July 26th COVID-19 Update

Michael Dembrow

July 26, 2020

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

On the coronavirus front, today is a relatively quiet day.  The case count is relatively low (we’ll get the exact number of positive test results tomorrow, but it’s likely somewhere around 250 for the day), but then so is the number of tests that were conducted.  So the ratio of positive results to tests is actually higher than yesterday’s.

Like most of you, I’m very focused on the actions that are happening down at the Justice Center and now moving to other cities as well.  I can’t emphasize enough that we need to get the federal agents to stay inside their buildings or leave the city.  Change is needed, change must happen, and voices need to be heard, but ultimately change will not be created by political theater orchestrated in Washington, D.C.

Setting aside this dispute with the federal government, know that for many of us the focus remains where it should be: on social justice, including on ways to  improve our policing practices and learn the lessons that the streets are providing.  The Legislative task force that’s been working non-stop on reforming our policing and use of force will resume its public meetings this Wednesday.  Co-Chairs Senator Manning and Representative Bynum really deserve our heartfelt thanks.  A month ago they said they would take up the bills that were passed in the first special session and improve them for the next, and they said they would take up additional issues that were not able to pass in the first session and get them passed.  They are keeping their promise, and I know that most legislators strongly support this work.  I know I do. 

I’ll give you more details about the specific proposals tomorrow, along with details about how to participate in the hearings.  In the meantime, you can search it out on your own by going to the task force web page and click on the various agendas and Meeting Materials for additional info.

TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

  • Positive Cases: OHA reports that 277 additional Oregonians have either tested positive for COVID or are presumed positive for COVID. (OHA does not report positive test results alone over the weekend. I’ll readjust the numbers on Monday.)  The cumulative total for those testing positive and presumed positive is 16,758.
  • Total Tests: The number of tests increased by 4,465. (OHA does not report positive test results alone over the weekend. Today’s increase in total results therefore includes presumed positives in the total results. I’ll readjust the numbers on Monday.)  The cumulative total is now 378,475.
  • Ratio: The percentage of positive tests (and presumed positives) for today in Oregon is 6.2% of total results. The national percentage today is 7.2%. 
  • Deaths: I’m sorry to have to report a record 3 additional deaths due to the coronavirus today. Further down in the newsletter, you’ll find information about those we’ve most recently lost. The total number of deaths in Oregon in now 289.
  • Hospitalized: OHA does not report on hospitalizations over the weekend The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID thus remains at 1,474.
  • 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; OHA DOES NOT REPORT hospitalization information over the weekend, so the numbers below are the same as Friday’s.
    • Patients Currently w COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 233 (8 more than yesterday). Of those, 168 have already received a positive test back.
    • Available ICU Beds: 142 (10 fewer than yesterday).
    • Other Available Beds: 701 (11 more than yesterday).
    • ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 58 (6 more than yesterday).
    • COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 30 (2 more than yesterday).
    • Available Ventilators: 769 (3 more than yesterday).
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  • Today’s National Numbers:
  • PPE:

Looking at Age Metrics

Here again are this week’s statewide case, hospitalization, and death metrics by age.  Here is updated information as of July 20.  You’ll see again that younger people have come to dominate the category of new cases.

A slight majority of hospitalizations remain among those above the age of 60.  Deaths remain dominated by those above the age of 70, but we are increasingly seeing deaths among people in their 60s.

Though you won’t see it reflected in the chart and graph below, the three deaths reported today are all people below 70, the youngest at age 40.  These will be reflected in next week’s chart and graph.

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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 277. A little under 2/3 of the state’s new cases are again from counties outside the Portland Tri-County region, including another large number of cases from Umatilla County.  Here is the breakdown by county for today:

Baker (3)

Benton (1)

Clackamas (20)

Columbia (2)

Coos (1)

Crook (1)

Deschutes (21)

Hood River (1)

Jackson (15)

Jefferson (5)

Klamath (1)

Lane (8)

Lincoln (1)

Linn (5)

Malheur (10)

Marion (30)

Morrow (13)

Multnomah (44)

Polk (2)

Umatilla (43)

Wasco (5)

Washington (39)

Yamhill (6)

And the Deaths

Oregon’s 287rd COVID-19 death is a 40-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on July 1 and died on July 22, at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Oregon’s 288th COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on July 13 and died on July 23, at his residence.

Oregon’s 289th COVID-19 death is a 63-year-old woman in Malheur County who tested positive on July 15 and died on July 21, at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario.

Additional Graphs:

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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.

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AND FINALLY,

Here again are some resources that you will find useful:

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,

dembrow signature

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