Lane Could Move to Extreme on Friday
COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the state and several counties, including Lane are at risk of returning to Extreme Risk levels without the two week grace period. Governor Kate Brown also canceled the warning week and told Oregonians that if the number of hospitalizations increase to 300 cases counties that are within the parameters of an extreme risk move could do so on Friday. Currently there are 291 individuals in the hospital, which is 4 fewer than on Saturday. Of those 291, 66 are in intensive care. Over the weekend COVID-19 cases surged again with 2,630 cases reported Friday through Sunday for the state and 188 cases reported for Lane County. Also very concerning is the recent rise in cases in the Florence Area. After a week that saw steady jumps in cases, the weekend count in Florence jumped another 13 cases bringing the total to 229. There have been 36 cases reported in just the past two weeks.
Johnson and Johnson Can Resume
After the death of a 50 year old Oregon woman who had received the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, the Oregon Health Authority has cleared the way for the Vaccine to resume in Oregon. One stipulation is that health care providers and pharmacies must ensure that patients are informed of the potential risk even though it has not been a widespread issue. There have been 2 deaths and 7 people that have experienced blood clots after receiving the vaccine. The warning from the Food and Drug Administration is for women under the age of 50 who could potentially experience clotting. Currently in Oregon there are 124,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in storage.
Executive Session
The Florence city council will meet in executive session today at 3:30 to consult with the city’s labor negotiator. Executive sessions are not open to the general public. The council’s next public meeting will be Monday, May 3rd.
101 construction
Highway 101 continues to be one lane south of town at the Siltcoos River Bridge. Construction will be ongoing for approximately the next year as railings are replaced and the bridge is expanded. Traffic is being automatically controlled by a traffic signal and caution is urged when approaching the construction zone.