KWSO News for Fri., Jul. 24, 2020

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported 4 more cases of Covid-19 in their afternoon COMMUNITY UPDATE Thursday.  There have been a total of 147 cases on the reservation since testing began. 92 people have recovered. There have been 1730 tests done at the Health and Wellness Center with 47 test results pending.  14 hospitalizations have been due to Covid-19 with 7 individuals having been discharged. With great sadness, yesterday’s Warm Springs Update includes one loss of life due to Covid-19.

COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 273 according the Oregon Health Authority.  There were 331 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of early this morning, bringing the state total to 15,713.

Oregon officials are warning consumers against responding to text messages offering access to lost or unclaimed funds held by the state of Oregon. The Department of State Lands (DSL), which oversees the state’s Unclaimed Property Program, has seen a recent increase in reports of text messages urging people to follow links and claim sums of money. Individuals who receive these messages are advised to not click on website links contained in the messages, as they could be scams. The State of Oregon receives about $70 million every year in unclaimed assets, like forgotten checks, bank accounts, and security deposits from financial institutions and businesses. It currently holds $740 million in unclaimed property for owners or their heirs. Those interested in checking whether they have unclaimed funds should visit the state’s Unclaimed Property website at unclaimed.oregon.gov and search for their name in the registry.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for the first time ever, swore in its chairman by teleconference. The 2020-2021 CRITFC Chair Jeremy Takala (Yakama) was sworn in by outgoing Chair Jeremy Red Star Wolf. The CRITFC officer positions rotate among the four member tribes on an annual basis. The other 2020-2021 officers are: Vice Chair Ferris Paisano (Nez Perce), Secretary Ryan Smith (Warm Springs), and Treasurer Jeremy Red Star Wolf (Umatilla).

It is critical that anyone on the reservation who has been diagnosed with a positive case of Covid-19 complete at least the 14-day isolation period. That means staying in a room separate from your family, and not having direct contact with anyone, as possible. The Public Health nurses will call to check on you and assist with resources. For anyone who has had close contact with a positive case of Covid-19, but who has either not been tested or tested negative, you need to stay home for 14 days and take all precautions to keep others safe. You may not have any symptoms during the 14-day incubation period; so it’s best to stay home and isolate just in case.