COVID-19 in Oregon, Dec. 15

Oregon reports 883 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 49 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 49 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,469, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. OHA reported 883 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the state total to 402,436.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 382, which is 26 fewer than Tuesday. There are 97 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine fewer than Tuesday. There are 59 available adult ICU beds out of 685 total (9% availability) and 272 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,143 (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.

Health Care Workforce dashboard monthly data refresh now available
For the December refresh, the Health Care Workforce (HCW) COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake dashboard includes data up to Dec. 7. The overall vaccination rate is 84%. Important note: The Health Care Workforce COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake dashboard does not represent the HCW population that needs to be vaccinated under the mandate announced on Aug. 10. Whether a health care worker falls under the vaccination mandate can vary among license boards and types based on various circumstances or factors. OHA does not have specific data on the proportion of health care workers subject to the mandate.

Vaccinations in Oregon
Wednesday, OHA reported that 20,015 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Dec. 13. Of that total, 1,396 were initial doses, 1,479 were second doses and 6,925 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 10,137 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Dec. 13. The seven-day running average is now 21,820 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,649,823 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 131,823 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,383,637 doses of Moderna and 250,433 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 2,998,751 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,727,848 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 today.

COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (11), Clackamas (64), Clatsop (7), Columbia (8), Coos (46), Crook (17), Curry (5), Deschutes (46), Douglas (39), Harney (2), Hood River (4), Jackson (57), Jefferson (2), Josephine (16), Klamath (18), Lane (54), Lincoln (5), Linn (50), Malheur (4), Marion (102), Morrow (1), Multnomah (85), Polk (33), Tillamook (13), Umatilla (22), Union (28), Wallowa (1), Wasco (8), Washington (83), Wheeler (8) and Yamhill (40).