Oregon reports 3 more COVID-19 related deaths, 1,076 new cases; modeling points to sharp rise

But vaccine immunity helping prevent further spread, officials say; masks, avoiding large gathering also curb increase

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,858, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday. 

OHA also reported 1,076 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing the state total to 219,755.

Newest COVID-19 modeling report shows sharply higher increases in daily cases and hospitalizations

On Friday, OHA released its latest COVID-19 forecast, which projects sharply higher COVID-19 associated hospitalizations and daily cases through Aug. 17.

According to the model, the effective reproduction rate – the expected number of secondary cases that a single case generates – was estimated at 1.58 through July 14, more than double the 0.74 reported through mid-June.

At that same level of transmission, over the next two weeks, daily cases would continue to rapidly increase to 390 cases per 100,000 people, or an estimated 1,170 daily cases and 95 new hospitalizations per day. 

According to the report, “Vaccine immunity is helping prevent further spread of COVID-19.” By removing people with immunity from the model calculations, the rate of average rate of infection projects to 3.18 over the same time period. 

Also, according to the report, even if the delta variant grew to comprise 95% of new cases, the adoption of protective measures such as wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings, would curb the projected increase in hospitalizations and daily cases. 

“Today’s modeling report, although sobering, confirms the importance of protecting ourselves and others by getting vaccinated against COVID-19,” State Public Health Officer and Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said. 

“By vaccinating more people, we can more quickly drive down hospitalizations and new cases,” he said.

Vaccinations in Oregon

OHA reported Friday that 6,702 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 3,404 doses were administered on Thursday and 3,298 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on July 29.

The seven-day running average is now 4,697 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 2,656,887 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,784,178 first and second doses of Moderna and 181,017 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of Friday, 2,486,197 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,308,566 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

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).

To date, 3,019,095 doses of Pfizer, 2,299,680 doses of Moderna and 299,100 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated Friday.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 298, which is 13 more than Thursday. There are 97 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 13 more than Thursday.

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.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

St. Charles Bend reported 22 COVID-19 patients as of early Friday, five of whom were in the ICU, with three on ventilators.

OHA working with county, state and Tribal public officials on outbreak linked to recent music festival

OHA is investigating a COVID-19 outbreak associated with the Pendleton Whisky Music Fest held in Pendleton on July 10. 

Cases have been identified among residents of Umatilla, Morrow, Union and Wallowa counties, and Washington state. 

OHA is working with local, state and Tribal public health partners to identify other cases in people who may have attended the music festival. As of Friday, OHA is aware of 58 COVID-19 cases in people who attended the event. 

This outbreak is the first one of its size and scope to be traced to an outdoor entertainment event since the lifting of statewide COVID-19 prevention measures at the end of June. 

The outbreak highlights the importance of protective actions Oregonians can take to limit the spread of and their potential exposure to COVID-19, including wearing masks and getting vaccinated with any of the authorized vaccines that are widely available in every Oregon county.

In Oregon this month, OHA has recorded a large increase in COVID-19 cases. That rise is linked to the spread of the delta variant, which now accounts for 80% of Oregon’s of new cases.

In response to the resurgence of COVID-19 in Oregon, OHA recommended this week that all persons, regardless of their vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in public spaces. OHA also encourages all Oregonians to consider masking if they plan to attend crowded outdoor events like fairs, sporting events, outdoor theater performances, rodeos or concerts, especially if they are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19 or live with individuals who are unvaccinated or at higher risk for complications from COVID-19.

To learn more about the rise of cases throughout Oregon, driven by the prevalence of the Delta variant identified among new infections, see a rebroadcast of OHA’s Facebook Live conversation Thursday with two of our senior health advisors, Drs. Paul Cieslak and Tom Jeanne.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Friday are in the following counties: Baker (22), Benton (21), Clackamas (77), Clatsop (13), Columbia (6), Coos (15), Crook (7), Curry (12), Deschutes (40), Douglas (57), Grant (1),  Harney (2), Hood River (9), Jackson (188), Jefferson (6), Josephine (33), Klamath (3), Lane (81), Lincoln (9), Linn (29), Malheur (5), Marion (46), Morrow (7), Multnomah (134), Polk (20), Sherman (1), Tillamook (13), Umatilla (82), Union (22), Wallowa (10), Wasco (15), Washington (76), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (12). 

Oregon’s 2,856th COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on July 11 and died on July 21 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. He had underlying conditions. 

Oregon’s 2,857th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on July 12 and died on July 28 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions. 

Oregon’s 2,858th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old woman from Clackamas County who tested positive on July 19 and died on July 20 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

OHA does not report the vaccination status of people in our daily update of COVID-19 related deaths. However, statewide data show that people who remain unvaccinated are at much greater risk of infection and severe illness.

In June, 92% of the 7,241 COVID-19 cases and 94% of the 63 COVID-19-associated deaths occurred in unvaccinated Oregonians. On the first Thursday of each month, OHA publishes an update on vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon. The findings shared in our last report, from July 1, indicate that this number remains very small when compared to the more than 2.3 million people who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination series.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

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