A new COVID variant detected in South Africa is causing concern among Oregon Health officials. South African scientists announced a new variant, now called the Omicron variant, was spreading in their country last week and it’s already been detected in 20 other countries. Scientists are working to understand the novel variant, but it’s currently unknown whether […]
public health
Posted inNews
Are We Flattening the Curve?
When will quarantine end? What’s with the under-testing? And other questions for Deschutes County’s health services director
The health services director for Deschutes County, Dr. George Conway, spent some time with me this afternoon. Conway has been the head of the local public health response to COVID-19. We discussed progress on testing, the effectiveness of social distancing and the big question everyone wants to know: the timeline for returning to “normal.” The […]
Posted inNews
Coronavirus in Deschutes County
First case in the local area is hospitalized at a St. Charles facility
This story has been updated. 3/11 8:18 pm: Updated below to reflect the discovery of two new cases at a veterans’ home in Linn County. Officials from Deschutes County Public Health announced Wednesday that it has seen its first presumed case of COVID-19. The patient is being hospitalized at a St. Charles facility, officials said. […]
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Coronavirus Comes to Oregon
Central Oregon agencies mobilize in anticipation of the arrival of COVID-19 in the region—and in hopes of preventing its spread
This story has been updated from the print version. It’s not lost on me that as I write this, the information contained herein could be outdated by the time the press delivers the print version to our newsroom. As representatives from the Deschutes County public health team said Monday, the situation is “changing hourly.” So […]
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City Council Finalizes Goals
At its March 20 meeting, the Bend City Council approved its two-year goal package for the City. The 2019-2021 goals fall into four categories: Economic Vitality: Including housing, jobs and managing growth. The City’s strategies in this goal seek to increase opportunities for additional housing and housing types like affordable housing and land for employment […]
Posted inOpinion
City leaders are cultural bellwethers, in addition to being public servants
Last month, the Bend City Council convened away from City Hall for its biannual goal-setting process. The goals-in-process differ slightly from the goals set two years prior—at least in how they’re categorized. The 2017-2019 goals fell under five headings, including growth, transportation, affordable housing, public safety and modernization. The current goal-setting process—not yet formally adopted—has […]