(Update: Deschutes County Health Official Says Many Cases Involve People Who Don’t Take Precautions)
St. Charles reports registering 16 patients with COVID-19, five in the ICU; state modeling shows a potential increase in cases, you need to “stay the course”
PORTLAND, Oregon (KTVZ) – COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Oregon, bringing the state’s death toll to 273, along with 331 new cases, 18 of them in Deschutes County, the Authority on Thursday reported. Oregon Health.
OHA reported 331 new confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 am Thursday, bringing the state total to 15,713 cases, along with 342,778 negative test results.
New cases are found in the following counties: Clackamas (18), Columbia (3), Coos (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (18), Douglas (13), Hood River (1), Jackson (8) , Jefferson (3), Josephine (3), Klamath (13), Lake (1), Lane (12), Lincoln (5), Linn (3), Malheur (10), Marion (39), Morrow (4) , Multnomah (77), Polk (13), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (39), Wasco (6), Washington (33) and Yamhill (4).
Crook County has had 29 cases, one death and 1,398 negative results. Deschutes County has had 405 cases, one death and 14,807 negative results. Jefferson County has had 222 cases, no deaths, and 2,690 negative results.
The St. Charles Health System reported a record 16 COVID-19 patients at 7:30 am Thursday. Five were in the ICU and three of them with a ventilator. The previous maximum number was 14 patients, reported earlier this week and early in the pandemic.
As of Thursday morning, 26 of the 30 ICU beds in St. Charles between Bend and Redmond were in use, or 87 percent of capacity, spokeswoman Lisa Goodman said.
A state board indicates that Deschutes County has had 21 cases per capita and 265 recoveries among the 405 cases. Crook County has had just over 12 cases per capita and Jefferson County 93 cases per capita.
Morgan Emerson of the Deschutes County Health Service said: “We are seeing many cases involving people who transmit the virus after failing to take precautions with their coworkers, close friends, and family members with whom they do not live.
“It is an important reminder that even if you trust someone, you should still take the precautions of wearing a mask, physical distancing and of course staying home if you are sick,” he added.
Oregon’s COVID-19 death number 272 is a 74-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on June 29 and died on July 16, at the Good Shepherd Health Care System. It had underlying conditions.
COVID-19’s 273 death in Oregon is a 79-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on July 8 and died on July 21 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
OHA updates new models that show the need to stay the course
OHA updated its biweekly modeling report on Thursday, showing various trajectories for COVID-19.
Modeling presents three scenarios:
- If the current transmission rate continues, new daily infections would increase steadily over the next four weeks to around 1,600 infections per day by August 13, with 27 hospitalizations.
- If transmission decreased by 10 percentage points from current rates, the estimated number of new infections would decrease over time to 600 infections per day on August 13 with 17 hospitalizations.
- Finally, a pessimistic scenario, in which transmission increases by 10 percentage points with respect to current rates, shows 2,300 new daily infections by August 13 with 46 hospitalizations.
The projections show the need for Oregonians to continue wearing face covers, stay six feet away, and limit the size of social gatherings to double the curve again. These actions, along with recent measures implemented by Governor Kate Brown, will make a difference to the COVID-19 course in our state.
