The Oregon Health Authority reported on Monday 248 new cases of coronavirus and two deaths, with cases and hospitalizations continuing to rise.
Oregon now averages 423 cases a day last week, and hospitalizations on Monday skyrocketed to 177. Both are the highest levels in seven weeks – but substantially below their respective peak drops.
The average number of daily cases has increased by 54% in the last two weeks, while active hospitalizations have increased by 53% in the same period.
Throughout the pandemic, peak cases were followed by increased hospitalizations and, ultimately, peak deaths. But with more Oregon residents being vaccinated, particularly those most vulnerable to COVID-19, it is unclear how deadly a potential spring wave could be.
Oregon recorded 75 deaths during March, the lowest since September, although the number of fatalities among people who died in March is still expected to rise slightly as the state reviews death records.
Recent models from Oregon Health & Science University have indicated that cases may increase to around 1,000 a day and active hospitalizations to about 300 by May. Governor Kate Brown said the state is in a race to vaccinate more Oregon residents before more contagious variants of the virus spread.
Vaccines: Oregon reported 22,131 new doses administered, which include 14,314 on Sunday and the rest of the previous days.
Where new cases are by county: Benton (3), Clatsop (2), Columbia (18), Crook (1), Deschutes (14), Douglas (11), Grant (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (19), Josephine (11) , Lane (29), Lincoln (5), Linn (17), Marion (29), Multnomah (58), Polk (13), Tillamook (2), Wasco (1) and Yamhill (13).
Who died: The death of a COVID-19 2,393 in Oregon in Oregon was that of a 98-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on February 14 and died on March 15 at his home.
The 2,394th fatality is a 90-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on March 26 and died on April 3 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.
Both men had underlying health problems.
Hospitalizations: 177 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, plus 27 on Sunday. This includes 42 people in intensive care, one less than on Sunday.
Since it started: Oregon reported 167,128 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,394 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported 1,998,429 doses of vaccines administered.
To see more coronavirus data and trends, visit https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/
– Brad Schmidt; [email protected]; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt