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December 1, 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.
Today marks another grim moment in the history of the pandemic, we learned of 24 more Oregonians lost to the disease, a record number for one day. Even though treatment is getting better, the higher number of infections is leading inevitably to a higher number of deaths. At the national level, nearly 2,500 new deaths were reported today.
On a different subject, today the Governor released her budget proposal for the next two years. It’s the first step in the budget deliberations that will consume the Legislature over the next six months, the results of which are crucial for public services all over the state. You can read more about it below.
Please stay safe, and let me know if you have any questions about today’s newsletter.
TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE
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New COVID Cases: OHA reports 1,233 new COVID cases today. This count is a combination of positive test results and those who are presumed positive (see definition below). The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 76,654.
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Positive Test Results: OHA reports an additional 1,726 positive test results today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 110,297.
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Total Tests: OHA reports 22,536 additional test reports today. The cumulative total of tests given since the beginning of the pandemic is 2,002,330.
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Positivity Rate: The rate of positive test results for Oregon is 7.6% today. The national ratio today is 13.7%.
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Deaths: I’m sorry to have to report a new record 24 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 936.
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Hospitalized: OHA reports a record 131 new COVID hospitalizations. The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID is now 4,649.
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Presumptive Cases: OHA is including “presumptive COVID-19 cases” in its 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.
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Other Hospital Information:
- Patients Currently with COVID-19 Symptoms (who may or may not have received a positive test result yet): 625 (37 fewer than yesterday). Of those, 577 (7 fewer than yesterday) have already received a positive test back.
- Available ICU Beds: 141 (28 fewer than yesterday)
- Other Available Beds: 604 (108 fewer than yesterday).
- ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 120 (7 fewer than yesterday).
- COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 56 (2 fewer than yesterday).
- Available Ventilators: 742 (1 more than yesterday).
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Dashboards:
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Today’s National Numbers:
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Additional Brief Updates:
- After a review of the latest COVID metrics, Benton County has been moved from Extreme Risk to High Risk status. However, five new counties have moved to Extreme Risk: Crook, Hood River, Josephine, Lake, and Morrow. Twenty-five of the state’s 36 counties are now deemed to be at Extreme Risk from COVID for the next two weeks. You read more in today’s news release.
- Multnomah County is teaming up with PCC for a series of COVID testing clinics starting tomorrow, December 2, and continuing every Wednesday from now through March 31 at PCC-Cascade, 705 N Killingsworth. People without insurance and people of color will be prioritized for the free testing. Approximately 200 people will be able to be tested each week. You’ll need to call to reserve a place. You can get all the details in this press release from PCC.
Governor Releases 2021-23 Budget Proposal
Today was an important day in preparation for the next long legislative session, as Governor Brown released the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB) for the 2021-23 biennium.
The proposed budget is the result of long process of the various state agencies, boards, and commissions generating and finalizing program proposals and budget requests. These are then reviewed and vetted by the Governor’s policy advisors and by analysts at the Executive Budget and Management Office (BAM). They then come to the Governor for final decisions.
Here is the press release for the GRB. It includes brief explanations of the major priorities for the budget. It also includes links to the full 500+ page budget and to a condensed version of it. Here is a transcript of the Governor’s remarks as she released the budget publicly today.
The budget document presents a number of the Governor’s assumptions, priorities, and new policy proposals. You’ll see, for example, that she is looking to the federal government for supplemental funding of COVID response. She is looking for various ways to make things easier for the low-income and communities of color that have been devastated by COVID, the recession, and the wildfires. She’s proposing the eventual closure of three prisons over the next two years as a way to use $50 million in other ways.
The release of the GRB is of course just the first step in the budget process that will be much of the focus of the 2021 Legislative session that will go from January to June. Each of the specific budget proposals will need to be analyzed by the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) and reviewed by a legislative budget subcommittee, which will hold public hearings on all the budget. Many are controversial and will be the subject of much discussion and debate. Some of the proposals will emerge more or less intact. Some will be reduced and others increased by legislative action. But overall the GRB is an important platform and framework.
