Wasco County reviews preparations as Phase 1 businesses are reopening Rapid test availability a ‘game changer’ as county prepares

“Our response to the orchardists and the migrant farm worker influx has been used as a model for the way the rest of the state will respond,” she said. “We have been out in front of this issue from the beginning. So the masks and cleaning supplies were distributed to the orchardists last week and with a great response.”

She said the health district had enjoyed excellent cooperation from the growers.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center’s President and CEO Dennis Knox said the hospital has resumed elective surgeries and diagnostics, and that they are at 75 percent of the benchmark of last May. He said the facility had twice the required supply of PPEs, and made this announcement:  “We are prepared for the potential second wave which some critics say could be worst than the first wave. So we are purchasing a Cephied rapid analyzer. Instead of getting test results back in four or five days, we can get the test results back in 45 minutes, which I think is a game changer.”

That $110,000 piece of equipment will arrive in mid-July, along with $20,000 worth of test kits. Knox noted that unlike another brand of testing equipment that was only 75 percent accurate, this machine has a 99 percent accuracy rate, and can be used for other diagnostic tests.

And National Scenic Area Manager Lynn Burditt said that some day-use facilities in the Gorge will  open soon, but not high-traffic sites.