The Oregon Health Authority announced on Friday three deaths from COVID-19 and 402 new cases of coronavirus as the cases continued their roller coaster journey this week.
The most recent figures were released when state leaders released the latest forecast for COVID-19, which warned that although transmission has declined since the peak of winter, the state is not yet out of danger, as variants of the disease may continue to spread. Those concerns may increase if Oregon residents do not continue to wear masks and social distance, the health leader said on Friday.
“As access to the vaccine gradually expands across the state, projections about the spread of the virus emphasize the importance of continuing to practice preventive measures that can slow the spread of the disease,” the state said in a statement.
If transmission continues at the documented reproduction rate for most of February, the state estimates that the number of average daily cases identified would be 170 from next week. An increase in transmission, either because of variants or relaxed safeguards, can result in 265 cases identified per day.
But the modeling does not seem to align with the current reality. As of Friday, the state was receiving an average of about 300 cases a day in the previous week.
Where new cases are by county: Baker (3), Benton (18), Clackamas (49), Clatsop (2), Columbia (2), Coos (21), Crook (1), Curry (5), Deschutes (8), Douglas (19), Grant (4), Hood River (1), Jackson (24), Jefferson (2), Josephine (25), Klamath (11), Lake (2), Lane (14), Lincoln (5), Linn (12) , Malheur (1), Marion (34), Multnomah (73), Polk (8), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (3), Union (4), Washington (41) and Yamhill (5).
Who died: The 2,317th death of COVID-19 in Oregon was a 93-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive on March 1 and died on March 10 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.
The 2,318th death in Oregon was a 70-year-old woman from Deschutes County who died on February 2 at St. Charles Bend Hospital. His death certificate listed COVID-19 as a significant cause or factor that contributed to his death.
The 2,319th death in Oregon was that of a 63-year-old man from Deschutes County, who tested positive on January 24 and died on February 12 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.
Each person who died had underlying medical conditions.
The prevalence of infections: On Thursday, the state registered 665 new positive tests out of 15,961 tests carried out, which is equivalent to a positivity rate of 4.2%.
Who was infected: New confirmed or suspected infections increased among the following age groups: 0-9 (33); 10-19 (45); 20-29 (71); 30-39 (69); 40-49 (66); 50-59 (50); 60-69 (28); 70-79 (18); 80 and older (13).
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 123 people were hospitalized with a confirmed case of COVID-19, which is two more than Thursday’s number. There were 23 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, one less than in similar care on Thursday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon administered 1,269,595 first and second doses until Friday. The state reported 34,613 new doses. Of these vaccines, 23,075 doses were administered on Thursday and 11,538 on previous days, but entered the system on Thursday.
Since it started: Oregon reported 159,037 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,319 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported 3,938,818 test lab reports
– Andrew Theen; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen