A resident of southern Oregon who has deliberately started working on coronavirus symptoms is connected to two separate outbreaks in the area, county officials said.
The unidentified person later tested positive for the virus, with officials saying they were responsible for “overcoming actions”.
“One of these outbreaks resulted in seven deaths, and the other recent outbreak put more than 300 people / families in quarantine,” Douglas County public health officer Bob Dannenhoffer said in a statement on Thursday, according to The Washington Post. “We cannot even imagine the tremendous remorse these people are feeling now, and we sympathize with them.”
“In addition to the super spread events, we also have super spread actions. This is one of the most worrying issues that we face at the moment, ”he added. “At the top of the list of super spreading actions are people who, unwittingly and unconsciously, choose to work when they are sick.”
Thirty-seven people have died in the county since the pandemic began, while the state recorded 1,347 deaths. Douglas County is one of 29 state officials in the jurisdiction considered “extreme risk” due to the virus, and the number of seven killed in one outbreak accounts for nearly 20 percent of all coronavirus deaths reported in the county.
Governor Kate Brown
Kate Brown – Right-wing protesters invade the Oregon Capitol calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions. The Oregon governor calls for a special legislative session to consider COVID-19 a forest fire. (D) placed Oregon in a state of emergency until at least March 3, while a separate order requires residents to wear masks in public.
While several white-collar workers worked from home during the pandemic, other workplaces where this is not an option, including supermarkets and meatpackers, have seen several outbreaks. Douglas County officials have not revealed where the person at the center of the outbreak worked or the nature of his work.