The Oregon Health Authority announced 264 new cases of the new coronavirus and two new deaths Wednesday.
That is well below the record of 437 new cases announced last Thursday, or the record of seven deaths reported on Tuesday.
Perhaps the most disturbing news on Wednesday was that the number of hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 166, a record high since the state began releasing confirmed hospitalizations for COVID-19. Comparable data prior to April 8 was not available, because public health officials did not distinguish COVID-19 confirmed patients from suspects.
Wednesday’s increase in hospitalized patients, 10 times more than the previous day, was not unexpected. Public health experts say hospitalizations often lag behind new cases by at least a week or two, because some people with COVID-19 take time to deteriorate to the point that they need to be admitted to a hospital. An increase in deaths could follow a week or two after that, for those who lose their battles with the disease.
Cases by county: Oregon authorities have identified a total of 15,393 known cases of the disease since the pandemic began.
Wednesday’s new cases came from the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (3), Clackamas (24), Clatsop (1), Coos (3), Crook (2), Curry (1), Deschutes (8) , Douglas (2), Grant (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (11), Jefferson (6), Josephine (1), Klamath (6), Lane (6), Lincoln (2), Linn (6 ), Malheur (13), Marion (31), Morrow (3), Multnomah (51), Polk (4), Umatilla (24), Wasco (1), Washington (45) and Yamhill (4).
Body count: A total of 271 people are known to have died from COVID-19 in Oregon. The last two deaths:
A 77-year-old man from Umatilla County died at his home on Monday, after testing positive 11 days earlier. Authorities are investigating whether he had any underlying medical conditions.
An 82-year-old Umatilla County man died Tuesday at Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston, after testing positive five days earlier. Authorities are investigating whether he had underlying medical conditions.
Positive test rate: A report released Wednesday said the percentage of positive tests has risen to 6.6% for the week ending Sunday. That’s a 6.2% increase the week before.
Public health experts say a rising positive rate is a sign that a state may not be testing enough mild or asymptomatic patients, and that it is missing those cases because it is primarily focusing its efforts on evaluating the sickest people. The World Health Organization recommends that the figure remain below 5% for two weeks for communities to reopen. In the U.S., the seven-day average is 8.5% nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Oregon’s increasing rate of positive testing is also not a surprise, as state public health officials have said that due to the increasing national demand for test kits and supplies, they have been unable to get what they need. As a result, they have only focused on people with symptoms or people who really need a COVID-19 test, such as medical and essential workers who have been exposed to the virus.
High numbers: New cases increased by 2,409 cases for the week ending Sunday, compared to the previous week. That’s a 26% jump, according to a report released Wednesday.
The number of deaths increased by approximately 13% during that same period, from 22 in a week to 25 in a week.
According to a database of states maintained by The New York Times, Oregon is ranked 44th in cases per capita and 45th in deaths per capita among the 50 states in the country since the pandemic began. But over the past week it has risen in the ranks, dropping 36 in new cases and 38 in new deaths over the past week.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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