A resident of southern Oregon who was deliberately going to work on coronavirus symptoms is linked 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 “super-spread actions.”
“One of these outbreaks has resulted in seven deaths, and the other recent outbreak has quarantined more than 300 people / families,” Douglas County Public Health Officer Bob Dannenhoffer said in a statement Thursday, according to the Washington Post. “We can not even imagine the enormous remorse these people are feeling right now and we have sympathy for them.”
“In addition to the super-spreader events, we also have super-spreader actions. This is one of the most relevant issues we are facing right now, ”he added. “At the top of the list of super-spreading actions are people who unconsciously and unconsciously choose to go to work when they are sick.”
37 people have died in the county since the pandemic began, while the state has seen 1,347 deaths. Douglas County is one of 29 state law enforcement officials considered “extreme risk” by the virus, and seven deaths from one outbreak account for nearly 20 percent of all reported coronavirus deaths in the county.
Gov. Kate Brown
Kate BrownFar right-wing protesters storm Oregon Capitol calling for end of COVID-19 restrictions Oregon governor convenes special legislative session to consider COVID-19, Oregon governor of wildfire urges hosts to ‘invite’ guests MORE (D) has placed Oregon in a state of emergency through at least March 3, while a separate order requires residents to wear masks in public.
Although several officials have worked from home during the pandemic, other workplaces where this is not an option, including grocery stores and meat packing plants, have seen several outbreaks. Douglas County officials did not say where the person in the middle of the outbreak was working, or the nature of their jobs.