UPDATE (7 am PT) – An outbreak in the bush. The Bachelor Memory Care center in Bend has left officials working to uncover the root case. One person tested positive Saturday, according to The Bulletin.
As of Thursday morning, health officials have confirmed more than 20 positive cases at the center, including residents and staff members. There is still more evidence pending. So far, none of the people who have tested positive have required hospitalization.
The center has stopped new residents from entering due to the outbreak.
Oregon reports 282 new cases of coronavirus
The Oregon Health Authority announced 282 new confirmed and suspected diagnoses of COVID-19 in the state Wednesday, and four additional deaths from the virus. With those cases and deaths, the Oregon pandemic has now reached 13,081 positive cases and claimed the lives of 247 people.
The highest case numbers were concentrated in the state’s population center around Portland, where more than 130 new cases were identified: 59 cases in Multnomah, 50 in Washington, and 24 in Clackamas counties.
The numbers also continue to rise in eastern Oregon, with 27 new known cases reported in Umatilla County and 15 cases in Malheur County.
Three of the four deaths were people in their 60s. All four had underlying health conditions, although, as has been the case since the start of the pandemic, OHA is not disclosing the specific health conditions underlying the deaths.
As of Wednesday, 207 people were hospitalized with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state, including 30 who are on ventilators. Almost 10% of the known cases of coronavirus reported so far have led to hospitalizations.
New Oregon COVID-19 Cases by Zip Code
This map shows new cases of COVID-19 in every ZIP code in Oregon. Zip codes are colored by Number of cases per 10,000 inhabitants. ZIPs are shaded to show contrast; rates in Oregon are still lower than most in the U.S.
Washington in more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases
Health officials in Clark County, Washington, reported 25 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 1,344. Public health officials have reported 33 deaths in the county in southwest Washington since the start of the pandemic.
According to the latest available data, Washington has 42,304 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,404 known deaths. As of Sunday, the coronavirus has led to the hospitalization of 4,788 people in Washington.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee warned that if case numbers don’t improve, he may need to start shutting down the economy again. Counties statewide must remain in their current reopening phase until at least July 28.
The change in the way Oregon counts coronavirus recoveries sparks criticism
Late last month, the Oregon Health Authority made a change to how it assesses whether coronavirus patients in the state have recovered from their illness. Some say the change may be inflating the number of “active” coronavirus cases in Oregon.
The health authority is now using a “60-day rule” to assess recovery from coronavirus cases. Previously, public health officials called COVID-19 patients to track when their symptoms subside and to assess their recovery.
“It is an unfortunate change,” said Jennifer Little, Klamath County director of public health, in a press release, “because from a community service perspective it artificially inflates active cases.” The new process no longer provides a direct correlation between duration of illness and recovery. ”
Read more: Oregon changes the way it counts COVID-19 recoveries, raising concerns about accuracy
The count of coronavirus deaths in the region may have been lost hundreds
The number of deaths carefully followed by COVID-19 may not fully capture the loss of life during the pandemic. An analysis of state and federal statistics for all-cause deaths shows hundreds of additional deaths above normal levels this spring in the Pacific Northwest. Some or many of them may overlook COVID-19 deaths.
Based on the models and deaths observed, the CDC on July 8 found up to 478 more than normal deaths in Oregon since February.
Those numbers showed that between late March and early May, there was an increase in people who died from other causes along with the peak in COVID deaths. The notable collateral damage spanned about seven weeks in Washington and about six weeks in Oregon.
Read more: Official COVID-19 fatalities may underestimate the death toll from the pandemic by many hundreds in the Pacific Northwest
Employment agency workers face infections
For the first time, Oregon Employment Department staff will process some unemployment claims from home, at least temporarily.
When the pandemic first came, the agency resisted allowing claims processors to work remotely, despite growing concern from lawmakers and employees about the office’s threat of spread. Then employees began testing positive for the coronavirus.
The department is struggling to process a backlog of approximately 60,000 pandemic unemployment assistance claims. Now, some of the staff will address those claims from home.
Read more: COVID-19 Cases Accelerate Teleworking Efforts of Oregon Department of Employment
Northwest News Network contributed to this report.
The Bulletin contributed to this report.
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