Oct. 14, 2021
The time for ghosts, goblins and sticky sweets is approaching faster than you can say “Boo!” Okay, maybe not that fast, but it is time to start preparing for a safe Halloween.
This year, if you plan to trick-or-treat or hand out candy, please keep these tips in mind for a fun and healthy outing:
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Get everyone 12 and older vaccinated so they can start to build their immunity.
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Stay outdoors if you gather with people from another household.
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Keep six feet of distance from the zombie dragons and pirates you pass. Even with the best of intentions, it’s hard to predict whether a child will be able to maintain distance while trick-or-treating.
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Wear a proper face covering. A plastic costume mask is not a COVID-safe face covering.
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Remember it’s not safe to wear a costume mask over a face covering, but decorating a child’s face covering might bring an added touch of fun to their costume!
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Also remember it’s not safe for children younger than two to wear a mask.
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Pay attention when going door-to-door. If one house looks a bit crowded with fellow trick-or-treaters, maybe try another house that isn’t as busy.
And here are a few extra considerations:
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Choose practical shoes. Even little ones who ask to be carried on most days may suddenly find that they can’t walk a marathon on Halloween.
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Carry a flashlight or glowstick or put reflective tape on costumes to help other people and drivers spot little goblins and superheroes.
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Discard candy if the wrapper is torn.
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Bring along hand sanitizer to use when needed.
A special note about the one in 13 children living with food allergies: The Teal Pumpkin Project helps make trick-or-treating safer and more inclusive by asking people to offer non-food trinkets and treats that are safe for everyone. You can participate by placing a teal pumpkin on your porch or front steps. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) has more information about living with food allergies here.
Lastly, a reminder to drivers. Please slow down and be alert! Kids are excited and may run into the street. It’s a good day to turn on your headlights early so trick-or-treaters can see you and you can spot them from farther away.
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OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 72.8% of the 9,141 reported COVID-19 cases between Oct. 3 through Oct. 9, occurred in people who were unvaccinated.
There were 2,490 breakthrough cases, accounting for 27.2% of all cases.
The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 47. Sixty-five breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 122 breakthrough cases in people ages 12 to 17.
To date, there have been 30,687 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases is 48. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties.
Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is currently approximately 3.5 times higher than in vaccinated people.
To date, 4.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 1% have died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 81.
Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The number of vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon remains very small when compared to the more than 2.75 million Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The latest breakthrough report can be found here.
This week OHA added three new features to the breakthrough report. Data is now available by vaccine manufacturer, including the number of breakthrough cases and their severity. This report also shows the number of Oregonians who received each vaccine, as well as the number of breakthrough cases per 100,000 vaccinated people.
In addition, OHA has expanded demographic data to include race and ethnicity for breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Finally, OHA added a new map showing cumulative breakthrough cases for each county. In general, breakthrough case counts correspond with population size, vaccination rates, and overall case counts.
Today, OHA published a new weekly dashboard, titled Oregon’s COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Stories. The agency developed this dashboard to highlight COVID-19 case trends as vaccination rates increase.
The dashboard displays COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates, COVID-19 related deaths and the percentage of Oregonians who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine over time.
Specifically, OHA compared the fall 2020 and spring 2021 surges at their peaks for those under 65 years old and those 65 and older. Data indicate the peak case rate per 100,000 for people ages 65 and older was 66% lower during the spring 2021 surge than during the fall 2020 surge. Among people under 65, a group where broad vaccination efforts took place later, the peak case rate was 38% lower during the spring 2021 surge than the fall 2020 surge.
The dashboard presents similar comparisons of hospitalizations and deaths by age group during the fall 2020 and spring 2021 surges. It is important to note that this is a population-level analysis, not an assessment of individual risk. Observing a trend, such as low hospitalization rates in a specific age group, does not mean all individuals in that group will avoid hospitalization or death after contracting COVID-19.
Because the summer 2021 surge is ongoing, a full analysis of its impacts is not yet possible. This analysis will be updated as more data become available.
For additional insights, please visit the Oregon’s COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Stories dashboard, where you can use an “Explore the Data” feature to create your own charts for COVID-19 cases, severe cases and the percentage of Oregonians vaccinated over time.
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently.
- Samples for 477,144 tests have been reported positive.
- Samples for 6,759,861 tests have been reported negative.
Pediatric weekly dashboard update
Today, OHA published its latest dashboard report of pediatric COVID-19 case data in Oregon.
This dashboard replaces the previous report and is published weekly on Thursdays with the most recent full week’s data.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 575, which is 20 fewer than yesterday. There are 146 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one more than yesterday.
There are 56 available adult ICU beds out of 685 total (8% availability) and 289 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,094 (7% availability).
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
Today, OHA reported that 12,696 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Oct. 13. Of that total, 1,071 were initial doses; 1,206 were second doses and 3,624 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 6,760 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Oct. 13.
The seven-day running average is now 10,301 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered 3,144,034 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 1,926,449 doses of Moderna and 221,987 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 2,779,073 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,563,481 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.
Cases and COVID-19 deaths
There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,141, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 1,237 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 347,616.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (11), Benton (26), Clackamas (87), Clatsop (7), Columbia (8), Coos (27), Crook (37), Curry (3), Deschutes (136), Douglas (39), Grant (10), Harney (13), Hood River (10), Jackson (56), Jefferson (21), Josephine (16), Klamath (48), Lake (6), Lane (93), Lincoln (11), Linn (22), Malheur (33), Marion (98), Morrow (4), Multnomah (132), Polk (37), Tillamook (6), Umatilla (75), Union (11), Wallowa (7), Wasco (25), Washington (88), Wheeler (5) and Yamhill (29).
Note: More information about deaths and cases will be included in a follow-up news release
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.
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