More than half of Oregon’s coronavirus deaths have been linked to living environments for older people or groups of older people, according to a weekly data report from state health officials.
The Oregon Health Authority is tracking active outbreaks in at least 30 of what the state calls “collective care centers,” while outbreaks in 38 other of these locations have been resolved.
The state also tracks about 60 active outbreaks in the workplace, including in four jails. Prisons collectively represent 323 COVID-19 diagnoses. The largest outbreaks of active non-prison work are at Pacific Seafood in Newport, associated with 181 cases; Lamb Weston in Hermiston, associated with 142 cases; and Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukie, associated with 61 cases.
Older people are much more likely to become seriously ill or die from COVID-19, but younger people account for a significant portion of general infections, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority.
More people in their 20s have tested positive, or been diagnosed based on exposure and symptoms without a test, than any other age group: 2,941 Oregonians, according to the latest available data. That’s about one in five people who have had COVID-19 in the state. But less than 3% of the 20-somethings have required hospital care.
By contrast, only about 520 people over the age of 80 have been diagnosed with the virus, but 38% of those patients have been hospitalized as a result.
Related: COVID-19 in Oregon: by the numbers
Oregon reports 436 new cases of COVID-19, 3 new deaths
Oregon lacked one case to match a lousy record set just days ago, with 436 new COVID-19 diagnoses announced Sunday. State health officials also shared details about the continued increase in new infections. The record 437 new cases in one day was set on Thursday, and daily diagnoses have been gradually increasing for weeks.
However, the death rate has not increased along with new diagnoses. Three deaths were reported Sunday, bringing the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 to 260, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The agency says 14,579 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since the pandemic hit Oregon, and 3,225 are confirmed to have recovered.
The Portland metropolitan area led the state in confirmed and presumptive diagnoses Sunday, with 123 new cases in Multnomah County, 57 in Washington County and 19 in Clackamas County. Away from Portland, diagnoses continue to rise in Umatilla County, which reported 78 new cases, and Marion County, with 46.
The state provided these details about the people whose deaths it announced Sunday:
- A 90-year-old woman in Marion County died Friday at Salem hospital after testing positive on July 8. She had underlying conditions.
- An 80-year-old man died Friday at his home in Marion County after testing positive on July 8. It had underlying conditions.
- A 62-year-old woman in Multnomah County died Saturday at OHSU Hospital after testing positive on July 14. It had underlying conditions.
Data from the Oregon Health Authority show that across the state, hospitals are generally well equipped to handle the coronavirus cases they are seeing. Of 1,327 Oregon residents who have been admitted for COVID-19 care, 357 were admitted to an intensive care unit.
34th reported death in Clark County, Washington
Health officials in Clark County, Washington, said Friday that 44 other people had tested positive for COVID-19 and that a 60-year-old man had died. It is unclear if the man who died had underlying health problems.
To date, 1,434 residents of southwest Washington County have tested positive for COVID-19 and 34 people have died.
According to the latest available data, Washington has 46,026 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,444 known deaths. As of Friday, the coronavirus has led to the hospitalization of 5,033 people in Washington.
State public health officials said Friday that the spread of COVID-19 has accelerated in western Washington since early July.
“In these trends, we are seeing the impact of our collective decisions. We are jeopardizing the achievements we made as a state with the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order, and the actions each of us take now will determine what will happen next, ”said Washington Secretary of Health John Wiesman, in a press release.
“If we want to send our children to school in the fall and avoid new restrictions, we all must make a conscious change in the way we live our lives. That means staying home as much as possible, reducing the number of people we see in person and continuing to wear face covers and maintain physical distance in public. “
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.
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