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November 17, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 996 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths

More than seven in 10 people in Oregon have now received at least one vaccine dose

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,873, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today. See “Cases and COVID-19 deaths” section below for a correction.

OHA reported 996 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 381,842.

Seventy percent of all Oregonians have received a COVID-19 shot

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than seven in 10 people in Oregon of all age groups have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. As of today, 2,951,568 Oregonians have received a shot. (The CDC’s data differs from Oregon’s, because it accounts for vaccines administered through federal facilities that may not report to Oregon.)

Oregon now ranks 19th among U.S. states and the District of Columbia for the percentage of its total population who are protected by at least one dose of a vaccine. It also ranks 19th among all states and the District of Columbia in the administration of booster doses.

Oregon’s total population vaccination percentage has grown with the recent authorization for children ages five to 11 years to receive the Pfizer pediatric vaccine. As of today, nearly 40,000 five-to-11-year-olds have received at least the initial vaccine dose, which accounts for 11% of all children in that age range.

“Having 70% of all those eligible and living in Oregon vaccinated is great news, especially as we head into the holiday season when families and friends will more likely be gathering together,” said Dr. Tom Jeanne, deputy state epidemiologist, OHA. “OHA urges everyone in Oregon five years and older to get fully vaccinated, so we can better protect everyone, especially those who are most vulnerable, including older adults, our youngest children and people with compromised immune systems.”

Update on test positivity reported on Nov. 16, 2021

Health officials continue to examine the causes, including potential technical issues, that resulted in the 14% test positivity rate reported yesterday. Today’s test positivity rate is 6.5%.

Update to vaccination metrics dashboard tab

OHA has updated the vaccination metrics dashboard’s time to completion tab, which tracks weeks to completion of the primary series for people who have received the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine.

When the dashboard incorporated third and booster doses (as any extra dose), an error occurred in the data processing.

That error made it show that 100% of people who initiated with Moderna or Pfizer completed the series within eight weeks.

OHA has corrected the data processing error and the updated data show 98% of people who received an initial vaccination completed their series.

An example chart is below:

Yesterday

Today

COVID-19 weekly cases, deaths and hospitalizations decline

OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released today, shows a decrease in daily cases, deaths and hospitalizations.

OHA reported 5,839 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Nov. 14. That represents a 12% decrease from the previous week. The decrease occurred, however, in the context of a 17% decrease in testing.

OHA is continuing to investigate technical issues that occurred last weekend, including problems with a server that caused a backlog of electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) waiting to be processed. This backlog played a role in the decrease in total tests reported relative to the previous week.  There were 111,898 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Nov. 7 through Nov. 13. The percentage of positive tests rose slightly to 6.5%, up from 6.4% the previous week.

The overall incidence of reported COVID-19 in Oregon varied by county vaccination rate, but continues to be less in counties with higher vaccination rates and the lowest in the five counties where the vaccination rates were more than 70%.

There were 356 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, down from 378 last week.

There were 183 reported COVID-19-related deaths, down from 243 reported the previous week. The past two weeks of data for COVID-19 related deaths also reflect ongoing data reconciliation of COVID-19-related deaths that primarily occurred from May to August 2021, as reported last month.

Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 69 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 427, which is 25 fewer than yesterday. There are 100 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is eight fewer than yesterday.

There are 66 available adult ICU beds out of 687 total (10% availability) and 246 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,101 (6% 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. 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 19,997 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Nov. 16. Of that total, 2,510 were initial doses, 607 were second doses and 7,145 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 9,668 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Nov. 16.

The seven-day running average is now 17,241 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,413,909 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 36,410 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,146,790 doses of Moderna and 236,982 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,889,792 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,638,071 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

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (17), Clackamas (118), Clatsop (3), Columbia (18), Coos (25), Crook (29), Curry (4), Deschutes (93), Douglas (35), Gilliam (2), Grant (1), Hood River (16), Jackson (72), Jefferson (8), Josephine (26), Klamath (31), Lake (6), Lane (56), Lincoln (18), Linn (41), Malheur (6), Marion (82), Morrow (6), Multnomah (107), Polk (29), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (10), Union (4), Wallowa (1), Wasco (12), Washington (80), Wheeler (4) and Yamhill (24).

Correction: Oregon’s 4,847th and 4,805th COVID-19 related deaths, reported on Nov. 17 and Nov. 16 respectively, were identified to be the same person. Because of this update, we are renumbering our reports to start with 4,855 today.

Oregon’s 4,855th COVID-19 related death is a 60-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive on Aug. 16 and died on Sept. 16 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,856th COVID-19 related death is a 61-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive on Aug. 16 and died on Oct. 24 at St. Charles Bend. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,857th COVID-19 related death is a 65-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on Oct. 30 and died on Nov. 1 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,858th COVID-19 related death is an 87-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on Sept. 30 and died on Oct. 14 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,859th COVID-19 related death is a 62-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 5 and died on Nov. 13 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,860th COVID-19 related death is a 79-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on Oct. 30 and died on Nov. 6 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,861st COVID-19 related death is a 66-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive on Oct. 26 and died on Nov. 13 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,862nd COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on Oct. 16 and died on Nov. 13 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,863rd COVID-19 related death is a 78-year-old man from Lincoln County who tested positive on Jan. 12 and died on Nov. 16 at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,864th COVID-19 related death is a 74-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on Oct. 14 and died on Nov. 15 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,865th COVID-19 related death is a 64-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on Nov. 14 and died on Nov. 15 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,866th COVID-19 related death is a 70-year-old man from Baker County who tested positive on Nov. 9 and died on Nov. 15 at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,867th COVID-19 related death is a 70-year-old woman from Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 8 and died on Nov. 14 at Willamette Valley Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,868th COVID-19 related death is a 67-year-old woman from Yamhill County who tested positive on Oct. 8 and died on Nov. 14 at Willamette Valley Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,869th COVID-19 related death is a 90-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on Sept. 14 and died on Nov. 16 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 4,870th COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on Sept. 12 and died on Nov. 3 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,871st COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old man from Umatilla County who tested positive on Oct. 5 and died on Oct. 31 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,872nd COVID-19 related death is a 77-year-old man from Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 9 and died on Nov. 16 at Salem Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 4,873rd COVID-19 related death is a 45-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on Aug. 17 and died on Sept. 29 at Adventist Health Portland. 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 our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

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