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The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday announced 2,437 cases and 21 new deaths from COVID-19, with September shaping up to rival if not overtake August as one of the deadliest months in the pandemic.
Oregon now has an average of 1,840 daily cases, down 21% from the summer peak, while the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 is down 2%.
New modeling released Thursday by Oregon Health & Science University indicates COVID-19-related hospitalizations have peaked. But it could take three months to go from the 1,150 people currently hospitalized to around 100, the number at the start of the summer wave.
In a press conference Thursday, public health officials pointed out that the delta variant was a key factor in the rising death toll.
“The delta variant is very, very contagious. It’s more contagious than the previous variants, ”said Dr. Bukhosi Dube, senior health adviser at the Oregon Health Authority.
And the variant does not only affect individuals in the populations most at risk.
“Over the past four or five weeks, we’ve seen an explosion of cases in pediatric cases,” Dube said. “It accounts for about 13% of all COVID-19 cases. This is a significant deviation from what we have experienced so far from this pandemic, and this deviation is due to the delta variant. Thus, the delta variant is a game-changer.
In recent days, the state has also announced deaths from COVID-19 involving an infant and several people in their 20s and 30s.
State officials continue to urge Oregonians to wear masks and get vaccinated to ensure cases continue to slow.
“If you are going to be outside, while avoiding large crowds, be sure to practice good physical distance, be sure to practice good hand hygiene,” Dube said. “These things prevent you from contracting COVID-19 and, in turn, passing it on to young children who cannot get vaccinated at the moment.”
Where new cases are by county: Baker (22), Benton (27), Clackamas (204), Clatsop (37), Columbia (27), Coos (45), Crook (39), Curry (13), Deschutes (152), Douglas (168), Grant (20), Harney (6), Hood River (8), Jackson (190), Jefferson (21), Josephine (90), Klamath (25), Lake (7), Lane (189), Lincoln (18) , Linn (134), Malheur (75), Marion (203), Morrow (2), Multnomah (203), Polk (98), Tillamook (15), Umatilla (119), Union (22), Wallowa (3) , Wasco (23), Washington (180) and Yamhill (52).
(Click here to see deaths by month).
Who is dead: The state did not immediately release detailed information about the death.
Hospitalizations: 1,150 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, 12 more than Wednesday. That includes 288 people in intensive care, down 12 from Wednesday.
Vaccines: Oregon reported 11,733 newly administered doses, including 4,890 on Wednesday and the rest of the days before.
From the beginning : Oregon has reported 294,392 confirmed or suspected infections and 3,394 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the country. To date, the state has reported 4,928,943 doses of vaccine administered, fully immunizing 2,423,777 people and partially immunizing 240,273 people.
To see more data and trends, visit https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/
-Alexandra Skores
[email protected]; 503-221-8073; @AlexandraSkores
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