(Update: weekly report shows fewer cases, more deaths, hospitalizations; Legacy Health providing 1,700 doses to Deschutes County)
Two more Deschutes County residents died; delayed vaccine shipments
PORTLAND, Oregon. (KTVZ) – There are six new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, including a child from northeastern Oregon who died a month ago, increasing the state’s death toll to 2,149, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Thursday. .
The two deaths recently reported in Deschutes County bring the death toll in the county to 58.
The OHA also reported 466 new confirmed and presumed cases of COVID-19 at 0:01 am on Thursday, bringing the state total to 151,713.
Child death in Oregon
“Today’s update on the number of COVID-19-related deaths includes a child (from Umatilla County) who tested positive for COVID-19 and died the same day,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer at OHA and state epidemiologist. “Each death of COVID-19 is a tragedy, especially the death of a child. The death of a child is extremely rare. This news represents a tremendous loss for the mother and the family. My thoughts are with them during this difficult time. “
“We all worked together for almost a year in Oregon to protect the lives of those we love,” said Governor Kate Brown. “The loss of such a young life is an indescribable tragedy for a family. Dan and I send our thoughts and condolences to the mother and family of this child, whose pain must be unimaginable at this point. The hearts of all Oregon residents are with you today. “
“Children infected with COVID-19 are less likely to develop serious illnesses compared to adults,” added Dr. Sidelinger. “There are still risks for children to develop more serious illnesses arising from COVID-19, and we continue to encourage all parents to seek emergency medical care for their children, if certain symptoms are present.”
Symptoms that require urgent medical attention for children with conditions related to COVID-19 include:
- Breathing problems
- Pain or pressure in the chest that doesn’t go away
- New confusion
- Being unable to wake up or staying awake when not tired
- Bluish lips or face
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitalization of children for COVID-19-related illnesses remains low compared to adults, and only 1.3% of all positive and suspected cases of COVID-19 among Oregonians 9 years old or younger have been reported. The CDC notes that children with certain underlying medical conditions and babies under 1 year of age may be at increased risk of serious illness from SARS-CoV-2 infections and, among those who have had severe illness from COVID-19, the majority had medical problems underlying conditions.
Information and resources for families with young children can be found on the OHA website.
The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 weekly data report, released Thursday, shows sharp drops in daily cases and increases in hospitalizations and deaths the previous week.
The OHA reported 3,453 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week from Monday, February 8 to Sunday, February 14 – a 15% reduction from the previous week.
But new COVID-19-related hospitalizations have increased from 230 to 272.
COVID-19-related deaths have also increased, from 66 to 114.
There were 102,112 tests for COVID-19 for the week of February 7 to 13, which represents a drop from the previous week. The percentage of positive tests was 3.4%, compared to 4.2% in the previous week. This is the lowest percentage of positive weekly tests since Oregon implemented its test-based method in mid-November.
People aged 20 to 49 still account for more than half of the cases of COVID-19, while people aged 70 and over are responsible for 76% of deaths associated with the virus.
Thursday’s weekly COVID-19 outbreak report shows 96 active COVID-19 outbreaks in elderly communities and living environments, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19-related deaths.
Vaccinations in Oregon
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to report that shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine across the country, including Oregon, are delayed due to severe weather. The winter weather hampered shipments of the Modern vaccine from Memphis, TN.
On Thursday, OHA reported that 22,663 new doses of COVID-19 vaccines were added to the state’s immunization registry. Of that total, 14,414 doses were administered on Wednesday and 8,249 on previous days, but entered the vaccine register on Wednesday.
Cumulative daily totals can take several days to complete because providers have 72 hours to report administered doses and technical challenges have caused many providers to delay reporting. OHA has provided technical support to vaccination sites to improve the opportunity for their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
Oregon has administered a cumulative total of 729,823 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 922,300 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to locations across Oregon.
St. Charles Health System reported 23,149 COVID-19 vaccinations given on Thursday.
One of the paralyzed vaccine shipments is what Deschutes County expected for clinics scheduled for the end of this weekend, according to Morgan Emerson of Deschutes County Health Services.
But the Legacy Health System in Portland is providing help, transferring 1,700 doses to Deschutes County. Emerson said the Life Flight Network is mobilized to transfer the doses to Redmond on Thursday afternoon.
These data are preliminary and are subject to change. OHA panels provide regularly updated vaccination data, and the Oregon panel was updated on Thursday.
In addition to delaying the delivery of vaccines, the harsh weather in Oregon has also affected the ability of vaccination sites to administer vaccines. These weather-related problems can cause changes in trends in the daily number reported by OHA in its updates on the cumulative number of doses administered, the daily number of doses administered and the number of doses delivered to Oregon.
OHA said it remains in regular contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates on delivery schedules and to ensure that Oregon doses are delivered safely to Oregon vaccination sites.
If you are scheduled for a vaccination and have questions about possible delays or interruptions, check with your scheduled vaccine supplier for the latest updates.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Oregon is 169, 21 less than on Wednesday. There are 52 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, two less than on Wednesday.
The total number of patients in hospital beds can fluctuate between reporting times. The figures do not reflect hospitalizations per day, nor the length of stay. Personnel limitations are not captured in this data and can further limit the capacity of beds.
St. Charles Bend reported 12 patients with COVID-19 by 4 am Thursday, two of whom were in the ICU with ventilators.
More information about the hospital’s capacity can be found here.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumed COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (17), Clackamas (31), Clatsop (2), Columbia (6), Coos (8), Crook (9), Curry (4), Deschutes (19), Douglas (25), Harney (1), Hood River (2), Jackson (27), Jefferson (12), Josephine (13), Klamath (6), Lake (3), Lane (41), Lincoln (1), Linn (5), Malheur (3), Marion (46), Morrow (2), Multnomah (66), Polk (13), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (21), Union (2), Wasco (4), Washington (54) and Yamhill (14).
COVID-19’s 2,144th death in Oregon was a 76-year-old man in Deschutes County, who tested positive on February 10 and died on February 15 in St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.
The death of 2,145 COVID-19 in Oregon was an 84-year-old man in Deschutes County, who tested positive on February 8 and died on February 12 at his home. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19’s 2,146th death in Oregon was a 68-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on November 18 and died on February 14 at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19’s 2,147th death in Oregon was an 84-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on January 25 and died on February 12 at his home. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19’s 2,148th death in Oregon was a 72-year-old man in Coos County, who tested positive on January 16 and died on February 11 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19’s 2,149th death in Oregon is of a newborn boy in Umatilla County who tested positive on January 17 and died on January 17 at the Kadlec Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines
To learn more about the status of the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon, visit the OHA website, which contains an analysis of distribution and other useful information.