The Oregon Health Authority on Monday reported 1,174 new confirmed or presumptive cases and six new deaths.
The state is now averaging a record 1,241 cases a day over the past week. And hospitalizations climbed upward to a new high, as well, with 456 people actively hospitalized, 44 more than Friday.
Throughout the recent spike, hospital capacity has been of growing concern. Oregon has about 4,500 non-critical-care hospital beds with dedicated staff statewide and the system was at 88% capacity, with a tighter supply in the metro area, where beds were 92% full as of late last week.
It’s a similar story for the state’s roughly 720 staffed intensive-care-unit beds, which were at 82% capacity statewide and 90% full in the metro area.
On Friday, Patrick Allen, Oregon’s top health administrator, called the situation “dire” while noting we remain better off than many states. Still, some facilities have cancelled elective surgeries and brought in mobile morgues to deal with worst-case scenarios in which all beds are full, though many hope that it never comes to that.
Oregon has announced at least 1,000 cases for six straight days, although Monday’s total ended a streak of four consecutive records. Case numbers are often cyclical based on testing cycles, with the highest numbers typically reported at the end of the week.
Monday’s case count was 50% higher than Monday’s number from last week.
Where the new cases are by county: Baker (2), Benton (10), Clackamas (116), Clatsop (2), Columbia (18), Coos (7), Crook (8), Curry (1), Deschutes (44), Douglas (18), Grant (1), Harney (1), Hood River (6), Jackson (80), Jefferson (8), Josephine (11), Lake (3), Lane (71), Lincoln (3), Linn (15), Malheur (10), Marion (120), Morrow (7), Multnomah (254), Polk (25), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (56), Union (26), Wasco (7), Washington (225), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (17).
New deaths: The 821st fatality is a 57-year-old Marion County man with underlying medical conditions. He tested positive Nov. 13 and died Nov. 21 at Portland VA Medical Center.
The 822nd fatality is a 40-year-old Marion County woman with underlying medical conditions. She tested positive Oct. 11 and died Nov. 20 at Salem Hospital.
The 823rd fatality is an 89-year-old Multnomah County woman with underlying medical conditions. She tested positive Nov. 16 and died Nov. 19 at Adventist Medical Center.
The 824th fatality is a 92-year-old Multnomah County man. He tested positive Nov. 17 and died Nov. 19. Officials were working to determine where he died and whether he had underlying medical conditions.
The 825th fatality is a 96-year-old Marion County woman with underlying medical conditions. She tested positive Nov. 17 and died Nov. 22 at Salem Hospital.
The 826th fatality is a 60-year-old Multnomah County man with underlying medical conditions. He tested positive Nov. 16 and died the same day at his residence.
Not yet included in the state’s count was a man between the ages of 50 and 60 who was incarcerated at the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem. He died at a local hospital Nov. 23.
The prevalence of infections: State officials reported 4,006 new confirmed infections out of 22,377 people tested since data was last reported Friday, equaling an 17.9% positivity rate, the highest the state has measured since the pandemic began.
Last week, the Oregon Health Authority announced a dramatic change to how it would count the number of tests administered in the state, which would drastically lower the state’s positivity rate. It was unclear when the change would go into effect.
Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (202); 10-19 (468); 20-29 (854); 30-39 (768); 40-49 (637); 50-59 (536); 60-69 (322); 70-79 (193); 80 and older (143).
Who’s in the hospital: The state reported 456 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were currently in the hospital Monday. The state also said there were 119 coronavirus patients in intensive care units.
Oregon had 739 empty hospital beds and 175 beds available in intensive care units.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 66,333 confirmed or presumed infections and 826 deaths, among the lowest totals in the nation. To date, 1,013,121 Oregonians have been tested.
— Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale