Oregon hits new COVID-19 death, case records; 1,000s of vaccine doses expected soon

(Update: More from news conference)

First doses will go to front-line health care workers, long-term care facilities

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials had both grim new record COVID-19 death and case counts to share Friday and hopeful news of thousands of doses of the first two vaccines due to arrive in the state this month, pending federal approval.

“We are not out of this crisis yet,” Brown said. “The hardest days still lie ahead.”

Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen noted the “grim milestone” of 30 deaths being reported Friday, another daily record, pushing the tally past 1,000 and 2,176 new cases, also a new record and breaking the 80,000 mark since the pandemic began.

Brown said, “We are all so ready for this to be over.”

But she added, “Our newest modeling confirms our worst fears. Things could get much worse before most of us are vaccinated, and likely will. It’s certainly possible that by Christmas, we will be reporting double the case rates we are seeing now -- and when I think about that, I am just horrified.

"We are on the brink of a full-blown crisis. The data proves this.”

And that is despite finding that more than 84% of Oregonians are wearing a mask, transportation around the state is down 35%. Cellphone data shows fewer people are going to offices and more are staying home.

“Many of you are taking the right steps to stop the spread,” Brown said, again offering thanks: “Your actions are making a difference and saving lives. We just need you to hold on a little bit longer, because hope is on the way.”

That hope is the two vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, “on the precipice of FDA approval,” she said. The first 106,000 doses of the two vaccines are due for shipment to Oregon in the next couple weeks, if the FDA gives approval.

“Certainly, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel,” Brown said.

The top priority for getting the vaccine will be front-line health care workers and long-term care residents and workers. “We anticipate that all Oregonians in these settings will have an opportunity to be vaccinated by the end of January,” Brown said.

“As the vaccine becomes more available, we will explore how to use the vaccine to get kids back in classrooms as quickly as possible,” she added.

But Brown stressed that the vaccines’ arrival won’t end the pandemic. “Right now and for the foreseeable future, the only way to slow the spread is to take safety precautions until vaccine is widely available and administered, and this is going to take time.

“I’m asking you all to buckle down just a little bit longer. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re certainly not there yet, and we have to keep at it.”

Officials said about 35,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are due to ship to Oregon Dec. 15 and the following week, about 71,000 of the Moderna vaccine. Brown said a West Coast Scientific Safety Review Workgroup will confirm each FDA approval.

But based on the rising case count, OHA Director Patrick Allen said, “The toughest times in the crisis for our state lie ahead.”

Rachael Banks, director of OHA’s Public Health Division, said the state has been busy preparing and “will be ready when vaccines arrive.” She noted that studies have found the Moderna vaccine was 100% effective to prevent the most severe disease from COVID-19 infections.

But the current transmission rate of 1.25, even if it doesn’t rise from post-Thanksgiving diagnosed cases, means the virus is already “expanding at an exponential rate, wider and faster,” Banks said, meaning we could see over 2,000 cases daily.

If the transmission rate rises to the 1.5 level seen in late October and stays there, the state could see an average 2,700 new cases a day and 110 deaths per day by Dec. 24, Banks said.

Hospitals remain in a “precarious” situation, she said, “on pace to over-top capacity unless we turn around soon.”

Allen said it’s not yet known how quickly the ongoing vaccine supply will ramp up beyond the first doses, as just this week, Pfizer cited some supply-chain issues that could affect those numbers.

As it appears, Allen said, “it’s going to be a while until vaccines are available” to Oregonians beyond front-line workers, Allen said. But when the doses do ramp up, they will be available not just at hospitals, but in multiple locations – and because the vaccine was purchased by the federal government, there won’t be a cost to get it.

Allen also cautioned that “very, very frequently” in this crisis, the initial federal numbers of what was going to be available, from PPEs (personal protective gear) to supplies, were “not an accurate number … more aspirational. We hope that’s not the case” this time.

On a related topic, Gov. Brown said she was meeting with lawmakers again Friday about the possibility of a special session to address COVID-19 issues. But she said, “I want to see support from Democrats and Republicans for the work that needs to be done. Hopefully we’ll know in the next few days.”