Unvaccinated Concerns Locally; Homelessness in Florence; Gas Prices Update; Mask Recommendations

Unvaccinated Concerns Locally

COVID-19 is having its worst impact in Lane County since earlier this year according to Jason Davis with Lane County Public Health.  And it is driven in part that the 97439 zip code is experiencing the most cases since the beginning of the pandemic.  The other driving force is the hesitancy of the unvaccinated.

“I still think we have people who say, you know what, I’m young, healthy if I get COVID it’s probably going to be a light cough.  Why do I want to get vaccinated?”

Davis says they have been trying to get the message out to individuals that have chosen not to get vaccinated.  According to Davis the plan the state has been using of bombarding individuals with a message from state health officials has not been working.  He says what they have seen work is the direct approach from those close.

“They don’t respond to a billboard, they don’t respond to a clever ad the only thing they might respond to is a conversation with their health provider or B a conversation with a trusted friend or family member.”

Currently Florence has had 61 new cases in the past 2 weeks and added 3 new cases today and 10 new cases yesterday.  Davis says a large number of cases continue to pop up in long term care facilities  and  3 facilities in Florence are contributing to the double digit increases.  He says there is also a significant amount of community spread.

Homelessness in Florence

A number of Federal COVID relief programs end this year between September and July, putting already vulnerable populations at further risk. When homelessness is combined with mental illness, it can further exacerbate that risk, Siuslaw Outreach Services Executive Director Bob Teter says. Teter estimates that we have roughly 200 individuals unhoused and living year round in the Florence area. About one third of those are people who are working or trying to find work in the area

“The rest are probably individuals who are dealing with some type of illness or addiction or just having trouble functioning in society.”

What many people don’t realize is that a lot of individuals go into homelessness with no problems. An unfortunate string of events can put them into that situation. Homelessness, however, can lead to larger mental health issues, Teter says.

“When you’re sleeping on the streets and you’re constantly worried about your own security and you’re losing that sleep, studies have shown that that actually develops some form of mental illness. Schizophrenia for example is linked directly to lack of sleep.”

Oregon ranks as the worst state in the country for the prevalence of mental illness combined with lower rates of access for care, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Tune in to hear Teter talk more about struggles with homelessness next week on Our Town. You can hear Our Town the first Wednesday of the month from 4 to 6 on KCST and Thursday from 10 to noon on KCFM.

Gas Prices Update

Gas prices are still rising at the pumps, but they’re going up more slowly than in previous weeks, according to Marie Dodd, Director, Government and Public Affairs for AAA Oregon. It’s it’s too early to determine whether prices have peaked for the summer, in part because of how different this year has been due to the pandemic. We’re seeing increasing cases in Oregon and around the globe, and the impact on the economy is unclear, according to Dodds.

“We really have tough things when it comes to trying to predict the future because the crystal ball is just really murky.”

Currently, Oregon is seeing its gas prices changing by less than five cents. For the week, the national average for regular edges down a penny to $3.16 a gallon. The Oregon average is up a penny to $3.71. In Florence the average is $3.61 cents a gallon for regular, with a low of $3.55.

Mask Recommendations

It is not a mandate at this point, but Governor Kate Brown said yesterday that the Oregon Health Authority is recommending that individuals, whether vaccinated or not should consider masking indoors.  She says the Delta Varian has increased tenfold in the past two weeks in Oregon and is now estimated to be about 80% of the new cases across the state.  the OHA continues to encourage vaccinations.  This Saturday from noon  until 3 there will be a vaccination clinic in Florence at the Siuslaw Middle School and Lane County Public Health will have all three of the vaccines available.  Individuals as young as 12 will be able to receive a covid-19 vaccine.  The clinic is a drive through clinic and no registration is required, nor will it be necessary to get out of your vehicle.