The Oregon Health Authority on Friday reported 10,451 new COVID cases – another single-day record – as health officials doubled down on a warning that the omicron variant “is a potent threat to all of us.”
The OHA reported 33 new deaths as well.
State Health Officer and Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger and other state health officials met with the media Friday morning to talk about the latest, bleak numbers.
“The highly contagious Omicron variant is driving an alarming spike in COVID-19 infections, virus-related hospitalizations, and test positivity, that we have seen in recent days,” Sidelinger said.
Locally, Deschutes County reported a record 940 cases and six new deaths.
Oregon’s 5,729th COVID-19-related death is a 47-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 20 and died Nov. 17 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 5,730th COVID-19-related death is a 74-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Nov. 17 and died Nov. 19 at St. Charles Bend. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 5,733rd COVID-19-related death is a 77-year-old woman from Deschutes County who tested positive Nov. 8 and died Nov. 18 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 5,737th COVID-19-related death is a 61-year-old woman from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 28 and died Nov. 19 at St. Charles Bend. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 5,738th COVID-19-related death is a 75-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 23 and died Nov. 21 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 5,743rd COVID-19-related death is a 78-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Nov. 6 and died Nov. 27 at St. Charles Bend Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
Currently, there are 6,883 active COVID cases in Deschutes County – that’s 1 in 28 residents.
Crook County added 35 new cases while Jefferson County reported 63 new cases.
The state is averaging nearly 5,000 new COVID cases each day over the last week.
As of yesterday, the 7-day average for new cases over the last month increased 373%, according to health officials.
“Omicron is a potent threat to all of us,” Sidelinger said. “While a person who gets sick with omicron may be less likely to be hospitalized than if they were sick with the delta variant, it will sicken many more people, at a much faster pace, increasing hospitalizations. It will disrupt lives.”
Sidelinger once again urged Oregonians to get vaccinated.
“If you are unvaccinated, consider this a red alert,” he said. “You are in greater danger of getting the virus and of passing it along to others than at any time in the pandemic.”
COVID-19 hospitalizations
St. Charles on Friday reported it had 36 COVID patients; three are in the ICU and two are on ventilators.
Of those 36 patients, eight are fully vaccinated.
**A person is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 ≥ two weeks after receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) or ≥ two weeks after receipt of the single dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.**
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 625, which is 37 more than yesterday. There are 119 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine more than yesterday.
There are 47 available adult ICU beds out of 660 total (7% availability) and 219 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,075 (5% availability).
|
1/7/2022 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 |
47 (7%) |
20 (6%) |
8 (9%) |
10 (11%) |
4 (7%) |
0 (0%) |
2 (5%) |
3 (12%) |
|
Adult non-ICU beds available |
219 (5%) |
18 (1%) |
6 (1%) |
66 (12%) |
34 (8%) |
2 (4%) |
47 (12%) |
46 (39%) |
Statewide regions are as follows:
Region 1: Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook and Washington counties
Region 2: Benton, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties
Region 3: Coos, Curry, Douglas and Lane counties
Region 5: Jackson and Josephine counties
Region 6: Hood River, Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco counties
Region 7: Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake and Wheeler counties
Region 9: Baker, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties
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. 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
Today, OHA reported that 20,571 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry Jan. 6. Of that total, 1,898 were initial doses, 1,564 were second doses and 8,328 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 8,402 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry Jan. 6.
The seven-day running average is now 11,060 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered 3,854,007 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 175,745 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,542,563 doses of Moderna and 258,438 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 3,065,845 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,782,464 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 today.
