Oregon reported 612 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday and no additional deaths – far below recent counts. State data is often late on weekends and may not reflect the actual state of the Oregon pandemic.
The Oregonian / OregonLive newsroom has partnered with several other vehicles in the state to bring to light the human impact of the pandemic.
Each day brings a new flood of coronavirus statistics: new cases, new deaths, fluctuations in positive test rates and the number of hospitalizations.
But who is behind these numbers?
People like Joe Guttierez, who spent 78 days in a hospital after what started out as “a little cough”, turned out to be the first sign of a coronavirus infection. People like Carola Montero, who was 46 when she died, leaving her husband and four children behind. People like Sally Cumberworth, who quarantined Thanksgiving in a hotel room.
Then there are the people that the authorities counted months ago, but who are still struggling with the consequences of their initial coronavirus infections.
Up to one in 10 COVID-19 survivors may suffer from long-term symptoms of the disease, researchers in the UK found. Oregon residents told several stories of seemingly endless difficulties as they struggled for months after recovering from the acute stage of coronavirus infection.
Everyone has been affected by the pandemic, from schoolchildren to bartenders and anyone who misses seeing their friends.
But the secondary impact of the pandemic has hit workers and businesses particularly hard.
Some Oregon residents were able to work from home or lost their jobs because they were not considered essential. Thousands of others, however, continued to work while the coronavirus continued to spread throughout the state, risking their lives and those of their loved ones. They include teachers, grocery workers and the postman. Meanwhile, companies have closed down or found creative ways to stay afloat.
And now, for the latest coronavirus numbers:
Where new cases are by county: Baker (7), Benton (18), Columbia (15), Crook (14), Deschutes (68), Douglas (9), Harney (1), Hood River (6), Jefferson (33), Lane (89) , Linn (26), Marion (3), Morrow (6), Multnomah (271), Tillamook (9) and Umatilla (37).
The prevalence of infections: On Saturday, the state reported 1,101 new positive tests out of 16,190 tests performed, equaling a positivity rate of 6.8.
Hospitalized patients: Oregon officials reported on Saturday that 472 people were hospitalized because of COVID-19, the same as on Friday. Of these, 97 patients are in intensive care units, six fewer than on Friday.
Since it started: Oregon reported 108,326 confirmed or suspected infections and 1,422 deaths, among the lowest totals in the country. To date, the state has reported 2,579,564 laboratory test reports, 5.9% positive.
– Fedor Zarkhin