C.O. agencies open joint center to coordinate COVID-19 response

(Update: Adding comments from Bend Fire captain, school district, Rep. Helt)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend-La Pine Schools representatives, area law enforcement, health care officials and other government representatives gathered for a briefing Monday evening at the newly opened COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) Joint Information Center.

The JIC is housed in the basement of at the Bend-La Pine Schools' Education Center on Wall Street in downtown Bend., overseen by the Central Oregon Emergency Information Network.

Elected officials gave NewsChannel 21 and other media a tour of the facility Monday evening before state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, held a roundtable discussion at the Bend Library across Wall Street to further discuss preparation efforts.

Helt said there will be no COVID-19 vaccine available for at least 18 months. However, she said, the state has the capacity to conduct 80 tests per day in an effort to get faster results.

Helt told the roundtable group, "It's really important that we communicate immediately and effectively, because we are doing so much, and we are so ahead of having the JIC set up."

Mayor Sally Russell pointed to the benefits of having representatives of involved agencies in one place, rather than spread out around the community and communicating by phone or email, much as was done during the 2017 eclipse and other emergency situations.

"It's all the people that we know our community needs to pull together to act quickly to adjust and respond to whatever we need to respond to," she said.

St. Charles Health System spokeswoman Lisa Goodman said the region's hospitals are running low on supplies for health care professionals. Examples of needed supplies include personal protective equipment, or PPEs, such as masks, gowns, and gloves. She said the health system ordered about 10,000 masks in January, but now their supplier has to also keep up with increased demand elsewhere.

Bend Fire Captain Trish Connelly said the fire department is also ordering more PPEs for emergency personnel.

If the need arises, she said, "They have full gear that they will be putting on, which is a Tyvex suit, long gloves, a mask."

Bend-La Pine Schools spokeswoman Julianne Repman called news of the coronavirus outbreak at this stage an "information crisis, not a public health crisis."

She said this week, the school district will be adding hand-washing signs in schools to enforce proper hygiene education.

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. William Bailey said the agency is also educating its jail inmates about how to properly wash their hands, in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

COEIN, which includes Deschutes County Health Services, St. Charles Health System, the City of Bend, local law enforcement and fire, Bend-La Pine Schools, Deschutes County, Crook County and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Offices and others, opened the JIC to collect, coordinate and distribute timely and accurate information about COVID-19, a novel strain of the coronavirus, and how it could impact our region.

COIEN’s website, www.coemergencyinfo.blogspot.com will provide a collective resource for up-to-date information. Community members can also call 2-1-1 for general information and questions.

Access to accurate, timely information both locally and nationally is encouraged. Our County Public Health experts point to the Oregon Health Authority and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as good sources of information.

The CDC is recommending non-pharmaceutical interventions to slow the spread of COVID-19, and other respiratory infections (including flu and pertussis) by taking everyday preventive actions, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

• Get your annual flu vaccine (to protect against flu)