The Oregon Health Authority on Friday reported 1,755 new confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus and seven more deaths when the state released new modeling that shows the transmission of the virus is growing.
Officials said the transmission “decreased dramatically between late November and mid-December before rising sharply upwards.”
At current levels, the projected number of new cases diagnosed daily could grow to 1,780 between January 13 and January 26, and an additional 85 people will be hospitalized each day. If Oregon residents are able to lower the transmission level to what it was at the end of November, the state said new daily diagnosed cases would average about 1,400 a day and that new hospitalizations would move about 55 a day.
To do this, Oregonians must continue to wear masks, keep their distance from each other, and avoid large gatherings of people who are not in their immediate household.
If one of those scenarios breaks out, Oregon could well equal its record cases and death rates from December.
Where the new cases are by country: Baker (3), Benton (43), Clackamas (203), Clatsop (8), Columbia (12), Coos (18), Crook (3), Curry (4), Deschutes (92), Douglas (27), Gilliam (3), Harney (1), Hood River (20), Jackson (83), Jefferson (3), Josephine (60), Klamath (115), Lake (1), Lane (105), Lincoln (5) , Linn (42), Malheur (24), Marion (179), Morrow (12), Multnomah (256), Polk (42), Sherman (4), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (44), Union (20) , Wasco (18), Washington (253) and Yamhill (47).
New deaths: Oregon’s 1569th coronavirus-related death is a 91-year-old woman from Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died in her home on Jan. 6.
The 1,570 deaths are a 76-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died in his home on Jan. 4.
Oregon’s 1,571th death is a 62-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 29 and died in his home on Jan. 6.
The 1,572 deaths are a 68-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive on December 3 and died on January 3 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,573th death is a 50-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 27 and died Jan. 5 at Good Shepherd Community Hospital.
The 1,574 deaths are a 91-year-old Washington County man who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 5 at Oregon Health & Science University.
The 1,755 deaths are a 76-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 26 and died Jan. 6 at PeaceHealth Sacred Health Medical Center in Riverbend.
Each person had underlying health conditions.
The incidence of infections: On Friday, the state reported 1,807 new positive tests out of 24,293 tests performed, which equates to a 7.4% positivity rate.
Who became infected: New confirmed or suspected infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (60); 10-19 (183); 20-29 (422); 30-39 (320); 40-49 (281); 50-59 (220); 60-69 (135); 70-79 (84); 80 and older (53).
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 451 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were currently in the hospital, 11 less than Thursday. Of these, 88 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, three less than on Thursday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon administered 74,914 doses from 252,350 recipients, or nearly 30% of its supply. Nearly 600 of these doses were second shots, completing the complete vaccination schedule.
Since it started: Oregon reported 122,847 confirmed or suspected infections and 1,575 deaths, one of the lowest totals in the country. To date, the state has reported 2,786,624 laboratory reports of tests.
– Kale Williams; [email protected]; 503-294-4048; @sfkale