Oregon reports 9,796 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,870, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. OHA reported 9,796 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total to 504,731.

Press conference highlights state efforts to address testing, hospital staffing and vaccinations
At Thursday’s press conference, OHA Director Patrick Allen provided an update on the state’s efforts to support hospitals and distribute 6 million test kits to Oregon communities and how mass vaccination sites are providing vaccinations and boosters. Kathleen George, Council Member for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, highlighted the outdoor drive-through clinic opening at Spirit Mountain Casino Jan. 15. Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Director Fariborz Pakseresht described ODHS’s ongoing efforts to support facilities and homes licensed by ODHS and in-home care providers. Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill gave an update on the impact of the Omicron surge on Oregon’s schools.

Vaccination Metrics Dashboard update
Last week, the Vaccination Metrics Dashboard was updated to include booster projections to determine when individuals become eligible for a booster based on the date they completed their primary series: either two months after their first dose of Johnson & Johnson or six months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna. To stay consistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard was updated Thursday so that individuals will be eligible for a booster five months after their second dose of either Pfizer or Moderna, instead of six months. Additionally, booster projections for 12- to 17-year-olds will also be included on the dashboard. This increases the number of people who are eligible now to receive a booster.

More Oregonians receive COVID-19 booster doses
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, 338,154 Oregonians have received a booster. As of Thursday, Oregon needs 661,846 people to get a booster to reach the goal and make our state safer from the Omicron variant.

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.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 777, which is 21 more than Wednesday. There are 144 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than Wednesday. There are 36 available adult ICU beds out of 656 total (5% availability) and 233 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,127 (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.

Vaccinations in Oregon
Thursday, OHA reported that 21,825 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Jan. 12. Of that total, 2,032 were initial doses, 1,269 were second doses and 8,574 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 9,859 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Jan. 12. The seven-day running average is now 16,057 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,913,885 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 187,454 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,580,064 doses of Moderna and 260,415 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 3,084,711 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,796,576 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 (28), Benton (325), Clackamas (875), Clatsop (97), Columbia (97), Coos (130), Crook (73), Curry (22), Deschutes (671), Douglas (233), Gilliam (1), Grant (11), Harney (6), Hood River (27), Jackson (505), Jefferson (113), Josephine (125), Klamath (122), Lake (1), Lane (686), Lincoln (85), Linn (307), Malheur (46), Marion (862), Morrow (54), Multnomah (1,877), Polk (220), Sherman (1), Tillamook (39), Umatilla (267), Union (31), Wallowa (15), Wasco (79), Washington (1,512) and Yamhill (253).