July 3rd COVID-19 Update

July 3, 2020

Dear Neighbors and Friends:

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, staying healthy, and looking out for your neighbors and friends.

I spent much of the afternoon waiting for comprehensive new COVID numbers from OHA, and then remembered that today is the “official” Fourth of July, and most public agencies are closed till Monday.  Nevertheless, OHA did release some information for the day, as they will over the weekend.  We learned that for the second day in a row we have more than 300 new cases; however, that’s with the number of test results coming in the more normal range of just over 4,000, so our rate of infections has gone back up.  Fortunately, no deaths were reported today.  We don’t have new hospitalization data, but will be able to catch up on that on Monday.

Until then, I hope you have a happy, safe holiday weekend.  Stay careful and vigilant, please.

TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

• Positive Cases: OHA reports today that 344 additional Oregonians have either tested positive for COVID or are presumed positive due to symptoms while awaiting test results.  The cumulative total for those testing positive and presumed positive is now 9,636.
• Total Tests: The cumulative total number of positive cases and negative tests in Oregon is now 254,732, an increase of 4,095.
• Ratio: The percentage of positive results for the four days since Thursday is 8.4%. (This includes those presumed positive, so will likely come down somewhat when we get the exact number of positive tests on Monday.) The national percentage is 7.8%. See below for a graph showing Oregon’s daily percentage changes over the last 14 days. 
• Deaths: I’m happy to report 0 additional deaths due to the coronavirus.  The total number of deaths in Oregon remains at 209.
• Hospitalized: OHA is not reporting new hospitalization numbers today, so for now the cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID remains at 1,069.
• Presumptive Cases: OHA is now including “presumptive COVID-19 cases” in its daily reports, consistent with recently amended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A presumptive case is someone who does not yet have a positive PCR test result but is showing symptoms and has had close contact with a confirmed case. If they later test positive by PCR, those will be recategorized as confirmed cases.  
• Other Hospital Information: The numbers from yesterday will remain unchanged until Monday. 
  • Patients Currently w COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 173 (19 fewer than yesterday). Of those, 116 have already received a positive test back, 10 more than on yesterday.
  • Available ICU Beds: 168 (8 fewer than yesterday).
  • Other Available Beds: 827 (39 more than yesterday).
  • ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 52 (10 fewer than yesterday).
  • COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 25 (1 more than yesterday).
  • Available Ventilators: 806 (22 more than yesterday).
• Dashboards
  • Oregon (OHA)
  • Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, & Yamhill Counties
• Today’s National Numbers:
  • Total Tests: 34,213,497 (up 751,316 from yesterday).
  • Positive Tests: 2,786,059 (up 58,431 from yesterday).
  • Deaths: 122,158 (up 661 from yesterday).
  • These national numbers come from the COVID Tracking Project. You can follow their updated numbers for each, state and the nation as a whole here.
• PPE:
  • In the last 24 hours the Emergency Coordination Center has not received any additional Personal Protective Equipment. You can track the history of incoming and outgoing PPE shipments here.
• Additional Brief Updates:
  • The Governor announced today that eight counties will be placed on a “Watch List” for potential further restrictions: Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wasco. These are largely rural counties where large outbreaks have led to community spread. State and local health officials will closely monitor the situation in these counties in coming days and prioritize additional resources to suppress the virus in these hotspot communities.

Governor Calls for Added Enforcement This Weekend

The Governor’s office told media today that bars, restaurants, and other businesses throughout the state can expect spot checks by Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) staff during the holiday weekend to make sure that businesses and customers are following regulations around distancing and face covering.  Staff from Oregon OSHA will also be doing spot checks.

Here’s what the Governor had to say in her statement:  “I am asking Oregonians this holiday weekend to take urgent steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing face coverings, avoiding large gatherings, and physically distancing.  And state enforcement agencies will be out in force to ensure businesses are in compliance. Those businesses not complying with gathering size limits, face covering requirements, physical distancing rules, and other standards face stiff penalties.”

As you’ll see from the next item, I don’t believe the Governor has any desire to punish people or punish businesses.  But it is important that businesses do everything they can to follow the guidances that were generated by the Governor’s medical team.

