Gov. Kate Brown announced today a new health and safety rule that requires employees in health-care settings to provide proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
The requirement — which applies broadly to health-care workers who have direct or indirect contact with patients or infectious materials — will apply September 30, allowing St. Charles Health System time to prepare for implementation and giving caregivers time to become fully vaccinated if they are not already and choose to do so.
“This is welcomed news, as it allows us to further protect our workforce and our patients,” said Joe Sluka, St. Charles’ president and CEO. “We’re proud that 76 percent of our caregivers are already fully vaccinated, but we also know that means nearly a quarter are still vulnerable. The governor said today the more contagious delta variant ‘has changed everything.’ We think that’s right, too, as the numbers we’ve seen as of late are not at all encouraging.”
Oregon health officials have reported about 6,000 new cases of COVID-19 since July 26, which is nearly double the number of cases recorded the week prior and the highest weekly count since mid-January. In Deschutes County, the previous week case count reported on July 31 was 244 — a 79 percent increase over the week before.
Hospitalizations are on the rise, too. Yesterday, (August 4), there were 37 patients with COVID-19 at St. Charles Bend — four of whom are in our ICU — the highest number the health system has seen since mid-June.
“We are deeply concerned by the abrupt rise in case numbers, which we believe is due to the delta variant,” Sluka said. “The most recent and best data available shows patients with the delta variant have 1,000 times more virus particles in their systems than the patients who had the original virus. Put another way, it’s very, very infectious.”
As the governor made her announcement, St. Charles is now initiating its work on what the implementation of this rule will look like. More information will be available in the coming weeks as details are finalized.
