October 16, 2020
Some people have questions about Oregon’s reporting about COVID-19 death data. During a media briefing today, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen explained the way COVID-19 deaths are reported in Oregon. The reporting is similar to the way CDC and other state health agencies record them.
“Before going into the details, I want to say that like all Oregonians, OHA staff is saddened by each COVID-19 related death in our state and we marked with sorrow the milestone of the 600th death this week,” Allen said. “For each person who passes away, a life is cut short and a community of loved ones, friends and neighbors is left behind grieving. We send our condolences to all those who have lost someone to COVID-19.”
OHA relies on several different data sources to report COVID-19 related deaths accurately, such as reports from hospitals and long-term care facilities, reports from local public health authorities, and information from death certificates. In many instances, there are several information points that lead us to denote a death as COVID-19 related.
The goal in noting that a person died with COVID-19 is to ensure that we’re tracking the data, and to ensure that people who were in contact with the person with the COVID-19 diagnosis are clear on steps they need to take to protect themselves from the disease. This is standard practice in infectious disease reporting.
Today, OHA released its latest update to the modeling projections which show that COVID-19 has continued to spread in Oregon over the past several weeks and has the potential to continue to keep increasing in its spread.
The model examined three scenarios:
- The first scenario assumes that if transmission continues at its current level for the next several weeks, new infections and cases will increase substantially. The model suggests new infections would increase to 2,200 from 1,300 and daily reported cases will increase to 570. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 would increase to 40 a day. The reproductive rate would remain at 1.15.
- The next scenario assumes a 5-percentage point increase in transmission. Daily infections would increase to 3,400 and 740 daily reported cases. Hospitalizations would increase to 48 per day. The reproductive rate would be 1.30.
- The most optimistic scenario assumes a drop in transmission by 10 percentage points. That would result in 1,400 daily infections amounting to about 290 daily reported cases. Hospitalizations would drop to 20 per day. The reproduction rate would drop to 0.88.
COVID-19 has claimed six more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 617, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 418 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 38,935.
The new cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (2), Clackamas (45), Columbia (3), Coos (5), Crook (1), Curry (1), Deschutes (18), Douglas (5), Jackson (18), Jefferson (3), Klamath (2), Lane (53), Linn (12), Malheur (17), Marion (35), Morrow (5), Multnomah (86), Polk (13), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (17), Wasco (2), Washington (58) and Yamhill (14).
Oregon’s 612th COVID-19 death is a 50-year-old man in Jefferson County who tested positive on Oct. 6 and died on Oct. 14, in his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 613th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Sept. 24 and died on Oct. 12, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 614th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Curry County who tested positive on Oct. 5 and died on Oct. 12. Place of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 615th COVID-19 death is a 65-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Aug. 7 and died on Sept. 23, at Providence Portland Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
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