The Oregon Health Authority reported 307 new confirmed and suspected cases of coronavirus and five deaths on Friday.
The new cases were disclosed one day after the case count rose to record levels for the third consecutive week with 437 cases reported on Thursday.
Hospitalizations on Friday also reached record heights with 158, beating the previous record of 156 set in early April.
State public health officials have raised concerns in the past when they see increases in residents of Oregon hospitals. They say the number generally increases as people seek care at a faster rate and when the sickest need to stay longer.
However, state officials said this week that despite high counts, hospitalization rates are beginning to stabilize after five consecutive weeks of growth. Authorities attributed this to increased testing and the fact that young people, who are less likely to be hospitalized, report the majority of cases.
State officials also said that social gatherings and “sporadic cases,” cases not linked to a specific outbreak, are driving the increase in case counts. The increase in sporadic cases means the infection is spreading uncontrollably to all communities, state officials said.
“Large outbreaks represent a smaller proportion of recent cases,” said Patrick Allen, director of the health authority at a press conference on Thursday. “These outbreaks are decreasing in proportion to other types of cases, in particular, sporadic cases.”
Where new cases are by county: Benton (2), Clackamas (19), Clatsop (1), Columbia (2), Coos (4), Deschutes (12), Douglas (3), Hood River (2), Jackson (12), Jefferson (7) , Josephine (2), Klamath (2), Lane (10), Lincoln (1), Linn (3), Malheur (9), Marion (39), Morrow (6), Multnomah (88), Polk (3) , Umatilla (38), Unión (2), Wasco (1), Washington (37) and Yamhill (2).
New fatalities: A 77-year-old man in Wasco County is the 250th victim of the coronavirus in Oregon. He tested positive on June 27 and died at OHSU Hospital on July 15, state officials reported Friday. He had unspecified underlying health conditions.
The 251st person to die with COVID-19 in Oregon is a 72-year-old man in Umatilla County. He died at his home on July 14 after testing positive on July 8. He had unspecified underlying health conditions.
The 252th victim of the Oregon coronavirus is a 99-year-old man who died at his home in Marion County on July 15. He tested positive on July 8 and had unspecified underlying health conditions.
An 82-year-old woman with unspecified underlying health conditions is the 253rd victim of COVID-19 in Oregon. She tested positive on July 6 and died at her home in Clackamas County on Thursday.
Oregon’s 254 death from the coronavirus is a 35-year-old woman in Multnomah County who had unspecified underlying health conditions. She died at her home on July 11 after testing positive five days earlier.
Infection prevalence: As of yesterday, state officials reported that 5,234 new coronavirus tests were performed with 278 positive results, equivalent to a positivity rate of 5.3%.
Who got infected: State officials reported 295 new cases Friday, including: 0-9 (12); 10-19 (28); 20-29 (70); 30-39 (52); 40-49 (63); 50-59 (31); 60-69 (20); 70-79 (10); 80 and older (9).
Who’s in the hospital? State authorities reported Friday that 158 Oregon residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, which is the highest amount since April 8. Despite the high count, state authorities say hospitalization rates have slowed this week after five consecutive weeks of increases.
Since she began: State officials have reported 13,802 suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. In total, 318,244 people have been evaluated.
– Bryce Dole; [email protected]; 541-660-9844; @DoleBryce
