Oregon has reported 713 new cases of coronavirus and 16 new deaths, along with nearly 26,000 people vaccinated.
About 80% of Oregon’s vaccine inventory remains untapped as state and pharmaceutical businesses increase by giving healthcare workers and senior care workers and residents the first inclusion of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Modern vaccines.
Health officials “definitely” hope that more people will be vaccinated each day, but they will feel good about the progress to date, Oregon spokesman Jonathan Modie said in an email.
“The vaccines come to hospitals and competent nursing homes in the state,” Modie said. “The rollout is going well, with its intake high.”
The top expert of the federal government, dr. Anthony Fauci, recently said up to 90% of the population should be fully vaccinated for the United States to achieve herd immunity, when enough people are immune to a disease to prevent those who do not get sick.
That equates to nearly 3.8 million Oregonians. At Oregon’s highest vaccination rate to date, about 4,500 shots in one day, it would take as much as 4½ years before the state could be considered safe.
Meanwhile, supply in Oregon exceeds the number of doses people receive.
As of Monday, 25,971 people had received the first of two mandatory shots, according to state data. Although the number is almost certainly an understatement – healthcare providers have three days to give the shots, but that’s a fraction of the doses Oregon has on hand.
As of Sunday, 131,575 doses had been delivered to Oregon’s vaccination sites, health officials said, though some of them were likely set aside for second doses.
The health authority mentions a number of challenges in getting people vaccinated.
The management of the vaccines is difficult, especially those manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech. The vaccine is ‘delicate’, Modie said, and it’s very cold storage that few places can offer. And the people who administer the shots need to be nailed exactly to prepare and give it correctly.
Another obstacle is that a hospital cannot vaccinate everyone at once. Workers should be able to take time off if they have side effects. For example, it would not be prudent for all staff in the intensive care unit of a hospital, to be out of the dose, Modie said.
“This is a challenging time to start a giant vaccination campaign,” Modie said. “But we are glad we have the vaccine and start our rural distribution effort.”
The Oregon health authority did not plan a specific vaccination rate in the future, Modie said. The state is limited by the number of doses that federal health officials provide, according to him, and the ability of local providers to administer them.
The latest coronavirus numbers:
Where the new cases are by country: Baker (25), Benton (7), Clackamas (90), Clatsop (9), Columbia (6), Coos (26), Crook (1), Deschutes (39), Douglas (6), Gilliam (1), Grant (1), Hood River (5), Jackson (36), Jefferson (4), Josephine (15), Klamath (12), Lake (4), Lane (60), Lincoln (12), Linn (22) , Malheur (12), Marion (88), Morrow (2), Multnomah (105), Polk (11), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (26), Union (6), Wasco (6), Washington (60) , Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (14).
Deaths: Oregon’s 1,434th coronavirus-related death is a 74-year-old Columbia County man who tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 28 and died Dec. 27 at Portland VA Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1435th death is a 61-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died in his home on Dec. 12. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,436-year-old death is a 63-year-old woman from Harney County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and on Dec. 27 in St. Louis. Charles Medical Center-Bend died. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1437-year-old death is a 92-year-old man in Hood River County who tested positive on Dec. 13 and died in his home on Dec. 23. The state does not yet know if the man had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1438-year-old death is an 86-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 24 and died Dec. 25 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1439th death is a 71-year-old man from Jefferson County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and on Dec. 24 in St. Louis. Charles Medical Center-Bend died. He did not have any underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1,440-year-old death is a 51-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died Dec. 23 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,441st death is a 72-year-old Josephine County man who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died Dec. 23 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,442 deaths is a 78-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died in her home on Dec. 27. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,443 deaths is a 76-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died Dec. 28 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in RiverBend. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,444 deaths is a 90-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died in her home on Dec. 25. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,445-year-old death is a 95-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died in her home on Dec. 20. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,446th death is a 79-year-old woman from Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died at Salem Hospital on Dec. 11. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1447-year-old death is a 90-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died in her home on Dec. 9. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1448-year-old death is an 85-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died in her home on Dec. 20. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,449th death is an 84-year-old Washington County man who tested positive on Dec. 27 and died Dec. 28 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
The incidence of infections: On Tuesday, the state reported 816 new positive tests out of 15,167 tests performed, which equates to a 5.4% positivity rate.
Who became infected: New confirmed or suspected infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (24); 10-19 (56); 20-29 (132); 30-39 (109); 40-49 (121); 50-59 (80); 60-69 (83); 70-79 (43); 80 and older (25).
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 527 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital on Tuesday 12 more than Monday. Of these, 119 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, six more than Monday.
Since it started: Oregon reported 111,227 confirmed or suspected infections and 1,449 deaths, one of the lowest totals in the country. To date, the state has reported 2,613,558 laboratory reports of tests.
– Fedor Zarkhin; [email protected]; 503-294-7674