COVID-19 in Oregon, Jan. 4

Oregon reports 9,701 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 11 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 11 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,666, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. Monday. OHA reported 9,701 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total to 430,931. The 11 new deaths and 9,701 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the four-day period between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2. Monday’s update includes the largest single-day total of newly identified cases reported to public health, with 3,534 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 30. “We already have seen the impacts of the highly transmissible Omicron variant across the country since late December,” said Tom Jeanne, M.D., M.P.H., deputy state health officer and epidemiologist. “Our data show the Omicron variant is here and now fueling the surge in cases. It will likely lead to a rise in hospitalizations and, sadly, deaths.” Jeanne added that OHA urges everyone in Oregon to get vaccinated and, when they’re able, to get a booster shot to protect themselves against serious illness and death from COVID-19. It also encourages everyone to continue wearing masks and get tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms or are exposed to someone with COVID-19.

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. As of Monday, 792,477 more people in Oregon need to get a booster to reach the goal and make the state safer from the Omicron variant. Find a booster here. Since the challenge began, an additional 207,523 Oregonians have received a booster.

COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 498, which is 36 more than Friday. There are 104 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is eight more than Friday. There are 60 available adult ICU beds out of 656 total (9% availability) and 232 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,066 (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. 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 2,847 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Jan. 2. Of that total, 437 were initial doses, 297 were second doses, and 2,092 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 2,188 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Jan. 2.
The seven-day running average is now 9,493 doses per day. Oregon has now administered 3,818,751 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 167,900 doses of Pfizer Pediatric, 2,515,849 doses of Moderna and 256,926 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 3,055,660 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,771,957 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 Monday.

COVID-19 Cases
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Monday are in the following counties: Baker (16), Benton (243), Clackamas (1057), Clatsop (50), Columbia (58), Coos (44), Crook (22), Curry (27), Deschutes (881), Douglas (119), Gilliam (5), Grant (3), Harney (7), Hood River (7), Jackson (572), Jefferson (71), Josephine (161), Klamath (27), Lane (696), Lincoln (96), Linn (280), Malheur (11), Marion (231), Morrow (16), Multnomah (2565), Polk (66), Tillamook (69), Umatilla (61), Union (41), Wallowa (6), Wasco (21), Washington (2079), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (91). Oregon reports 3,534 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 30, 2,246 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 31, 1,763 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Jan. 1, and 2,158 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Jan. 2.