Governor’s Statement Regarding State Troopers and Masks

Many of you probably heard about four Oregon State Police Troopers in Corvallis who chose not to wear face coverings at a coffee shop. One of them made very inflammatory remarks about the requirement and the governor.  Superintendent Travis Hampton has indicated that this trooper has been put on administrative leave while being investigated for discipline.  Many have been wondering what was going to happen to the other three.

The answer came in a Facebook post, in which the Governor reported that she had invited them to Mahonia Hall for a sit-down.  She made the following comment in the post:

In the world of social media, it’s easy to condemn someone when they make a mistake and keep scrolling by. But you can judge a person’s character by whether they own up and make things right.

This week several Oregon State Police officers made headlines when they ignored my face covering requirement. I’m focused on saving lives, not firing people for making a single mistake. So today I invited three of them to sit down with me at Mahonia.

We talked about kids, our families, and the importance of setting a good example. They took responsibility and expressed real regret for their actions. And they pledged to do better.

Here’s the thing: We’re all having to make adjustments to slow the spread of COVID-19. None of this fun and some of it is really hard. But wearing a face covering to protect those around us? That’s easy. The officers and I agreed today that face coverings save lives. So you’ll see them – and me – wearing a face covering each and every day until we beat this virus.

I applaud the Governor for taking this approach.  Nobody should lose their job simply for not following the rules one time.  But they should learn to do the right thing.  And certainly, if they are part of state law enforcement, they should set the right example.

Recent Data on Sporadic COVID-19 Spread by County

One of the things that has OHA most concerned right now is the degree to which the disease is spreading in ways that can’t be traced to specific outbreaks.  “Sporadic cases,” also known as “community spread” cases, are those which cannot be pinpointed to a specific outbreak (e.g., in a long-term care facility, workplace, or correctional institution), but are likely being spread by social contact. 

OHA provided us with a chart today showing the rate of “sporadic” cases in each county. The chart looks at the rate for each county for the cases that were reported between June 18 and July 1.  For comparison purposes, they are then scaled up or down to a rate per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a standard rate used in national reporting.  You’ll see the actual number of new cases for this period, the total case rate per 100K, then the sporadic case rate per 100K.

The chart includes the top 30 counties and goes from most intense sporadic case rate to least intense. 

Where Are Today’s New Cases?

If we put together the positive test results and new “presumptive” cases reported today, the overall number of new cases is 344. Again, 2/3 of the cases are outside of the Portland Metro area. Twenty-eight of the state’s 36 counties reported at least one new case today.  Here is the breakdown by county for today:

Benton (7)

Clackamas (22)

Clatsop (1)

Columbia (3)

Coos (1)

Crook (1)

Deschutes (9)

Douglas (1)

Jackson (9)

Jefferson (5)

Josephine (3)

Klamath (2)

Lake (1)

Lane (16)

Lincoln (18)

Linn (2)

Malheur (20)

Marion (32)

Morrow (10)

Multnomah (59)

Polk (5)

Sherman (1)

Tillamook (1)

Umatilla (49)

Union (8)

Wallowa (2)

Wasco (10)

Washington (46)

Yamhill (1)

Additional Graphs:

Want to See Past Newsletters?

If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (www.senatordembrow.com), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there.  Also, if someone forwarded you this newsletter and you’d like to get it directly, you can sign up for it there.

AND FINALLY,

Here again are some resources that you will find useful:

• Multnomah County has a status report on reopening.
• You can view the reopening status of all 36 counties here.
• Here is the OHA’s coronavirus page, with links to a number of resources. 
• Oregon's Office of Emergency Management now has a website for information about COVID-19.
• You can sign up here for regular coronavirus updates from OHA.
• Multnomah County has an excellent website with lots of really important advice and guidance.
• Here’s one from the Governor’s Office.
• The Employment Department has put together a webpage with Q&A’s on a number of employment issues related to COVID-19 (e.g., eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits).
• The Oregon Education Department has a new site for COVID-19 updates.
• The Department of Corrections has a COVID tracking website.

If the above links are not providing you with answers to your questions or directing you to the help that you need, please consider me and my office to be a resource.  We’ll do our best to assist you or steer you in the right direction. 

Best,

Senator Michael Dembrow
District 23

email: Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov
web: www.senatordembrow.com
phone: 503-986-1723
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301