The Oregon Health Authority reported 282 presumed and confirmed coronavirus cases and four deaths on Wednesday.
Oregon’s caseload continues to climb with overall COVID-19 infections growing by 7% percent over the past week. The state also reported 22 people died from the virus between July 6 and July 12 – double the number who died during the prior week.
The weekly report also showed that after five weeks of increasing hospitalization rates, the average has “plateaued.” Officials attribute this to increased testing and the fact that most Oregonians currently being infected are young people, who are less likely to be hospitalized.
The report comes on the first day of new mandates set by Gov. Kate Brown Monday requiring Oregonians to wear masks when it is impossible to keep 6-foot physical distance from people outside their household and banning indoor gatherings of 10 or more people.
The new mandate does not apply to religious services or businesses, Brown said in a press conference Monday.
New cases by county: Baker (1), Benton (1), Clackamas (24), Columbia (2), Coos (2), Crook (1), Deschutes (12), Douglas (4), Jackson (9), Jefferson (2), Josephine (1), Klamath (1), Lane (9), Lincoln (2), Linn (2), Malheur (15), Marion (38), Morrow (3), Multnomah (59), Polk (4), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (27), Union (4), Wasco (2), Washington (50), and Yamhill (6).
New fatalities: Oregon’s 244th victim of the coronavirus is a 63-year-old man in Deschutes County, state officials reported Wednesday. He died at St. Charles Medical Center June 14 the day after he tested positive. He had unspecified underlying health conditions.
The 245th death from COVID-19 in Oregon is a 61-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive April 13. He had unspecified underlying health conditions and died in his home May 6.
An 85-year-old woman in Multnomah County is Oregon’s 246th death from the coronavirus. She tested positive June 28 and died at Providence Portland Medical Center June 20. She had unspecified underlying health conditions.
The 247th victim of COVID-19 in Oregon is a 61-year-old woman in Douglas County who tested positive June 28 and died July 12 at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. She, too, had unspecified underlying health conditions.
Prevalence of infection: State officials reported that 6,309 people were tested for the coronavirus since yesterday with 255 coming back positive, which amounts to a positivity rate of 4%.
Who got infected: Since yesterday, state officials reported 276 new coronavirus cases among the following ages: 0-9 (11); 10-19 (35); 20-29 (65); 30-39 (37); 40-49 (44); 50-59 (40); 60-69 (23); 70-79 (9); 80 and older (12).
Who’s in the hospital: State officials reported on Wednesday that 146 Oregonians are currently hospitalized with the coronavirus. State officials reported that the increase in hospitalizations has finally plateaued after increasing for five consecutive weeks. Hundreds of hospital beds and ventilators remain available.
Since it began: State officials have now reported 13,081 cases of the coronavirus in Oregon. In all, 311,111 Oregonians have been tested.
— Bryce Dole; bdole@oregonian.com; 541-660-9844; @DoleBryce