Oregon reports 861 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,318, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. OHA reported 861 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday bringing the state total to 398,262.
COVID-19 weekly cases, hospitalizations and deaths rise
OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report released Wednesday shows a decrease in daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths. OHA reported 6,435 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 5. That is a 50% increase from the previous week. The rise is likely a rebound from Thanksgiving weekend, which saw a significant reduction in reported tests. The overall incidence of reported COVID-19 in Oregon varied by county vaccination rate but continues to be lowest in the five counties where the vaccination rates were more than 70%. There were 134,705 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Nov. 28 through Dec. 4. The percentage of positive tests rose slightly to 5.9%, up from 5.6% the previous week. There were 362 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 226 last week. This also likely reflects a rebound in reporting after Thanksgiving weekend. There were 126 reported COVID-19-related deaths, one more than the 125 reported the previous week. Wednesday’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 54 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 397, which is eight fewer than Tuesday. There are 100 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 10 fewer than Tuesday. There are 60 available adult ICU beds out of 668 total (9% availability) and 263 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,183 (6% 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
Wednesday, OHA reported that 27,101 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Dec. 7. Of that total, 1,740 were initial doses, 1,972 were second doses and 8,110 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 15,224 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Dec. 7. The seven-day running average is now 22,436 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,586,721 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 106,738 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,329,211 doses of Moderna and 247,310 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of Wednesday, 2,976,763 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,699,668 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 Wednesday.
COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (15), Clackamas (62), Clatsop (10), Columbia (11), Coos (24), Crook (13), Deschutes (75), Douglas (57), Gilliam (1), Harney (5), Hood River (4), Jackson (57), Jefferson (6), Josephine (25), Klamath (4), Lake (1), Lane (68), Lincoln (8), Linn (42), Malheur (6), Marion (76), Morrow (5), Multnomah (114), Polk (23), Tillamook (8), Umatilla (14), Union (10), Wasco (5), Washington (84), Wheeler (4), and Yamhill (21).