donated its extra doses to the health department to increase the supply that is available for people in the 1A group. The health department also began vaccinating people who are 75 and older. The health department is pleased to announce that, as of Monday, Jan. 11, Harney County had the highest rate of vaccinations per 10,000 people in the state of Oregon.

Harney County Health Department Director Nic Calvin said he believes essential workers will be prioritized in the next group, and they might be vaccinated sometime around spring. However, he noted that this has yet to be determined. Calvin predicts that the vaccine will become available for the general public sometime in the summer or fall.

You can find information about the vaccine on the health department’s website: https://www.co.harney.or.us/index.php/features/health-public-safety/health-department. Additionally, Calvin said that he, Dr. Sarah Laiosa, and Public Health Nurse Sheri Miller are willing to go to worksites, places of worship, and organizational gatherings to provide information and answer questions about the vaccine. You can call the health department at 541-573-2271 to schedule an appointment for a presentation.

“I could talk about the vaccine for days,” Calvin said. “We want everyone to know about it.”