Gov. Brown, OHA officials holding COVID-19 news conference
State's total tally rises to one confirmed, six presumptive cases
(Update: Adding news conference)
Gov. Kate Brown will join Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen and other state and local officials for a press conference to give an update on the state’s response to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
When: 11 a.m. TODAY (Sunday, March 8, 2020)
Where: Portland State Office Building, 800 NE Oregon St., Portland, Room 177; Livestream link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I9Dx2Dvqi0
Who:
- Gov. Kate Brown
- OHA Director Patrick Allen
- Paul Cieslak, MD, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations, OHA Public Health Division
For more info: http://healthoregon.org/coronavirus
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon health officials said Saturday they have identified four new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 among residents in Jackson, Klamath and Washington counties.
State and local health officials said they are moving quickly to contact people who may have been in close contact with the individuals who tested as presumptively positive cases.
"Three of the new cases are travel-related; one was a contact of a known case," the Oregon Health Authority's announcement said.
The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory tested 42 samples from 22 people Friday, yielding the four presumptive positive cases and 18 negatives.
The new cases bring to seven the number of confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases recorded in the state.
OHA has begun offering some detailed information on locations, ages and other information about the confirmed or presumptive cases.
As of Saturday, the seven cases included three in Washington County, two in Jackson County and one each in Klamath and Umatilla counties. Five were in the 55-74 age range and two of ages 35-54.
Only two were hospitalized at the time of the presumptive positive test result. Three involved international travel and four did not.
While seven test results have been positive so far in Oregon, 77 results have come back negative and 40 others are still pending among "persons under investigation," according to the Oregon Health Authority.
PUI cases are defined as those with symptoms, but not necessarily the virus, who may have been exposed trough close contact with a confirmed case, travel to an affected region (China, Iran, Italy, Japan or S. Korea) or who have severe respiratory illness requiring hospitalization, with no more likely diagnosis and no identified source of exposure.
The other category is "persons under monitoring" -- those who don't have COVID-19 symptoms but who may have been exposed through close contact with a confirmed case or from travel to mainland China. Oregon currently has 162 in that PUM category and 278 who have completed monitoring without developing symptoms, or were determined to have no risk of contracting the illness.
OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie told NewsChannel 21 on Saturday that while the state has the ability to run 80 tests a day, that actually would test only 40 people, since two samples are taken from persons in each test.
He also said there have been fewer, roughly 10 tests a day in part because some of the requests had not met the criteria, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control expanded in recent days.
Modie also noted there are seven types of coronavirus, one of which, for example, causes 13-15% of cases of the "common cold."
Oregon residents who would like more information on COVID-19 can call 211.
OHA continues to recommend that all people in Oregon take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of many respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza:
- Stay home while you are sick.
- Never visit a hospital or long-term-care facility if you have a fever or cough illness.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.
- Take care of your health overall. Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well and exercising all help your body stay resilient.
- Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the US.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. If you are feeling sick with mild symptoms and do not need to seek medical care, stay home while you recover. If you are sick and plan to seek care, please call before going in for care so arrangements can be made to prevent exposing others. For urgent medical needs, call 911.
For more information:
