Tag COVID IN SALEM
Public health leaders say better translation, quick staffing increases were key lessons in Covid response
Katrina Rothenberger, stands in the COVID-19 incident command at the Marion County Health and Human Services office on Monday, July 13, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When Katrina Rothenberger got the call that Marion County had recorded its first Covid infection, she was celebrating her father’s…
Salem’s biggest employers retained most staff after statewide Covid vaccine mandate took effect
Nurses Judy Webb, front, and Judy Barela work at a mobile vaccine clinic run by Salem Health at Chemeketa Community College on Sept. 27, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem employers reported no school bus routes went undriven and no medical appointments were canceled as a…
Why Salem Hospital might need a refrigerated truck for bodies
An empty casket sits in the Johnson Funeral Home on April 16, 2020.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) As the latest Covid surge has increased the strain on Salem hospitals, local morgues are also being stretched to capacity. In early September, Cheryl Wolf issued a grim update during…
National Guard arrives to reinforce overworked Salem Hospital staff
U.S. Army National Guard Spc. Thomas Watson puts together a patient meal at Salem Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep residents informed. Please share and please subscribe to support…
“This is devastating”: Salem Hospital prepares refrigerated truck for bodies as Covid deaths climb
Cheryl Nester Wolfe, CEO of Salem Health, addresses a COVID-19 incident command meeting on March 19, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep residents informed. Please share and please subscribe to support this reporting. Cheryl…
With Covid case surge comes a longer wait for tests in Salem
Andrea Davila, a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente North Lancaster clinic administers a test for COVID-19 at the clinic’s drive-thru testing site on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing this free to the community as a public service to keep…
State, federal data shows vaccination rates vary widely among long term care facilities in Salem
Syringes of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Vaccination rates among employees are low at many Salem-area long-term care facilities, and industry groups fear a recent state vaccination mandate will worsen…
Inside Salem’s ICU, the “emotionally draining” work of caring for Covid patients marches on
A nurse cares for a Covid patient in the intensive care unit at Salem Hospital on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) In the life-or-death world of Salem Hospital’s intensive care unit, few people coming and going have time to stop to read a…
Slow state system is delaying ability to track Covid cases in Marion, Polk counties
Katrina Rothenberger, incident commander, stands in the COVID-19 incident command at the Marion County Health and Human Services office on Monday, July 13, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Local public health officials say that a sluggish state system is impairing their ability to reach people testing…