(Update: Adding press release to the governor)
PORTLAND, Oregon. (KTVZ) – There are no new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, keeping the state’s death toll at 2,149, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Friday.
The OHA also reported 492 new confirmed and presumed cases of COVID-19 at 0:01 AM on Friday, bringing the state total to 152,190.
At a news conference on Friday, Governor Kate Brown and OHA officials said that despite delays in sending climate-related vaccines this week, those eligible for vaccination will be expanded as scheduled on Monday to include those aged 70 and over. years or more and the following week for seniors over 65.
Vaccinations in Oregon
The OHA reported that 25,866 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added on Friday to the state’s immunization registry. Of that total, 18,710 doses were administered on Thursday and 7,156 were administered in the previous days, but entered the vaccine register on Thursday.
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 755,657 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 922,300 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to locations across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and are subject to change. OHA panels provide regularly updated vaccination data, and the Oregon panel was updated on Friday.
St. Charles Health System reported 23,238 COVID-19 vaccinations given on Friday.
Weather-related problems during the previous week can cause changes in the daily number trends 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 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. The doses scheduled for delivery this week can be shipped over the weekend or early next week due to winter weather issues affecting shipments from Memphis, TN.
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 across Oregon is 176, six more than on Thursday. There are 49 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, three fewer than on Thursday.
St. Charles Bend reported 11 patients with COVID-19 by 4 am Friday morning, two in the ICU with ventilators.
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.
More information about the hospital’s capacity can be found here.
OHA launches new COVID-19 forecast
OHA launched the latest COVID-19 model, which shows a slight increase in transmission. The new report estimates that, on February 3, the state reproductive rate was 0.88.
According to the most recent forecast, if we continue throughout our current course of wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and restricting our meetings, daily cases will drop to an average of 320, with 10 fewer hospitalizations for COVID-19 and 107 for 140,000 people between March 25 and 9.
A 30% increase in transmission projects to around 510 daily cases and 17 new hospitalizations per day, as well as 170 cases per 100,000 people in mid-March.
The new model warns that more Oregon residents may be open to resume activities that pose a greater risk of spread, especially as risk levels change for Oregon counties. That and the potential of a COVID-19 variant that becomes dominant can contribute to further dissemination.
The report indicates that 78% of Oregon residents use facial coverage regularly and that most Oregon residents believe that existing vaccines are safe and effective.
OHA and ODE launch new school panel
OHA and the Oregon Department of Education are introducing a new interactive tool highlighting the operational status of schools in Oregon. This panel displays the current educational model of a school and the current face-to-face recommendations of the ODE school based on COVID-19 case counts, rates and test positivity by county. The panel also highlights how many and which schools are operating under each instructional model.
This new dashboard will allow Oregon residents to quickly see which teaching model their school is currently following and the county’s face-to-face operating recommendations.
This panel is a collaboration between OHA and ODE. The school instruction model data displayed is from the previous week. Data is collected on Fridays and updated the following Tuesday at 5 PM.
The recommendation data for face-to-face operation of the municipal school is for the current week and can be found here.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumed COVID-19 cases reported on Friday are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (25), Clackamas (27), Columbia (12), Coos (26), Curry (8), Deschutes (11), Douglas (21), Harney (3), Hood River (2), Jackson (52), Jefferson (5), Josephine (23), Klamath (10), Lake (3), Lane (38), Lincoln (1), Linn (8), Malheur (6), Marion (42), Morrow (5), Multnomah (61), Polk (15), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (12), Union (4), Wallowa (2), Wasco (1), Washington (54) and Yamhill (12).
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 details on distribution and other useful information.
Governor Kate Brown provides updates on COVID-19 in Oregon
(Salem, OR) – Governor Kate Brown gave a press conference today to update Oregon residents about the situation with COVID-19 in Oregon. The governor was accompanied by the director of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Patrick Allen, by the State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger, by the Executive Director of the Oregon Primary Care Association, Joan Watson-Patko, and by the Director of Quality of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health System, Dr. Sarah Deines. In addition, the governor shared a video earlier this morning of former state senator Margaret Carter receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Portland.
“Oregon’s inhabitants continue to make smart choices and the numbers speak for themselves,” said Governor Brown. “Yesterday, Oregon had the third lowest infection rate in the country. And while this is great news, we must remain vigilant in the face of the challenges that will come with the new variants. We advise Oregon residents to continue to follow safety measures. and choose your activities wisely to minimize risks in the best possible way.
“I am pleased to share that we now have more than 131,000 students back in class. This is 20% of the students in our state, and more than double what it was eight weeks ago when I directed the Department of Education at Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority to put more schools on the right path for face-to-face education. All educators who want a vaccine will soon be fully vaccinated, but we also continue to see the science that with strict health and safety protocols in effect, schools can safely reopen… my expectation that more and more schools will bring students back to face-to-face learning in the coming weeks, and I will continue to do everything I can to help make this a reality for our children.
“I also want to thank all the grandchildren, sons, daughters, neighbors and friends who helped our elderly people to register for vaccination appointments, took them to the vaccination sites and supported them during this pandemic. Despite the harsh winter during Weekend Presidents, we remain on schedule to open vaccinations for people aged 70 and over on Monday, February 22, and for people aged 65 and over on Monday, March 1. “
The governor also provided a brief update on the recent winter weather, adding: “I want to thank all local and state workers, first responders and public service staff who continue to work 24 hours a day to restore energy and help families in need. I declared a state of emergency over the weekend to ensure that state resources were made available to assist ground crews, and I also made the National Guard available to work in partnership with county emergency management to conduct welfare checks. I encourage Oregon residents to check their neighbors, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable. “
A copy of the comments prepared by the governor at today’s press conference is available here.
A recording of today’s live press conference is available here.
More information about vaccines is available at covidvaccine.oregon.gov.