PPE's in short supply, community members sewing, donating masks

OKANOGAN - With limited testing supplies, we continue to believe that COVID-19 is circulating throughout the entire county. Please continue to follow the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to slow the spread of the virus.

Homemade Masks There is a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community members have been coming to the rescue by stepping up to sew and donate handmade masks. There has been amazing support by the community to provide homemade masks to healthcare providers. More masks are still needed for clinics, first responders, and long-term care facilities! There are many donation drop sites throughout the county. Masks collected from the following five sites will be taken to Emergency Management and distributed to healthcare workers throughout the county: • Brewster: Webster’s Furniture Store (332 Main Ave). When open, inside on the table to the left. When closed, outside the front door.

• Okanogan: Okanogan County Public Health (1234 2nd Ave. S) inside first set of doors – only available during business hours. • Omak: Omak Police Department (8 N. Ash St.), right outside the front door

• Tonasket: Tonasket High School (35 HS Hwy 20), right outside the main entrance

• Oroville: Northwest Wholesale Office (1229 Ironwood), outside front door The masks collected from the following four sites will be distributed by Methow Valley PPE. Please see their website for more details: https://methowvalleyppe.wixsite.com/website • Mazama: Mazama Store (50 Lost River Rd)

• Winthrop: Town Hall (Riverside Ave)

• Twisp: Twisp Valley Grange (344 W 2nd Ave)

• Pateros: Pateros Brewster Community Resource Center (169 Pateros Mall, Suite A) Masks collected at the following two sites will be distributed on the Colville Reservation. • Nespelem: The Command Center at the Government Building (21 Colville St) • Nespelem: Indian Health Services building (17 Lakes St)

COVID-19 myth-busters

It’s the first of April, and we’re here with a COVID-19 myth-buster to help keep you from being an April Fool! Love myth-busters? The World Health Organization has one (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for- public/myth-busters) and so does the Washington coronavirus page (https://coronavirus.wa.gov/spread-facts)!

Myth: This doesn’t really affect me because I’m young and healthy. Fact: People of all ages can get and spread COVID-19. Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease) appear to be more at risk for getting very sick from the virus. For your own health and the health of your community, you need to stay home away from people who don’t live in your house, wash your hands, and try not to touch your face.

Myth: You need a pass to travel to your essential job in Washington.

Fact: Essential workers are permitted to travel to and from work without a special permit.

Myth: I should probably stock up on some more groceries.

Fact: There has been no disruption to the supply chain that delivers goods. If we all purchase what we need without hoarding, there will be enough for everyone. Reduce waste and help your neighbors by buying just what you need. And remember! And you can increase social connection by offering to pick up a bag of groceries for a friend or neighbor.

Myth: These wipes are flushable.

Fact: No, they are not, even if they are labeled that way. “Flushable” wipes, facial tissues, and paper towels were not designed to break down the same way as toilet paper, and they can cause blockages in treatment plants, plumbing, and septic systems. If you are out of toilet paper, use something else and then throw it in the trash. Please do not flush anything

besides toilet paper and what came out of you.

Myth: Here’s a top secret way to protect yourself from COVID-19 that doctors don’t want you to know about!

Fact: Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. The best way to keep yourself and others from getting COVID-19 is to stay home as much as possible, wash your hands frequently, and not touch your face. There is nothing you can eat, bathe in, or inhale that will protect you from this virus. And some of the suggested “preventatives” on social media are downright dangerous. There is quite a bit of research going on into a vaccine or medications that may help, so we hope to be able to pass on that good news soon. But until then, just scroll past anything that sounds too good to be true.

DOH Call Center:1-800-525-0127, Press # after the prompt

Education & Information: www.doh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus

Okanogan County Alerts: Sign up for alerts like these from Emergency Management at: https://www.okanogandem.org

Myth: The government called to ask for my private information.

Fact: That was not the government. The federal stimulus package included about $1,200 per person. This money has not been distributed yet, but some scammers are trying to take advantage of people. Remember—the government will not ask

you to pay anything up front to get this money. No fees. No charges. No nothing. The government will not call to ask for your

Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. Anyone who does is a scammer.

Myth: We’re going back to normal after this.

Fact: Eventually we will leave our homes again, see our friends, and go to restaurants and to work. But this is a life-changing

experience. We won’t be “normal” again. Maybe we’ll hug our people tighter, maybe we’ll savor our time together more.

Maybe we’ll decide it’s important for everyone to be able to get health care when they need it. Maybe we’ll go for more

walks. We will leave our houses again, but it won’t feel normal.

Myth: There’s nothing fun to do.

Fact: What? It’s Census Day! The census will determine how many congressional representatives Washington gets. Census results have an impact on planning and funding for health clinics and highways, fire departments and disaster response, education programs such as Head Start and college tuition assistance, and so much more. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill in. Complete yours today: https://2020census.gov/en.html

Practice compassion. Viruses don’t discriminate. And neither should we. Practice compassion for your fellow community members. Let’s support one another, not tear each other down. We are all in this together.

Information adapted from Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Update.