Oregon on Sunday reported 1225 new cases of COVID-19, which is part of an increase in cases that began in the week after Christmas.
The running average of seven days on new business stood at 898 on December 30th. But it has increased slightly – to an average of 1,032 on Sunday – which raises questions as to whether holiday travel and indoor celebrations are the culprit causing the numbers to rise.
Government officials have not officially stated that a ‘post-holiday boom’ is underway, but they do say that the transmission of the coronavirus declined drastically between November and mid-December before embarking on an upward trajectory. At the current rate, newly identified daily cases could grow to about 1,780 later this month.
In Oregon, new daily cases increased by 24% and deaths by 14% over the past two weeks.
Nationally, experts say it is clear that a surge after holidays has increased by 34% over the past two weeks and deaths by 43%.
Here are some more COVID-19 stats released on Sunday:
Vaccinations: The Oregon Health Authority announced Sunday that just over 97,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since December 16th. This means that the state is probably less than a day past reaching 100,000 vaccinations, a sign that the health authority had previously hoped would reach by 31 December.
The state has adjusted its vaccination plan over the past few days to speed up the rate of vaccinations – and based on the daily injection numbers updated on Sunday for previous days, it appears the state is vaccinating more people.
The state now says vaccinations reached a record high on Friday, with 9,985 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines administered to people in phase 1a. This includes an estimated 400,000 people who each need two doses of the vaccines for full efficacy. Those in Phase 1a are mostly health workers, first responders, prison and prison workers and residents of care facilities such as nursing homes.
Where new cases occur by country: Baker (5), Benton (15), Clackamas (86), Clatsop (6), Columbia (17), Coos (11), Curry (1), Deschutes (51), Douglas (13), Hood River (10) , Jackson (39), Jefferson (11), Josephine (18), Klamath (43), Lane (89), Lincoln (4), Linn (27), Malheur (1), Marion (233), Morrow (4) , Multnomah (229), Polk (45), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (34), Union (6), Wallowa (4), Wasco (10), Washington (180), Yamhill (32).
New deaths: The state reported two new COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,605.
A 96-year-old woman from Lane County with underlying conditions tested positive on Dec. 29 and died Thursday at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
A 69-year-old man in Multnomah County with underlying conditions was positive on Nov. 17 and died Saturday. Officials are still verifying the location of his death.
Incidence of infections: The state reported 1,137 positive test results out of 14,238 reports of tests performed. This is a positive percentage of 8%.
Hospitalizations: The state reported 403 patients in the hospital, 18 fewer than the previous day. The number of patients in intensive care units increased by three to 84.
Since it started: Officials report 125,683 confirmed or suspected cases, 1,605 deaths and 2,826,905 laboratory reports of tests.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee