Oregon reports 4 more COVID-19 deaths, 197 cases; Johnson & Johnson vaccine due

State estimates 34,000 doses of single-dose vaccine due this week

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- There are four new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,212, the Oregon Health Authority reported Monday, also confirming 34,000 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected this week.

OHA reported 197 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total to 155,787.

Oregon to receive Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine has received an Emergency Use Authorization from the federal government, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine available for use in the United States.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the first single-dose vaccine against COVID-19. It can be stored in a refrigerator for months, making it easier to distribute, without the need for ultra-cold storage.  

OHA estimates Oregon will receive 34,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. OHA is working with Local Public Health Authorities, state retail pharmacy partners and hospital systems to administer the vaccine.

It is anticipated that less of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available in the next few weeks, following this week’s initial allocation. OHA is planning for strategic deployment of the vaccine to speed up vaccinations in Oregon.

“Having access to a third highly effective COVID-19 vaccine is a game changing development for Oregonians,’ said Paul Cieslak, M.D, medical director for communicable diseases and immunization with the OHA Public Health Division. “We believe this vaccine is effective against the virus, and a one-dose regimen will allow us to vaccinate more Oregonians more quickly.”

The process for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine review and approval was the same as it was for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The company submitted its application for EUA on Feb. 4.  

In its review of Johnson & Johnson’s application, the FDA reported the vaccine was 66% effective for moderate to severe/critical COVID-19 in all groups across all regions studied, starting at 28 days after vaccination. The observed efficacy in the United States was 72%. The clinical trial involved 43,783 participants in the United States, Latin America, Brazil and South Africa.

“The best thing is that this one-dose vaccine was 85% efficacious in preventing severe COVID-19,” Dr. Cieslak said.

Reported vaccine side effects include pain at the injection site, mild to moderate headache, fatigue and muscle aches.

Vaccinations in Oregon

OHA reported that 13,794 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added Monday to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 6,169 doses were administered on Sunday and 7,625 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Sunday.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support 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 986,816 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 1,241,415 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated Monday.

St. Charles Health System reported 27,409 COVID-19 vaccinations given as of early Monday.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 132, which is two fewer than Sunday. There are 27 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one more than Sunday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

St. Charles Bend reported 11 COVID-19 patients as of 4 a.m. Monday, one of whom was in the ICU but not on a ventilator.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Test reporting change provides more detailed estimate of COVID-19 testing in Oregon

OHA continues to adapt how it reports COVID test results to provide a more detailed estimate of testing volume and percent positivity. The change will add test results reported via the Oregon COVID-19 Reporting Portal (OCRP) to the current Electronic Lab Reports (ELRs) totals.

OHA changed from the person-based test counts (i.e., number of people who test positive, negative, total people tested) to test-based counts on Dec. 3 by reporting the number of positive, negative and total COVID-19 electronic laboratory reports, representing the majority of COVID-19 test results reported statewide.

COVID-19 test results may also be reported by the secure, web-based confidential reporting system: Oregon COVID-19 Reporting Portal (OCRP). These reports were automatically routed to the appropriate local health department for public health action. Recent database improvements have made reporting these additional data possible.

These additional testing data will be published starting Monday in the Tableau dashboards and in risk level metrics for schools and counties. While there may be some changes to previously reported test positivity rates, case counts, and case rates have not changed.

OHA recommends that all Oregonians continue to follow the safe practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That includes wearing a mask or face covering, maintain physical distancing, minimize indoor social get-togethers, stay home if you feel sick, and frequently wash your hands.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Clackamas (19), Columbia (5), Coos (6), Deschutes (4), Douglas (11), Jackson (12), Jefferson (2), Josephine (3), Lane (33), Lincoln (1), Linn (2), Marion (20), Multnomah (16), Polk (3), Umatilla (1), Washington (54) and Yamhill (1).

Oregon’s 2,209th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Feb. 22 and died on Feb. 28 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,210th COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Feb.12 and died on Feb. 28 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,211th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Feb. 25 and died on Feb. 27 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,212th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Feb. 8 and died on Feb. 21 at Providence Portland Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit OHA's webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.