(Update: Adding Governor’s News Release)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – There are no new deaths related to COVID-19 in Oregon, which keeps the state death toll at 2,149, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday.
OHA also reported 492 new confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 as of 02:01 Friday, bringing the state to 152,190.
At a news conference on Friday, government officials Kate Brown and OHA said that despite the delay in the weather conditions of this week’s vaccination, those eligible for vaccinations scheduled for Monday will expand to those 70 years and older , and the following week also to older than 65.
Vaccinations in Oregon
OHA reported that 25,866 new doses of COVID-19 vaccines were added to the state immunization registry on Friday. Of this total, 18,710 doses were administered on Thursday and 7,156 were administered the previous days, but were entered in the vaccine register on Thursday.
It can take a few days to complete the total daily totals, as suppliers have 72 hours to report doses and technical challenges have caused many suppliers to lag behind in their reporting. OHA has provided technical assistance to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 755,657 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 922,300 doses of vaccine have been delivered at locations in Oregon.
These data are provisional and subject to change. OHA’s dashboards contain regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard was updated Friday.
The St. Charles Health System reported 23,238 COVID-19 vaccinations as of early Friday.
Weather-related issues over the past week may cause changes in the daily number of 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 regularly stays in touch with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for updates on delivery schedules and to ensure Oregon doses are delivered safely to Oregon’s vaccination sites. Doses delivered this week may be shipped over the weekend or early next week due to winter weather issues affecting shipping from Memphis, TN.
If you are eligible for a vaccination and have questions about possible delays or interruptions, consult your scheduled vaccine provider for the latest updates.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospital patients with COVID-19 in Oregon is 176, which is six more than Thursday. There are 49 COVID-19 patients in intensive care (ICU) beds, three less than on Thursday.
St. Charles Bend reported 11 COVID-19 patients from 4 a.m. Friday, two in the ICU on ventilators.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may vary between check-in times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the duration of the hospital. Staff restrictions are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
More information on hospital capacity can be found here.
OHA launches new COVID-19 forecast
OHA has introduced the latest COVID-19 model which shows a slight increase in transmission. The new report estimates that as of February 3, the reproduction rate across the country was 0.88.
According to the latest forecast, our daily cases will decrease to an average of 320, with 10 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations and 107 per 140,000 people according to Feb. March 25 and 9.
A 30% increase in transfer projects to about 510 daily cases and 17 new hospitalizations per day, as well as 170 cases per 100,000 people by mid-March.
The new model warns that more Oregonians could be exposed to the resumption of activities that pose a higher risk of spread, especially as risk levels change in Oregon counties. This and the potential of a COVID-19 variant becoming dominant may contribute to greater distribution.
The report indicates that 78% of Oregonians regularly wear face masks and that most Oregonians believe that existing vaccines are safe and effective.
OHA and ODE start new school dashboard
OHA and the Oregon Department of Education are launching a new interactive tool that highlights the status of Oregon schools. This dashboard displays the current instruction model of the school and the current school recommendations of ODE, based on COVID-19 case statements, rates, and positive testing per country. The dashboard also shows how many and which schools work under each teaching model.
This new dashboard will enable Oregonians to quickly see what instructional model their school is currently following and the province’s personal recommendations.
This dashboard is a collaboration between OHA and ODE. The given school teaching models are from the previous week. Data are collected on Fridays and will be updated by 17:00 next Tuesday
Details on the recommendation of staff members for the school in question are for the current week and can be found here.
Matters and deaths
The new confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases reported 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 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit OHA’s website, which contains a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.
Governor Kate Brown provides updates on COVID-19 in Oregon
(Salem, OR) – Governor Kate Brown held a press conference today to brief Oregonians on the status of COVID-19 in Oregon. The governor was accompanied by Oregon Health Director (OHA) Patrick Allen, the state epidemiologist dr. Dean Sidelinger, the executive director of the Oregon Primary Care Association, Joan Watson-Patko, and the director of the health system of Virginia Garcia, dr. Sarah Deines. In addition, the governor shared a video earlier this morning of former state senator Margaret Carter getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Portland.
“Oregonians continue to make smart choices, and the numbers speak for themselves,” Governor Brown said. ‘Oregon has the third lowest infection rate in the country yesterday. And while this is good news, we need to be vigilant in the face of the challenges ahead with the new variants. We advise Oregonians to continue to follow safety precautions and choose your activities wisely so that you can reduce the risk as much as possible.
“I would like to share that we now have more than 131,000 students in the classroom. That’s 20% of our state’s students, and that’s more than double what it was eight weeks ago when I was the Oregon Department of Education and the Has led the Oregon Health Authority to put more schools on the right track for personal education All educators who want a vaccination will soon be fully vaccinated, but we also see the clear science that schools have safe health and safety protocols can safely reopen.My expectation that more and more schools will bring students back for personal learning in the coming weeks, and I will continue to do everything in my power to make it happen for our children.
“I would also like to thank every grandchild, son, daughter, neighbor and friend who helped our older adults register for vaccination appointments, drove them to vaccination sites and supported them during this pandemic. Despite the severe winter weather during President’s Day weekend, we remain on schedule to open vaccinations for people aged 70 and over on Monday 22 February and for people aged 65 and older on Monday 1 March. “
The governor also gave a brief account of the recent winter weather, adding: “I would like to thank all local and state workers, first responders and utility crew who continue to stay up and running 24 hours a day to restore strength and help families in need. this past weekend a state of emergency to ensure that state resources are made available to assist crew members on the ground.I also made the National Guard available to work in partnership with the country’s emergency management to conduct wellness checks.I encourage Oregonians to be with your neighbors, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable. ‘
A copy of the prepared remarks of the Governor of 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.