Oregon reported 713 new coronavirus cases Tuesday and 16 new deaths, along with nearly 26,000 people vaccinated.
About 80% of Oregon’s vaccine stockpile remains unused as the state and pharmaceutical companies inch through providing health care workers and senior care staff and residents with the first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Health officials “certainly” hope more people will get vaccinated per day but feel good about progress to date, Oregon Health Authority spokesman Jonathan Modie said in an email.
“The vaccines are getting to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities around the state,” Modie said. “That roll-out is going well, with uptake high at those facilities.”
The federal government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, recently said up to 90% of the population must get fully vaccinated for the United States to reach herd immunity, when enough people are immune to a disease to prevent those who aren’t from getting sick.
That equates to nearly 3.8 million Oregonians. At Oregon’s peak vaccination rate so far, about 4,500 shots in one day, it would take as many as 4 ½ years before the state can be considered safe.
Meanwhile, Oregon’s supply far exceeds the number of doses people have received.
Through Monday, 25,971 people had received the first of two mandatory shots, state data show. While that number is almost certainly an undercount — health care providers have three days to report the shots they give — it’s a fraction of the doses Oregon has on hand.
As of Sunday, 131,575 doses had been delivered to Oregon’s vaccination sites, the health authority said, though some of those have likely been set aside for second doses.
The health authority listed a number of challenges to getting people vaccinated.
Managing the vaccines is hard, particularly the one produced by Pfizer-BioNTech. That vaccine is “delicate,” Modie said, requiring ultra-cold storage that few locations can provide. And the people administering the shots must nail down precisely how to correctly prepare and give them.
Another obstacle is that a hospital can’t simply vaccinate everyone at once. Workers must be able to take time off in case they have side effects. It would be unwise for all staff in a hospital’s intensive care unit, for instance, to be out recovering from the dose, Modie said.
“It’s a challenging time to be starting a huge immunization campaign,” Modie said. “But we’re happy to have the vaccine and get going on our statewide distribution effort.”
The Oregon Health Authority doesn’t have a particular vaccination rate planned going forward, Modie said. The state is limited by the number of doses federal health officials provide, he said, and local providers’ ability to administer them.
The latest coronavirus numbers:
Where the new cases are by county: 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 death connected to the coronavirus is a 74-year-old Columbia County man who tested positive for COVID-19 Nov. 28 and died Dec. 27 at the Portland VA Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1,435th death is a 61-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Nov. 30 and died Dec. 12 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,436th death is a 63-year-old Harney County woman who tested positive Dec. 23 and died Dec. 27 at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,437th death is a 92-year-old Hood River County man who tested positive Dec. 13 and died Dec. 23 at his residence. The state doesn’t yet know if the man had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1,438th death is an 86-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive Dec. 24 and died Dec. 25 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,439th death is a 71-year-old Jefferson County man who tested positive Dec. 11 and died Dec. 24 at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend. He did not have underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s 1,440th death is a 51-year-old Josephine County woman who tested positive 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 Dec. 10 and died Dec. 23 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,442nd death is a 78-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive Dec. 16 and died Dec. 27 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,443rd death is a 76-year-old Lane County man who tested positive Dec. 17 and died Dec. 28 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,444th death is a 90-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Dec. 17 and died Dec. 25 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,445th death is a 95-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Dec. 17 and died Dec. 20 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,446th death is a 79-year-old Polk County woman who tested positive Nov. 25 and died Dec. 11 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,447th death is a 90-year-old Polk County woman who tested positive Nov. 27 and died Dec. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,448th death is an 85-year-old Polk County woman who tested positive Nov. 27 and died Dec. 20 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,449th death is an 84-year-old Washington County man who tested positive Dec. 27 and died Dec. 28 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
The prevalence of infections: On Tuesday, the state reported 816 new positive tests out of 15,167 tests performed, equaling a 5.4% positivity rate.
Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed 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’s in the hospital: The state reported 527 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital Tuesday, 12 more than Monday. Of those, 119 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, six more than Monday.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 111,227 confirmed or presumed infections and 1,449 deaths, among the lowest totals in the nation. To date, the state has reported 2,613,558 lab reports from tests.
— Fedor Zarkhin; fzarkhin@oregonian.com; 503-294-7674