Oregon reports 7,928 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 30 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 30 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,244, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Oregon Health Authority reported 7,928 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total to 662,250.
The 30 new deaths and 7,928 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between Feb. 4 and Feb. 6.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 1,072, which is one fewer than Friday. There are 197 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 15 more than Friday. There are 66 available adult ICU beds out of 618 total (11% availability) and 339 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,113 (8% 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
Monday, OHA reported that 2,909 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Feb. 6. Of that total, 141 were initial doses, 191 were second doses and 708 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 1,853 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Feb. 6.
The seven-day running average is now 7,890 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 4,079,976 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 217,352 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,675,773 doses of Moderna and 266,211 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of Monday, 3,137,369 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 2,837,315 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 Monday are in the following counties: Baker (22), Benton (242), Clackamas (652), Clatsop (63), Columbia (104), Coos (110), Crook (89), Curry (42), Deschutes (561), Douglas (178), Gilliam (1), Harney (7), Hood River (22), Jackson (416), Jefferson (97), Josephine (133), Klamath (178), Lake (2), Lane (776), Lincoln (110), Linn (384), Malheur (43), Marion (774), Morrow (13), Multnomah (1216), Polk (213), Sherman (1), Tillamook (34), Umatilla (98), Union (22), Wallowa (12), Wasco (35), Washington (1088) and Yamhill (190). Oregon reports 4,053 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Feb. 4, 2,047 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Feb. 5 and 1,828 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Feb. 6.
Oregon will lift indoor mask requirements no later than March 31
State health officials will maintain masks for now due to high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations, OHA release – PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon will remove general mask requirements for indoor public places no later than March 31, state health officials announced Monday. By late March, health scientists expect that about 400 or fewer Oregonians would be hospitalized with COVID-19, the level of hospitalizations the state experienced before the Omicron variant began to spread. Mask requirements for schools will be lifted on March 31. However, state health officials say Oregon needs to keep mask requirements in place for now as COVID-19 hospitalizations crest and Oregon’s health care system strains to treat high numbers of severely ill patients. Monday, health officials at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) filed a new rule with the Oregon Secretary of State to require people to wear masks while indoors in public places. The new rule replaces a temporary rule that expires Feb. 8. The filing was the only way health officials could extend the current temporary mask rule past its expiration date and until mask rules would no longer be needed to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – to save lives and prevent the Omicron crisis from further overwhelming Oregon’s health care system. Oregon has the third lowest cumulative COVID-19 case rate in the nation and the seventh lowest COVID-19 death rate since the start of the pandemic. In their filing with the Secretary of State, Oregon health officials said scientific research has shown that masks protect people from COVID-19. Oregon’s comparatively strong compliance with mask rules and its high vaccination and booster rates have blunted the Omicron surge and – for now – prevented Oregon’s hospitals from breaking under potentially hundreds of more hospitalizations they could have faced so far. According to data compiled by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), more than 8 in 10 Oregonians continue to report wearing masks in public settings. To date, COVID-19 hospitalizations have not topped the 1,178 high point of the Delta surge, despite initial projections that warned Omicron hospitalizations could more than double Delta’s zenith. If Oregon had the same per-capita hospitalization rate as the national average, Oregon would have had seen a high of 1,543 hospitalizations at this time, according to OHSU’s data. “The evidence from Oregon and around the country is clear: masks save lives by slowing the spread of COVID-19,” said Dean Sidelinger, M.D., health officer and state epidemiologist. “We should see COVID-19 hospitalizations drop by the end of March because so many Oregonians are wearing masks and taking other steps to protect themselves and each other, such as getting a booster shot or vaccinating their children. At that point, it will be safer to lift mask requirements.” Over the past week, the average number of newly diagnosed cases has dropped about 40% in Oregon. At the same time, hospitalizations, which are a lagging indicator, have stubbornly remained above 1,000 people per day. As of today, Oregon’s seven-day total in COVID-19 hospitalizations inched down another 1%, with 1,072 people reported hospitalized with COVID-19. More than 9 in 10 intensive care unit (ICU) and acute care beds are currently occupied by a patient in Oregon hospitals, and continuing to strain nurses, doctors and other medical staff. Oregon’s high number of COVID-19 hospitalizations comes at a time when state health officials have mobilized an unprecedented response to prevent Oregon’s health care system from buckling. The Oregon National Guard has mobilized 1,300 Reserve National Guard members to help staff hospitals. The state has contracted to bring in more than 1,179 nurses and other medical staff from out of state to help treat the high numbers of severely ill patients. Current models show hospitalizations peaking at 1,169 and then beginning to decline throughout February and March as infections slow. However, health officials cautioned that the state’s emergence from the Omicron surge depends on Oregonians sustaining effective prevention measures in coming weeks. Sidelinger said, “We’re likely to see as many cases on the way down from the Omicron peak as we saw on the way up. That means we need to keep taking steps to prevent more hospitalizations and deaths.” State health officials said they would consider lifting the general indoor mask requirement earlier than March 31, if hospitalizations decline to the levels projected by the end of March sooner than expected. In the meantime, health experts strongly recommend high-risk individuals continue wearing masks in indoor public settings after mask requirements are lifted, including people who are: Unvaccinated; Immunocompromised; At high risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations, including those with underlying health conditions and those 65 and older; Living with people at high risk. Once requirements are lifted, employers and businesses may continue to establish their own mask requirements to protect employees and customers.
To give school districts time to prepare, the mask requirements in schools will lift on March 31. Over the coming weeks, state health officials will work with Oregon Department of Education (ODE) officials to revise guidance to ensure schools can continue operating safely and keep students in class once the school mask requirements are lifted. State health officials thanked the more than 100 people who testified at the indoor mask rule public hearing and the many others who contributed written comments. Much of the testimony expressed concerns that: Oregon is one of few states that require masks indoors; question the effectiveness of masks; mask rules impinge on personal choices; and mask rules take decisions away from local communities, among other concerns. In the state’s formal rule-filing report, health officials responded to the concerns commenters expressed. They presented data on the effectiveness of masks in preventing COVID-19 transmission and described the impact masks and vaccinations have had in slowing infections, hospitalizations and deaths in Oregon.