|
November 10, 2020
I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well, staying healthy, and looking out for your neighbors and friends in these difficult times.
We find ourselves on a new, higher plateau of COVID cases right now. Such surges lead inevitably to a higher level of severe cases that require hospitalization. As you’ll see in today’s newsletter, that’s exactly what we’re experiencing right now, with record numbers of COVID patients in our hospitals, including a record number of new admissions today. We need to prepare for that to continue for some time, even as we work to reduce the number of new cases.
This was the focus of a press conference convened by the Governor today. You can read about it, along with the other COVID-response news below.
Let me know if you have any questions about anything you read here.
TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE
-
Positive Cases: OHA reports today that 730 additional Oregonians have tested positive for COVID-19. The cumulative total for those testing positive since the beginning of the pandemic is 49,294.
-
Total Tests: The number of reported COVID test results has increased by 6,515. The cumulative total of tests since the beginning of the pandemic is now 918,601.
-
Ratio: The percentage of total tests that have been reported positive today is 11.2%. The national ratio today is 10.6%.
-
Deaths: I’m sorry to have to report 3 additional COVID deaths today. You can read about the Oregonians we lost further down in the newsletter. The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 737.
-
Hospitalized: OHA reports 48 new COVID hospitalizations today. The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID is now 3,511.
-
Presumptive Cases: OHA is 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 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. OHA reports 41 new presumed positive cases today. The total number of those counted as presumed positives is 2,615.
-
Other Hospital Information:
- Patients Currently with COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 337 (19 more than yesterday). Of those, 285 have already received a positive test back.
- Available ICU Beds: 146 (45 fewer than yesterday)
- Other Available Beds: 701 (85 fewer than yesterday).
- ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 78 (14 more than yesterday).
- COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 25 (1 fewer than yesterday).
- Available Ventilators: 762 (25 more than yesterday).
-
Dashboard:
-
Today’s National Numbers:
-
Additional Brief Updates:
- Oregon OSHA has completed its rulemaking process for a temporary rule creating COVID-prevention standards for Oregon’s workplaces. Here is the new detailed rule and here is the agency’s press release describing it.
- The latest School Metrics chart has been released, showing where individual counties are in meeting reopening guidelines as of the week ending on Saturday. Not surprisingly, given the current surge in cases, every county other than Wheeler is in trouble from this perspective.
- Tomorrow is of course Veteran’s Day, a day for us to honor those who have served us as a member of our Armed Forces. I hope you’ll join me in thanking those who have served. I normally participate in the Veteran’s Day Parade in the Hollywood District and regret that it can’t take place this year. But as we’re experiencing in so many domains, there are some alternative virtual ways for us to observe the holiday this year. Here is an event put on by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs tomorrow at 11 and here are some national ceremonies.
Governor Press Conference Focuses on Current Stresses to Hospitals
With our current surge in new COVID cases, we are starting to see growing concern among health professionals that our medical system will have difficulty handling all the new cases, along with regular treatment needs. We’re again hearing growing calls for strategies that will “flatten the COVID curve” in order to keep our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
That message was heard loud and clear this afternoon at a press conference that the Governor held, joined by medical advisors and by healthcare providers around the state, who joined by phone.
We heard troubling statistics from the OHA’s Dr. Dana Hargunani. In the last week, the following hospital regions have seen their COVID hospitalizations increase at the following rates:
Region 1 (Portland Metro and North Coast): 57%
Region 2 (Upper Willamette Valley): 36%
Region 3 (Lower Willamette Valley, Coos and Curry Counties): 79%
Region 5 (Jackson and Josephine Counties): 162%
If these increases continue (and as you’ll see in today’s newsletter, they likely will), we will indeed be in trouble. However, there are some positive elements to point out. Unlike what we were experiencing in the spring, we now have plenty of ventilators at our disposal (762 today). Second, our hospitals are doing a much better job of communicating with one another about bed availability and coordinating their efforts (which definitely helped during the wildfires). Third, plans were developed in the spring for this eventuality, which fortunately never had to be put into effect. They are available, and in some cases are being put to use in some hospital units.
It’s realistic for us to expect the number of COVID hospitalizations to continue to go up in the coming weeks. As OHSU’s Dr. Renée Edwards reminded us during the news conference, today’s new COVID cases will be reflected in new hospitalizations two weeks from now.
She also reminded us that there are things we can do to meet the growing need, but they’re not things that hospital administrators are going to want to do, certainly with an infectious disease like COVID: add additional beds to wards and even hallways, turn regular wards into ICUs. But that will mean stretching a limited number of nurses and physicians to cover more patients, potentially compromising quality of care. We’ve seen that happen in other parts of the country and around the world, but obviously it’s something we don’t want to see in Oregon.
The medical advisors warned us that we may have to reduce access to elective surgeries again, as was necessary back in the spring. They did emphasize, though, that if people need care, they should seek it. Unlike in the spring, hospitals are better able to assure safe treatment now.
Dr. Edwards also urged us not to be discouraged if we don’t COVID numbers go down immediately, even if affected counties do successfully put a “pause” to business and social situations that spread the disease. Reversing these increases will take time. She urged us all (and this was a common message from all the physicians and nurses from around the state) to be patient and to do what we can as individuals to protect our friends and loved ones by being particularly careful right now.
You can watch the live stream of this afternoon’s briefing here.
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 for today is 771. Here is the breakdown by county for today:
Baker (7)
Benton (13)
Clackamas (68)
Clatsop (2)
Columbia (3)
Coos (8)
Crook (9)
Curry (1)
Deschutes (30)
Douglas (18)
Grant (3)
Harney (3)
Hood River (2)
Jackson (56)
Jefferson (7)
Josephine (3)
Klamath (7)
Lane (49)
Lincoln (3)
Linn (18)
Malheur (15)
Marion (90)
Multnomah (151)
Polk (15)
Umatilla (23)
Union (8)
Wallowa (1)
Wasco (2)
Washington (95)
Yamhill (19)
And the Deaths
Oregon’s 735th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Oct. 31 and died on Nov. 9, at St. Charles Medical Center Bend.
Oregon’s 736th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Oct. 30 and died on Nov. 9, at her residence.
Oregon’s 737th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Oct. 22 and died on Nov. 9, at his residence.
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 (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:
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
| 
