Oregon reports 696 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 34 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 34 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll at 6,686, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. OHA reported 696 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total to 696,003.

OHA releases new COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough report
OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released Thursday, reported 5,589 cases of COVID-19 during the week of Feb. 20 to Feb. 26. Of those cases, 2,950, or 52.8.%, were in unvaccinated people, and 2,632, or 47.1%, were vaccine breakthrough cases. Among the breakthrough cases, 1,119, or 42.5%, were fully vaccinated and boosted. The median age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 54. Twenty-two breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 110 cases in people ages 12 to 17. To date, there have been 192,934 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. Of those cases, 44,109, or 22.9%, were fully vaccinated. The median age of all cases is 41. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is twice the rate as in vaccinated people, and three times higher than in people who are fully vaccinated and boosted. To date, 2.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 0.5% have died. The median age of vaccinated people who died is 80. Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Oregonians are encouraged to get vaccinated and, if eligible, to get a booster shot.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 404, which is 20 fewer than Wednesday. There are 69 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than Wednesday. There are 89 available adult ICU beds out of 666 total (13% availability) and 312 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,259 (7% availability). The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity. Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing unless you require emergency care for your symptoms. Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

Vaccinations in Oregon
Thursday, OHA reported that 4,274 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry March 2. Of that total, 418 were initial doses, 467 were second doses and 1,150 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 2,097 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry March 2. The seven-day running average is now 3,619 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 4,151,939 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 235,775 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,718,549 doses of Moderna and 268,901 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of Thursday, 3,160,969 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 2,867,316 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. These data are preliminary and subject to change. Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated Thursday.

COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Thursday are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (21), Clackamas (53), Clatsop (4), Columbia (6), Coos (11), Crook (3), Curry (7), Deschutes (46), Douglas (24), Gilliam (2), Grant (5), Harney (1), Hood River (5), Jackson (36), Jefferson (6), Josephine (17), Klamath (11), Lane (60), Lincoln (5), Linn (46), Malheur (4), Marion (48), Morrow (1), Multnomah (140), Polk (8), Umatilla (6), Union (2), Wallowa (3), Wasco (9), Washington (89) and Yamhill (16).