The Oregon Health Authority announced 624 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 17 new deaths, pushing the coronavirus deaths in the state to 2,019.
The news comes just two days before Oregon will allow widespread vaccination for people 80 and older. Oregon will be one of the last states in the country to begin vaccinating seniors after government Kate Brown qualified teachers and other early teachers earlier in the process in an effort to reopen schools, even as federal officials have said that schools can reopen safely without vaccinating teachers.
But even as Oregon prepares to make vaccines available to seniors, proponents are concerned that the state does not have a targeted plan to ensure that vulnerable seniors can be vaccinated. Officials in Oregon are expecting a bumpy rollout, as other states have seen, as the state begins vaccinating some seniors on Monday.
The 17 deaths announced Saturday – a day after Oregon passed the grim COVID-19 mark of 2,000 deaths – were all among people 63 or older, including seven who were older than 80.
Where the new cases are by province: Baker (2), Benton (24), Clackamas (51), Clatsop (5), Columbia (3), Coos (12), Crook (5), Curry (3), Deschutes (28), Douglas (18), Harney (1), Jackson (40), Jefferson (8), Josephine (27), Klamath (11), Lake (9), Lane (62), Lincoln (5), Linn (18), Malheur (4), Marion (56), Multnomah (93), Polk (23), Umatilla (30), Union (6), Wallowa (3), Wasco (5), Washington (55) and Yamhill (17).
Who died: The 2,003rd fatality is a 97-year-old Yamhill County man who tested positive on Jan. 22 and died on Jan. 31 at the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
The 2,004th death is an 82-year-old Josephine County woman who tested positive on Jan. 22 and died on Jan. 28 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
The 2005 fatal accident is an 86-year-old man from Crook County who tested positive on January 19 and died on February 5 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.
The 2006 fatal accident is an 85-year-old Polk County man who tested positive on Jan. 18 and died in his hometown on Feb. 1.
The 2,007th fatal accident is a 64-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on Jan. 17 and died on Jan. 30 at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
The 2008th fatal accident is an 85-year-old man from Curry County who died in his hometown on Jan. 26.
The 2,009th COVID-19 fatality is a 69-year-old Clackamas County man who tested positive on Jan. 6 and died on Feb. 4 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
The 2010th fatality is a 71-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive on Jan. 13 and died on Jan. 29 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
The 2011 fatality is a 63-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on January 4 and died in her hometown on January 29.
The 2012th fatality is a 65-year-old woman in Morrow County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Feb. 2 at Kadlec Regional Medical Center. She had no underlying conditions.
The 2013th fatal accident is an 88-year-old Wallowa County man who tested positive on January 8 and died in his hometown on February 2.
The 2014th fatal accident is a 79-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 31 and died in his hometown on January 27.
The 2015th fatality is a 76-year-old Douglas County woman who tested positive on December 28 and died in her hometown on January 19.
The 2016th fatal accident is a 76-year-old Josephine County man who tested positive on December 28 and died in his hometown on January 16.
The 2017th fatality is an 82-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on December 25 and died in her hometown on January 28.
The 2018th is a 68-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on November 16 and died in her hometown on January 28. Her death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or as a major condition contributing to death, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
The 19th fatality is a 76-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on December 13 and died in her hometown on February 2.
Unless noted above, each person who died had underlying health conditions or state officials were in the process of determining whether the person had underlying medical conditions.
Prevalence of infections: On Saturday, the state reported 680 new positive tests out of 20,960 tests performed, which equates to a positivity rate of 3.2%.
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 228 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were hospitalized Saturday, 10 fewer than Friday. Of these, 52 coronavirus patients were in intensive care, seven fewer than Friday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon administered 532,451 first and second doses of the 734,950 doses received, representing 72.4% of the supply. Oregon reported 22,871 newly administered doses, of which 18,895 on Friday and the remainder of previous days.
Since it started: Oregon has reported 146,741 confirmed or suspected infections and 2,019 deaths, one of the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported more than 3,271,000 lab reports of tests.
– Jamie Goldberg | [email protected] | @jamiebgoldberg