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December 17, 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.
Oregon’s COVID metrics are a little better today than they have been: somewhat lower number of cases, COVID hospitalizations, and COVID deaths. That’s not true, unfortunately, at the national level, where new infections are again at record levels and the number of COVID deaths has passed the 300,000 mark.
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 1,339 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 98,936.
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Positive Test Results: OHA reports 1,715 positive test results. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is 138,586.
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Total Tests: OHA reports an additional 24,404 test results. Our cumulative total of tests is 2,392,813.
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Positivity Rate: The average positivity rate for Oregon today is 7.0%. The national ratio today is 13.0%.
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Deaths: I’m sorry to have to report 21 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 1,283.
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Hospitalized: OHA reports 66 new COVID hospitalizations. The cumulative number of those who have been hospitalized with COVID is now 5,745.
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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): 587 (33 fewer than yesterday). Of those, 551 (3 fewer than yesterday) have already received a positive test back.
- Available ICU Beds: 142 (4 more than yesterday)
- Other Available Beds: 585 (7 more than yesterday).
- ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 120 (2 fewer than yesterday).
- COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 62 (1 fewer than yesterday).
- Available Ventilators: 729 (same as yesterday).
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Dashboard
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Today’s National Numbers:
- Total Tests: 226,403,201 (up 1,873,340 from yesterday).
- Total Cases: 17,004,147 (up 243,150 from yesterday.)
- Deaths: 302,261 (up 3,486 from yesterday).
- These national numbers come from the COVID Tracking Project. You can visit that site here.
Special Session Public Hearings Held Thursday Evening
In preparation for next week’s special session, there was a public hearing on the four proposed bills this evening at 6-9 p.m. It was an opportunity for members of the Special Session Committee to hear reactions to the proposals and recommendations for changes from members of the public. Many people signed up to speak. They were able to get through many of those, but not all. They heard all those who signed up to testify on LC 10 and LC 21, all but 50 of those for LC 18..
You can watch or listen to tonight’s hearing by going to this web page.
Again, these are the legislative concepts that will be considered during the special session:
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LC 10 – Restaurant Relief Package
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LC 18 – Eviction Moratorium Extension and Landlord Compensation Fund
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LC 21 – School Liability Protections
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LC 28 – Emergency Fund Allocation
Those who were not able to get through the list of those signed up to speak on LC 21, LC 18, and LC 10, there will be a further session on Saturday morning (10 a.m.-1 pm).
Along with those who signed up to testify in person (by video or phone), more than 100 people have already submitted written testimony for the record. For those who still want to submit written testimony, the record will remain open until 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. If you want to submit written testimony, you can do so by email to J3SS.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov. You can find all the written testimony that has been submitted so far here.
Please let me know if you need any assistance.
House Committee Meetings This Week
This is the final week of “Leg Days” in 2020, where legislative committees meet (remotely for now) to hear updates on issues of concern and introduce the first round of bills for the next session. This week is devoted to House hearings. Unlike the Senate hearings last week, which lasted 3 hours, most of the House committees will have two meetings each, each one lasting 2 hours. In addition to the House committees, one Joint Committee and one Task Force will be meeting this week as well.
Here's the calendar for this week, with committees listed in alphabetical order (joint committee and task force at the end). The links will take you to the agenda, meeting materials, and meeting video for each hearing.
Agriculture and Land Use
Behavioral Health
Business and Labor
Economic Development
Education
Energy and Environment
Health Care
Housing
Human Services
Natural Resources
Revenue
Rules
Veterans and Emergency Preparedness
Joint Committee on the I-5 Bridge
Water
Task Force on Access to Quality Affordable Child Childcare
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 1,339. Here is the breakdown of reported cases by county for today:
Baker (2)
Benton (20)
Clackamas (173)
Clatsop (3)
Columbia (18)
Coos (5)
Crook (4)
Curry (1)
Deschutes (48)
Douglas (12)
Gilliam (3)
Hood River (23)
Jackson (82)
Jefferson (10)
Josephine (24)
Klamath (19)
Lane (74)
Lincoln (8)
Linn (60)
Malheur (13)
Marion (148)
Morrow (5)
Multnomah (250)
Polk (20)
Tillamook (12)
Umatilla (34)
Union (13)
Wasco (9)
Washington (218)
Wheeler (1)
Yamhill (27)
And the Deaths
Oregon’s 1,263rd COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Nov. 10 and died Dec. 14 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,264th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died Dec. 16 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,265th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 5 and died Dec. 12 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,266th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died Nov. 30 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,267th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Malheur County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died Dec. 15 at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.
Oregon’s 1,268th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died Dec. 10 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,269th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 22 and died Dec. 16 at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,270th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 5 and died Nov. 29 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,271st COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died Dec. 3 at Providence Portland Medical Center. S
Oregon’s 1,272nd COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died Nov. 23 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,273rd COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died Dec. 12 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,274th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Douglas County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died Dec. 15 at Mercy Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,275th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 17 and died Dec. 7 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,276th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died Dec. 11 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,277th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died Dec. 8 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,278th COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died Dec. 15 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,279th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 26 and died Dec. 6.
Oregon’s 1,280th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died Dec. 10 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,281st COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died Dec. 4 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,282nd COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died Dec. 12 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,283rd COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died Dec. 8 at her 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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