School District Employee Tests Positive for COVID
The Siuslaw School District has reported that an employee of the high school has tested positive for COVID-19. Families of students that were in contact with the staff member were called by the high school office. According to the release school officials are not overly concerned about transmission to other students due to the way the learning environment has been managed with consistent physical distancing and masking. The school district is working with Lane County Public Health to assist in responding to the situation and to protect the health of the community. The school is in progress of a deep cleaning of classrooms and common areas and are using an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer to cover every affected space. The school has posted the letter that went out to families on the schools homepage and the district website.
Florence Coronavirus Number reaches 200
Florence has reached the 200 mark for COVID-19. Lane County Public Health added 3 more cases to the list yesterday. Lane County has added 74 new or presumptive coronavirus cases to their list. The increase comes as the county reaches the end of its first cautionary week. Current numbers for cases per 100,000 is now at 94.14. a sign that the county could be moving past the moderate risk level to the high level when the OHA releases the new levels. The state has also reported 733 new cases and 6 new deaths
Red Flag Warning
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the coast. The warning will be in effect through late evening this evening. The warning comes as unseasonably warm and dry conditions enter the coastal region. A red flag warning is an indicator that critical fire conditions are present and should a fire start it could grow rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended for today. Temperatures are expected to be 20 degrees above normal along the coast for this time of year.
Vaccine Update
Almost 128,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are currently in storage in Oregon. Health officials it may be several weeks before the public knows the results of an investigation into why some people that have received vaccine have suffered blood clots. More than 87,000 people in Oregon have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and there are no reported clots in any of those individuals. More than 6.8 million doses have been administered nationwide. The Oregon Health Authority is reporting that due to the increased vaccination infrastructure it has been able to maintain a daily dose average of 38,728. The state has about a ½ a million doses on hand and is regularly receiving shipments. That number does not include the Johnson and Johnson doses.
Gas Prices Steady
Gas prices have reached a spring apex according to Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon. Dodds attributes the steady prices this week to increases in production and a dip in crude oil prices. The average price for a gallon of gas in the state is unmoved from last week at $3.20 a gallon and the price of a regular gallon of gas for Florence is averaging $3.09. Dodds says there is no indication on how long prices will remain in check but crude oil prices account for about 60% of the price at the pump