I’ll be talking more about some of the details in it once I’ve had time to analyze it. In the meantime, here’s a good analysis by OPB’s Dirk Vanderhart.
Please let me know if you have any questions about anything in the GRB.
Giving Feedback on Telehealth
As a result of COVID, many Oregonians have had their first experiences with telehealth over the last 9 months. To help assess this form of treatment and improve service now and after the pandemic is over, OHA and the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS), which regulates insurance companies in this state, are holding a listening session this Friday to hear from people who have been relying on telemedical appointments. They’ve asked legislators to reach out to constituents to join in and give feedback. Here’s what they had to say:
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Have you had a health care appointment by phone or video? Have you tried, but not been able to get care by phone or video because you don’t have access to a phone or good access to video or the internet? Oregon Health Authority and Department of Consumer and Business Services want to hear from you.
You can join the listening session Friday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m., to share about your experience with phone and video health care appointments. Your feedback will help the state plan for improvements to phone and video health care right now and in the future.
How to join the meeting:
By video: Join via Zoom.
By phone: Dial 669-254-5252. When prompted, enter access code 617006095#.
Can’t make it? Send your input by email to community.outreach@state.or.us.
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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 reported for is 1,233. Here is the breakdown of reported cases by county for today:
Baker (3)
Benton (19)
Clackamas (148)
Clatsop (7)
Columbia (6)
Coos (14)
Crook (4)
Curry (6)
Deschutes (60)
Douglas (8)
Grant (3)
Harney (2)
Hood River (12)
Jackson (72)
Jefferson (19)
Josephine (11)
Klamath (37)
Lake (75)
Lane (21)
Lincoln (21)
Linn (27)
Malheur (11)
Marion (146)
Morrow (5)
Multnomah (270)
Polk (24)
Tillamook (6)
Umatilla (23)
Union (9)
Wasco (6)
Washington (158)
Wheeler (2)
Yamhill (14)
And the Deaths
Oregon’s 913th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Baker County who tested positive on Nov. 26 and died Nov. 26. His place of death is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 914th COVID-19 death is a 65-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 20 and died Oct. 28, in her residence.
Oregon’s 915th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Oct. 23 and died Nov. 21, in her residence.
Oregon’s 916th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 19 and died Nov. 23, at Willamette Valley Medical Center.
Oregon’s 917th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died Nov. 29, at Portland Adventist Medical Center.
Oregon’s 918th COVID-19 death is a 63-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 12 and died Nov.17, in her residence.
Oregon’s 919th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Multnomah County who died Nov. 17, in her residence.
Oregon’s 920th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 10 and died Nov. 29, in his residence.
Oregon’s 921st COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 4 and died Nov. 29, in his residence.
Oregon’s 922nd COVID-19 death is a 64-year-old man in Multnomah County who died Nov. 25 in his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
Oregon’s 923rd COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Multnomah County who died Nov. 20 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
Oregon’s 924th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 18 and died Nov. 27, at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 925th COVID-19 death an 87-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 21 and died Nov. 26, at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 926th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Oct. 28 and died Nov. 4. Location of death is being confirmed.
Oregon’s 927th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 6 and died Nov. 19, in her residence.
Oregon’s 928th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman in Multnomah County who became symptomatic on Nov.16, after contact with a confirmed case and died Nov. 26 in her residence.
Oregon’s 929th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died Nov. 28, at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 930th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Nov. 12 and died Nov. 25, in her residence.
Oregon’s 931st COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Nov. 10 and died Nov. 29, in her residence.
Oregon’s 932nd COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Nov. 17 and died Nov. 29, in her residence.
Oregon’s 933rd COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on Nov. 10 and died Nov. 29, at Asante Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford.
Oregon’s 934th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old man in Union County who tested positive on Nov. 17 and died Nov. 28, in his residence.
Oregon’s 935th COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Union County who tested positive on Nov. 11 and died Nov. 29, in his residence.
Oregon’s 936th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 5 and died Nov. 18, in his residence.
Additional Graphs:
      **You can find a breakdown of regional availability here.
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
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