The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday announced 529 new cases of COVID-19, along with seven new deaths, which increased the death toll from the coronavirus in the state to 2,031.
The new business comes as Gov.. Kate Brown has announced that restaurants, pubs and brewpubs in the Portland metro area will be able to start again with limited capacity indoor eateries from Friday.
Falling cases of COVID-19 have led Brown to move ten counties in Oregon – including Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington – from the “extreme” to the “high” risk category, leading to the partial reopening of some businesses, including restaurants, gyms and cinemas for the first time since November.
Gymnasiums in the Portland area can also reopen for indoor workouts for up to 50 people from Friday. Brown eased the restrictions on gyms a bit last month, allowing up to six customers inside, after indoor workouts closed in much of the state last November as coronavirus infections skyrocketed.
The state on Monday opened general vaccinations for Oregonians aged 80 and older, in a day riddled with online devastation and frustration, as the appointments in the subway were completed within hours of the registration opening.
Many people were able to get appointments next week, but local health care providers who run the two vaccination clinics in the Portland area could not say on what date new appointments would open for discussion. However, it appears that the next available appointments will probably only be on Wednesday 17 February.
Where the new cases are by country: Baker (4), Benton (20), Clackamas (65), Clatsop (2), Columbia (3), Coos (9), Crook (1), Curry (3), Deschutes (5), Douglas (16), Grant (1), Harney (18), Hood River (10), Jackson (19), Jefferson (5), Josephine (20), Klamath (9), Lake (13), Lane (39), Lincoln (1) , Linn (9), Malheur (1), Marion (54), Morrow (3), Multnomah (78), Polk (19), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (29), Union (5), Wallowa (9) , Wasco (7), Washington (40) and Yamhill (11).
Who is dead: The 2,025 death is a 68-year-old woman from Columbia County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died in her home on Feb. 4.
The 2,026 death is a 92-year-old woman in Deschutes County who tested positive on November 23 and died on December 9 in her home.
The 2027th death is a 92-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive on December 21 and died on January 17 in his home.
The 2,028 death is an 82-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died Feb. 6 at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
The 2029th death is a 79-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on January 25 and died on February 2 in his residence.
The 2,030 death is a 77-year-old woman in Union County who tested positive on January 22 and died on February 7 at Grande Ronde Hospital.
The 2,311 dead is a 44-year-old man in Hood River County who tested positive on Jan. 25 and died on Feb. 6. The location of the death is confirmed.
Except as noted above, each person who died underwent underlying health conditions or government officials to determine if the person had underlying medical conditions.
The incidence of infections: On Tuesday, the state reported 622 new positive tests out of 14,063 tests performed, which equates to a 4.4% positivity rate.
The OHA said it received about 3,000 negative lab results on Feb. 8 from tests done from June 1 to Feb. 2 due to a delay in reporting. The overall lab results are higher on Feb. 8 than usual, but there was no change in percentage positivity, the health authority said.
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 226 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were hospitalized Tuesday, five more than Monday. Of these, 53 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, two less than on Monday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon received 588,740 first and second doses administered out of 801,125, which is approximately 73.5% of its supply. Oregon reported 16,340 newly administered doses, including Monday, 7,863 and the remainder of previous days.
Since it started: Oregon reported 147,932 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,031 deaths, one of the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported more than 3,328,998 laboratory reports of tests.
– Jaimie Ding
[email protected]; 503-221-4395; @j_dingdingding