{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-shares-what-you-need-know-covid-19-june-17", "Greg Walden Shares What You Need to Know on COVID-19 - June 17", "2020-06-17", "2020", "2020-06", "Republican", "House", "OR", "Greg Walden", "W000791", "walden.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) released an update on COVID-19 for June 17, 2020.\nThe latest on the coronavirus:\nContinuedUnemployment Delays: Yesterday, Representative Greg Walden sent a letter to the Oregon Employment Department (OED) Interim Director David Gerstenfeld, urging action and answers on the growing number of unemployment cases in Oregon. In the letter, Walden emphasized that over 486,700 Oregonians have been forced to file for unemployment and lack of action from OED has left many Oregonians in despair. So far this year, Walden's staff of caseworkers have worked over 1,100 cases for Oregonians in the 2nd Congressional District. Approximately one-third of these cases were interactions with constituents who had not received their Oregon owed unemployment benefits. Read morehere. Working Towards a Cure: In a trial led by Oxford University around 2,000 hospital patients were treated with dexamethasone (a low cost common steroid) and were compared to approximately 4,000 individuals who did not receive the drug. For patients on ventilators, it cut the risk of death from 40% to 28%. For patients needing oxygen, it cut the risk of death from 25% to 20%. It cut the risk of death for patients on ventilators by a third, and for those on oxygen it cut deaths by a fifth. The research was part of the RECOVERY trial which launched in April.\nMore Money for Health Care Providers: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they will distribute an additional $15 billion in provider relief funds to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and that have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. HHS also announced the distribution of $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve our most vulnerable citizens.\n  Preventing the Second Wave: Rep. Walden released a report detailing the U.S.'s rapid progress on testing and what testing measures are needed to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the fall.The U.S. has now performed more than 17.3 million tests. Over 2.7 million of those tests were performed in the past 7 days. Read morehere.  \n\t\nResources to Know and Share:Here are some helpful resources and information on COVID-19.\nHelpful Resources on PPE: CDC updated the PPE Burn Rate Calculator, a spreadsheet-based model that will help health care facilities plan and optimize the use of PPE for response to COVID-19. Morehere. You can now see PPE shipments to Oregon countieshere.\nASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing billions in funding toward job retention and certain other expenses. Small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations, Veterans organizations, and Tribal businesses described in the Small Business Act, as well as individuals who are self-employed or are independent contractors, are eligible if they also meet program size standards. For a top-line overview of the programCLICK HERE  \n\tIf you're a lender, more information can be foundHERE  \n\tIf you're a borrower, more information can be foundHERE  \n\tThe application for borrowers can be foundHERE\n  INFORMATION FOR AMERICANS ABROAD: The State Department is making efforts to bring home Americans, including through commercial flights, chartered flights, and military transport. Any American abroad who needs assistance should contact their local U.S. embassy and register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), availablehereor by calling 1-888-407-4747.\nHow to schedule a blood donation appointment:\nFast Facts:Here are some helpful stats on COVID-19 asof6/16/20 Cases of COVID-19: U.S. current case count:There are currently at least 2,132,171 cases and 116,788 deaths in the United States, as reported by Johns Hopkins and other media sources. Oregon Current Case Count:6,098 Baker: 1 Benton: 63 Clackamas: 509 Clatsop: 46 Columbia: 22 Coos: 32 Crook: 9 Curry: 7 Deschutes: 137 Douglas: 29 Grant: 1 Harney: 1 Hood River: 83 Jackson: 83 Jefferson: 69 Josephine: 24 Klamath: 61 Lake: 5 Lane: 90 Lincoln: 223 Linn: 126 Malheur: 38 Marion: 1201 Morrow: 17 Multnomah: 1598 Polk: 127 Sherman: 1 Tillamook: 6 Umatilla: 181 Union: 240 Wallowa: 4 Wasco: 42 Washington: 928 Yamhill: 94 Testing in Oregon: Positive: 5,897 Negative: 173,440 Total (since 1/24): 179,337\nICYMI from Walden:\nGreg Walden Demands Actions, Answers on Continued Oregon Unemployment Delays\nGreg Walden Announces over $2.7 Million to Expand Rural Broadband in Oregon\nGreg Walden Announces Second Wave Preparedness Project", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/greg-walden-shares-what-you-need-know-covid-19-june-17"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8055060170590878, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}