U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley launched a website with information and updates about the Coronavirus and the threat to Oregonians.
In addition to resources, Merkley also calls on more action from President Donald Trump and his team to combat the virus which saw its first confirmed case not linked to foreign travel in northern California this week.
Merkley’s site features Oregon Health Authority data outlining the situation in Oregon, which has not seen any confirmed cases and had two people test negative for the disease, as of Monday.
The Oregon Health Authority said that starting March 3 it will provide weekly updates every Tuesday on the number of Oregonians tested and monitored for the disease.
The first confirmed case of Coronavirus in the U.S. was in Washington state and 10 cases have been confirmed in California.
In a news release Merkley said, “In addition to continuing to push from D.C., I’ve also compiled helpful resources and recommendations for Oregonians to help keep our communities safe and healthy as the Coronavirus continues to spread. As developments unfold, my team and I will update this page with new information, and I will continue to fight for the funding and urgency this public health issue requires.”
The release says the senator created the website as a place for Oregonians to get reliable information about the disease after listening to concerns at town halls.
Merkley signed a letter, along with 26 other U.S. Senators, to the Assistant for Nation Security Affairs calling for answers and urgency in hiring a top global health official with the National Security Council that would coordinate the country’s response to the epidemic, a position they say has been vacant for two years. The letter was dated Feb. 13 and is on Merkley’s site.
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