Oregon reports 10,451 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 33 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 33 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,761, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Friday. OHA reported 10,451 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing the state total to 459,700.
Media availability highlights impacts of the Omicron variant
Friday’s media briefing, featuring Oregon State Health Officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger, included an update on the sharp rise in cases tied to the spread of the infectious Omicron variant and measures OHA and the state are taking to assist Oregon hospitals in managing the anticipated surge. Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill discussed steps needed to prevent the possibility of moving temporarily to short-term distance learning in Oregon’s schools. Peter Graven, Ph.D, director of the Oregon Health & Science University Office of Advanced Analytics, estimated that the expected surge could lead to more than 1,650 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 by the end of January. The forecast model projects this would be 30% higher than the peak numbers recorded during the surge from the Delta variant this summer.
Consider alternatives for non-urgent health issues
With a record number of cases recorded and the spread of the Omicron variant statewide, Oregonians are being asked to ease the burden on health systems and emergency rooms. If you are looking for non-emergency COVID-19 treatment, please call your doctor or an urgent care clinic. Not sure who to call? Start with 211. You can find a test here.
State continues march toward goal of boosting a million more people in Oregon
Oregon continues to move closer to meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal, announced Dec. 17, of getting 1 million more people in the state a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January. When the challenge began, 949,749 people had received a booster dose. Since then, 259,984 more Oregonians have received a booster. As of today, Oregon needs 740,016 people to get a booster to reach the goal and make our state safer from the Omicron variant.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 625, which is 37 more than Thursday. There are 119 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine more than Thursday. There are 47 available adult ICU beds out of 660 total (7% availability) and 219 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,075 (5% 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
Friday, OHA reported that 20,571 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Jan. 6. Of that total, 1,898 were initial doses, 1,564 were second doses and 8,328 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 8,402 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Jan. 6. The seven-day running average is now 11,060 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,854,007 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 175,745 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,542,563 doses of Moderna and 258,438 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 3,065,845 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,782,464 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 Friday.
COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Friday are in the following counties: Baker (27), Benton (301), Clackamas (1,132), Clatsop (55), Columbia (66), Coos (127), Crook (35), Curry (23), Deschutes (940), Douglas (103), Gilliam (3), Grant (9), Harney (5), Hood River (1), Jackson (291), Jefferson (63), Josephine (96), Klamath (63), Lake (6), Lane (578), Lincoln (42), Linn (237), Malheur (40), Marion (1,286), Morrow (24), Multnomah (2,380), Polk (183), Sherman (2), Tillamook (19), Umatilla (170), Union (12), Wallowa (5), Wasco (26), Washington (1,891) and Yamhill (210).