Oregon reports nine more COVID-19 related deaths, 1,343 new cases

(Update: Adding weekly report; highest weekly death toll since January)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- There are nine new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,235, the Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday.

OHA also reported 1,343 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 354,681.

COVID-19 weekly cases and hospitalizations decline, deaths rise

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released Wednesday, shows decreases in daily cases and hospitalizations and an increase in deaths.

OHA reported 8,033 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Oct. 11 through Sunday, Oct. 17. That represents an 11% decrease from the previous week and the seventh consecutive week of declining case counts.

The incidence of reported COVID-19 was higher in Oregon counties with population vaccination rates less than 50%.

There were 377 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, down from 416 last week, which marks a 9% reduction and the sixth consecutive week of declines.

There were 183 reported COVID-19 related deaths, up from 179 reported the previous week. This was the highest weekly death toll since the week of Jan. 11–17.

There were 139,727 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Oct. 10 through Oct. 16.  The percentage of positive tests was 7.6%, down from 8.1% the previous week.

Wednesday’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 127 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 568, which is six more than Tuesday. There are 126 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 4 fewer than Tuesday.

There are 63 available adult ICU beds out of 703 total (9% availability) and 267 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,113 (6% availability). 

10/20/2021 Available Beds (and Percentage of Staffed Beds Available)
	Statewide	Region 1	Region 2	Region 3	Region 5	Region 6	Region 7	Region 9
Adult ICU beds available	63 (9%)	34 (9%)	5 (6%)	12 (13%)	1 (2%)	1 (10%)	2 (4%)	8 (31%)
Adult non-ICU beds available	267 (6%)	59 (3%)	14 (2%)	76 (13%)	30 (7%)	4 (8%)	50 (12%)	34 (29%)

St. Charles reported 76 COVID-19 patients as of early Wednesday, 17 of whom were in the ICU, with 15 on ventilators. None of the 17 ICU patients were fully vaccinated, while 58 of the 76 patients were not fully vaccinated.

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.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain responding to the current surge in COVID-19. You can find a test here.  

If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.  

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

OHA reported Wednesday that 13,077 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Tuesday. Of that total, 950 were initial doses, 967 were second doses and 3,360 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 7,752 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Tuesday.

The seven-day running average is now 9,343 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,195,848 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 1,933,674 doses of Moderna and 223,599 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of Wednesday, 2,791,014 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,577,281 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

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

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday are in the following counties: Baker (15), Benton (17), Clackamas (108), Clatsop (12), Columbia (11), Coos (26), Crook (17), Curry (4), Deschutes (111), Douglas (60), Gilliam (1), Harney (2), Hood River (10), Jackson (76), Jefferson (30), Josephine (28), Klamath (52), Lake (7), Lane (79), Lincoln (18), Linn (59), Malheur (44), Marion (155), Morrow (7), Multnomah (132), Polk (51), Sherman (2), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (44), Union (8), Wallowa (6), Wasco (17), Washington (105) and Yamhill (25).

Oregon’s 4,227th COVID-19 related death is a 70-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive on Oct. 4 and died on Oct. 15 at Kadlec Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,228th COVID-19 related death is a 95-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 9 and died on Oct. 18 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,229th COVID-19 related death is a 67-year-old man from Linn County who tested positive on Sept. 26 and died on Oct. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,230th COVID-19 related death is a 75-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive on Oct. 12 and died on Oct. 18 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,231st COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on Sept. 30 and died on Oct. 19 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,232nd COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on Sept. 10 and died on Oct. 9 at Providence Medford Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,233rd COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive on Aug. 9 and died on Aug. 23 at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Calif. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,234th COVID-19 related death is a 63-year-old man from Grant County who tested positive on Sept. 16 and died on Oct. 15 at St. Charles Bend Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,235th COVID-19 related death is a 68-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on Oct. 10 and died on Oct. 18 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

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.