The Oregon Health Authority announced 624 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 17 new deaths, increasing the number of deaths from the state’s coronavirus to 2,019.
The news comes just two days before Oregon starts allowing widespread vaccination for people aged 80 and over. Oregon will be one of the last states in the country to start vaccinating elderly people after Governor Kate Brown elected teachers and other early learning professionals in the process in an effort to reopen schools, although federal authorities have said that schools can reopen safely without vaccinate teachers.
But even as Oregon prepares to make vaccines available to the elderly, advocates fear the state does not have a targeted plan to ensure that vulnerable elderly people can be vaccinated. Oregon officials expect a rugged implementation, as other states have experienced, as the state begins vaccinating some elderly people on Monday.
The 17 deaths announced on Saturday – the day after Oregon surpassed COVID-19’s bleak 2,000 deaths – were all among people aged 63 and over, including seven over 80.
Where the new cases are by municipality: Baker (2), Benton (24), Clackamas (51), Clatsop (5), Columbia (3), Coos (12), Crook (5), Curry (3), Deschutes (28), Douglas (18), Harney (1), Jackson (40), Jefferson (8), Josephine (27), Klamath (11), Lake (9), Lane (62), Lincoln (5), Linn (18), Malheur (4), Marion (56), Multnomah (93), Polk (23), Umatilla (30), Union (6), Wallowa (3), Wasco (5), Washington (55) and Yamhill (17).
Who died: The 2,003rd fatality is a 97-year-old man from Yamhill County who tested positive on January 22 and died on January 31 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
The 2004 fatality is an 82-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive on January 22 and died on January 28 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
The 2005 fatality is an 86-year-old man from Crook County who tested positive on January 19 and died on February 5 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.
The 2006 fatality is an 85-year-old man from Polk County who tested positive on January 18 and died on February 1 at his home.
The 2007 fatality is a 64-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on January 17 and died on January 30 at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
The 2,008th fatality is an 85-year-old man from Curry County who died on January 26 at his residence.
COVID-19’s 2009 fatality is a 69-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on January 6 and died on February 4 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
The 2010 fatality is a 71-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive on January 13 and died on January 29 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
The 2011 fatality is a 63-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on January 4 and died on January 29 at her home.
The 2,012th fatality is a 65-year-old woman from Morrow County who tested positive on January 10 and died on February 2 at the Kadlec Regional Medical Center. She had no underlying conditions.
The 2013 fatality is an 88-year-old man from Wallowa County who tested positive on January 8 and died on February 2 at his home.
The 2014 fatality is a 79-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 31 and died on January 27 at his home.
The 2015 fatality is a 76-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on December 28 and died on January 19 at her home.
The 2,016th fatality is a 76-year-old Josephine County man who tested positive on December 28 and died on January 16 at his home.
The 2,017th fatality is an 82-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on December 25 and died on January 28 at her home.
The 2,018th is a 68-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on November 16 and died on January 28 at her home. His death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or a significant condition that contributes to death, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
The 2,019th fatality is a 76-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on December 13 and died on February 2 at her home.
Unless noted above, each person who died had underlying health problems or state officials were working to determine whether the person had underlying health problems.
The prevalence of infections: On Saturday, the state recorded 680 new positive tests out of 20,960 tests carried out, equivalent to a positivity rate of 3.2%.
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 228 Oregon residents with confirmed coronavirus infections were hospitalized on Saturday, 10 fewer than on Friday. Of these, 52 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, seven fewer than on Friday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon administered 532,451 first and second doses of 734,950 received, which is 72.4% of its supply. Oregon reported 22,871 new doses administered, which include 18,895 on Friday and the remainder of previous days.
Since it started: Oregon reported 146,741 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,019 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported more than 3,271,000 test lab reports.
– Jamie Goldberg | [email protected] | @jamiebgoldberg