Oregon on Monday reported 277 new cases of the new coronavirus and two new deaths from the disease.
Those numbers came the same day that the Oregon Health Authority reported that, in some cases, it has taken more than two weeks for people who have been tested to discover that they are positive for the virus. That is seriously hampering efforts to curb the spread of the disease, asking people who have been infected to isolate themselves and tracking their close contacts before passing the disease on to others.
Since the pandemic hit Oregon earlier this year, the state has recorded 14,847 known cases and 262 known deaths from COVID-19.
Monday’s numbers did not set any records. The all-time high for new cases is 437, set Thursday. That was followed by a second closed Sunday, when 436 cases were reported.
The record of deaths is seven, set on April 28, but again reached last Tuesday.
New cases by county: Clackamas (11), Clatsop (2), Columbia (1), Crook (1), Deschutes (19), Douglas (2), Harney (1), Hood River (2), Jackson (5), Jefferson (7) , Josephine (2), Klamath (5), Lake (1), Lane (4), Lincoln (2), Malheur (10), Marion (30), Morrow (1), Multnomah (85), Polk (1) , Umatilla (41), Washington (38), Yamhill (6).
New deaths A 76-year-old Marion County man who had underlying medical conditions died Friday at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. He had tested positive 25 days earlier.
A 92-year-old Marion County man died Saturday at his home after testing positive 10 days earlier. It had underlying conditions.
The number of Oregonians dying from COVID-19 is now equal to the April averages: The seven-day moving average is 3.7 people per day.
Hospitalized patients: The total number of patients who confirmed that COVID-19 decreased slightly in the last three days, from 158 on Friday to 155 on Monday. But other worrisome indicators increased: the number of patients in intensive care units increased from 50 on Friday to 55 on Monday. The number needing fans increased slightly from 28 to 31.
There are still 162 ICU beds available to adults in the state, as well as 782 ventilators available, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
Positive test rates: Oregon’s percentage of positive tests remained stable during the week ending Saturday, compared to the previous week: 5.8% of those who tested positive were COVID-19.
Oregon also tested 39,301 people last week, which nearly tied the record for two weeks before 39,914. That’s despite the fact that the Oregon Health Authority counted last week as six days instead of seven, to align its data collection system with that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, public health officials say the demand far exceeds the amount of evidence available and that they cannot evaluate everyone they want. This is in part due to high national demand for test kits and supplies, and public health officials say they have been unable to obtain the kits or supplies they have requested.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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