The Oregon Health Authority announced on Tuesday 316 new cases of coronavirus and two deaths, with the list of counties expanding eligibility for the vaccine growing.
Twenty of 36 counties have already granted eligibility to people aged 45 to 64 with underlying health conditions, certain frontline workers and homeless people.
Added to the list on Tuesday were Douglas, Harney, Josephine, Klamath, Linn, Sherman and Yamhill counties. They join Baker, Benton, Deschutes, Grant, Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Polk, Umatilla and Union counties.
State officials announced last week that counties could choose to start vaccinating more groups this week or wait until March 29. County officials in the Portland area said they did not plan to speed up the schedule so they could focus on vaccinating the elderly.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Health Authority said on Tuesday that it had expanded the group of qualified health professionals to administer doses of the vaccine. The list includes at least 18 groups of professionals, plus 12 groups of medical students, although it was not immediately clear how many of the groups were actually eligible.
Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday also celebrated the one-year anniversary of signing her order to stay at home, noting that Oregon had reported one of the lowest cases and deaths per capita in America.
“We must still be cautious as new mutations in COVID-19 continue to spread,” she said in a statement. “Every day, we are gaining ground, but we must continue to wear masks, keep physical distance and be vaccinated. We will come out of this crisis in the same way that we faced it a year ago – together and with the opportunity to rebuild a stronger, more just and equitable Oregon. “
Vaccines: Oregon reported 18,241 new doses administered, which includes 10,845 Monday and the remainder of previous days.
Where new cases are by county: Baker (3), Benton (2), Clackamas (30), Columbia (2), Coos (4), Crook (2), Curry (4), Deschutes (24), Douglas (7), Grant (1), Hood River (3), Jackson (28), Jefferson (1), Josephine (17), Klamath (11), Lane (17), Lincoln (5), Linn (4), Malheur (1), Marion (21) , Multnomah (44), Polk (6), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (10), Union (3), Wasco (1), Washington (56) and Yamhill (6).
Who died: COVID-19’s 2366th death in Oregon was an 85-year-old man, Coos County, who tested positive on March 16 and died on March 21 at Bay Area Hospital.
The 2,367 death is a 67-year-old woman from Coos County who tested positive on March 2 and died on March 13 at Mercy Medical Center.
Each person had underlying health problems.
Hospitalizations: 109 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, including 16 in intensive care.
Since it started: Oregon reported 162,016 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,367 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported 1,549,056 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