August 10th, 2021

What A Week   (8/2- 8/8)

Intro: (Cue intro music) 

Hey everyone, welcome back to What a week!, I’m your host, Olivia Lee, here to deliver your weekly dose of the news. Let’s get started!

In Local News: 

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/08/toxic-algae-found-in-willamette-river-harmful-to-pets-officials-warns.htmlLast week, the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Environmental Quality warned Oregonians about an algal bloom developing on the Willamette River that is harmful to pets. The agencies sent a notice to the Multnomah County Health Department last week about the algae stretching from Sauvie Island to Ross Island. Lab results from samples show the toxin levels are too low to affect humans but can be harmful to pets — especially dogs — if ingested. Blooms develop in rivers when the water becomes slack and warm and may last until weather and rains cool the water levels to a point where the blooms can no longer propagate.

In-state news:

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/08/oregons-coronavirus-icu-record-shattered-once-again-as-all-signs-point-to-out-of-control-5th-surge.htmlhttps://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/08/07/1025753258/the-u-s-is-now-averaging-100-000-new-covid-19-infections-a-dayThe number of newly identified coronavirus cases climbed in Oregon for a fifth consecutive week, according to state data released this past Monday, reaching the highest levels since December. Oregon recorded 8,304 new confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections, up 40% from the previous week. That number includes 1,032 new known cases recorded this past Friday, 964 Saturday and 1,233 Sunday. As of this past Monday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown has taken no action to  re-institute a statewide mask mandate. After a month of rising COVID-19 numbers, Multnomah County, however, became the first county in the state to announce that it is reinstating an indoor public mask mandate starting this Friday.

In National News:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/06/us-covid-coronavirus-delta-variantLast week, daily Covid-19 cases in the US moved above 100,000 a day for the first time since February, higher than the levels of last summer when vaccines were not available. This news comes as health officials are sounding alarms over lagging rates of vaccination driving the surge of the infectious Delta variant. The seven-day average of hospital admissions has also increased more than 40% from the week before, with health workers describing frustration and exhaustion as hospitals in Covid hotspots are once again overwhelmed with patients, almost 20 months into the pandemic in the US.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/biden-offers-temporary-safe-haven-hong-kong-residents-u-s-n1276041Last Thursday, President Joe Biden offered temporary "safe haven" to Hong Kong residents in the United States, allowing potentially thousands of people to extend their stay in the country in response to Beijing's crackdown on democracy in the Chinese territory. In a signed memo, Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security to implement a "deferral of removal" for up to 18 months for HongKong residents currently in the United States, citing "compelling foreign policy reasons." Biden said in his memo, "Over the last year, the People’s Republic of China has continued its assault on Hong Kong's autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, imposing limits on academic freedom, and cracking down on freedom of the press.”

 

 

In International News: 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/greece-wildfires-rip-through-towns-residents-watch-horror-n1276290Last week, raging wildfires ripped through parts of Greece,  forcing thousands of people to flee as the blazes threatened entire towns and burned down homes, shops and vast areas of land in their path.  An unprecedented heat wave — Greece's worst in three decades — sent temperatures soaring over the past week as firefighters worked tirelessly to extinguish the uncontrollable flames. Greece has also deployed the army to battle the fires, and several countries, including France, Egypt, Switzerland and Spain, have sent help. Greece’s prime minister has blamed climate change for the devastating fires, urging people who had reservations to "come and see the intensity of the phenomena." Greek and other European officials have blamed climate change for the large number of fires that burned through southern Europe in recent days, from Italy to the Balkans, Greece and Turkey. 

Lastly here is the wildcard news for the week:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dixie-fire-explodes-largest-blaze-u-s-third-largest-california-n1276202  The Dixie Fire in Northern California became the largest blaze in the country last Friday and the third largest in the state's history. Seven of the largest wildfires in California history, including the Dixie Fire, have occurred within the last three years.

 

Closing:  Well that wraps up What a Week! Stay safe and see you guys next week.