New Cases Include 3 Hospitalizations for Florence Residents
The instances of COVID-19 increasing in Florence is a concern for all as Lane County Public Health Liaison, Jason Davis has reported that a social gathering in Florence is responsible for 4 of the latest cases in the area and 3 of the four individuals are hospitalized according to the report. These cases are 4 new cases reported Monday morning and the case count for Florence has now risen to 82. LCPH is asking individuals to not participate in social gatherings as it can be potentially deadly. They are monitoring the situation and will let the public know if the outbreak intensifies. Wearing of masks, hand washing, and social distancing is important and can help control the spread of the coronavirus. Officials at Peace Harbor noted that all three patients were transferred out of the area.
Cold Weather Shelter to Open
Forecasted freezing temperatures overnight call for the opening of the Florence Emergency Cold Weather Shelter. The Shelter will be located at the Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw on Highway 101. The Emergency Cold Weather Shelter recently received mobile shelters that will be used instead of housing people inside the church. Due to COVID-19 the 8×8 shelters will be limited to individuals and couples. Plans for locating the shelters on property located at 5300 Highway 101 are underway, but for now the church will house the shelters. Pastor Greg Wood released the information on Saturday. The Rhody Express will be providing free transportation to the location between 4-6 pm this evening and can be accessed at any of the Rhody stops. The shelter will provide a hot meal and a breakfast in the morning before the shelters close at 8 am.
Cases of COVID-19 Show Slight Decreases
While cases are on the rise here in Florence the overall trend for the state has been a downward one. On Saturday the state showed a low of 612 cases, there was an uptick in yesterday’s numbers though at 1,416. The weekend, three day total, was 2936. With 12 new deaths reported. Lane County for the same period was 169 which was also a decrease from the previous weekend’s total. More than 17 thousand individuals received their first doses of the vaccine and Peace Harbor first responders received their first doses on Christmas Eve. Members of Western Lane Ambulance and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue are expected to begin receiving their doses this week.
