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January 5, 2021
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’s report shows a high number of COVID deaths—44, much higher than we’ve been seeing recently. This is mainly due to late reporting of COVID deaths that occurred during the holiday period. Our average for the last week remains relatively low.
In today’s newsletter you’ll find some of the latest information about the deployment of COVID vaccines in Oregon, the result of briefings that have occurred over the last couple of days.
Please stay safe, and let me know if you have any questions about information in today’s newsletter.
TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS AND CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE
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New COVID Cases: OHA reports 1,059 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 119,488.
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Positive Test Results: OHA reports 1,213 positive test results today. (Individuals may have had multiple tests come back positive, and each is now counted separately.) The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is 163,030.
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Total Tests: An additional 18,339 test results were reported today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is 2,741,116.
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Positivity Rate: The test positivity rate for Oregon today is 6.9%. The national ratio today is 13.2%.
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Deaths: I’m sorry to report 44 additional COVID deaths today. You can read about the Oregonians that we’ve lost further down in the newsletter. The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 1,550.
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Hospitalized: OHA reports 102 new COVID hospitalizations. The total number of new hospitalizations since the beginning of the pandemic is 6,737.
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Vaccinations: As of the end of yesterday, a total of 54,579 Oregonians have received the COVID vaccine. Included in that number are 326 Oregonians who have received both their first dose and their final second dose. Today’s number represents an increase of 3,964 vaccinations, 2,818 of which were administered yesterday, as well as 1,146 that had been administered previously but not yet reported. To date, 210,975 doses have been delivered to sites across Oregon. For more details, including the demographics of those receiving the vaccine, go to the OHA Vaccinations Dashboard. And here is a link to more information about the vaccine and vaccination protocols.
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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): 540 (20 more than yesterday). Of those, 494 (17 more than yesterday) have already received a positive test back.
- Available ICU Beds: 145 (10 fewer than yesterday)
- Other Available Beds: 532 (116 fewer than yesterday).
- ICU Patients w COVID-19 Symptoms: 110 (3 more than yesterday).
- COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 55 (same as yesterday).
- Available Ventilators: 780 (9 more than yesterday).
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Dashboards:
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Today’s National Numbers:
- Total Tests: 258,585,477 (up 1,620,506 from yesterday).
- Total Cases: 20,825,758 (up 214,378 from yesterday.)
- Deaths: 348,286 (up 3,478 from yesterday).
- These national numbers come from the COVID Tracking Project. You can visit that site here.
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Additional Brief Updates:
- The Legislature’s committee schedule for the 2021 session was just released today. Here it is.
- If you’d like to learn more about Oregon’s COVID-19 data, you can have your questions answered tomorrow by OHA’s data experts. Join them at 12:30 p.m. on their Facebook page for a live Q&A on COVID-19 data. Watch in English or Spanish.
- We’re starting to get details of the recently-signed Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA). Here are some rough estimates of what it means for education-related COVID funding:
- $499.2 million distributed for public K-12 districts through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER);
- $232.8 million for direct distribution to Oregon public and private post-secondary institutions;
- $42.0 million for use by the Governor for educational purposes; this is the Governors’ Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER), of which $27.6 million must be spent for the benefit of K-12 private schools.
- Lake Oswego schools are likely to be the first Metro-area schools to reopen in-person instruction. Superintendent Lora de la Cruz announced plans today for a phased return to school for elementary school children during February. The plan envisions beginning with kindergarteners, followed by first graders on Feb. 11, second graders on Feb. 16, third graders on Feb. 19, fourth graders on Feb. 22 and fifth graders on Feb. 25. As is the case for all districts, the detailed reopening plan will still need to be approved by the Department of Education.
More Info on Vaccinations
OHA held a press conference today that focused on vaccinations in Oregon, their slow rollout, and plans for the future. This followed a briefing that legislators received yesterday. Here are some of the takeaways from the two briefings.
So far, vaccinations have been limited to the first of the “1a” category’s four groups. Group One is focused on hospital and urgent care health professionals; the skilled- nursing and memory care units of long-term care facilities (both staff and residents); tribal health programs; and Emergency Medical Services providers and other first responders. The purpose of focusing on hospital staff first was to make sure that our hospitals remain able to provide care for those who need it most. The focus on skilled nursing and memory care units was the high rate of deaths coming from those most vulnerable to severe consequences of the disease.
This focus makes good sense, but it has led to bottlenecks in getting vaccines out, as different hospitals and facilities have had different capacities for doing the vaccines. In many cases, staff were having their inoculations scheduled just before their days off, so that they wouldn’t have to lose work time as a result of side-effects from the vaccine (though as it turns out, very few have been experiencing serious side-effects).
The original plan had been to wait until Group 1 had been completed before moving on to Group 2 and so on, but they have decided instead to open the door to all four groups this week to use up the doses they currently have as quickly as possible.
Those who received the vaccines first are already being scheduled for their second, final doses. Of the 54,579 Oregonians who have received the COVID vaccine, 326 have already received the second dose as of today’s reporting. Of the remaining approximately 150,000 doses on hand, 54,000 must be reserved for second doses.
Those in Groups 2, 3, and 4 include the following:
- Group 2: residents and staff at other long-term care facilities (including senior independent living) and congregate care sites; hospice programs; mobile crisis care and related services; secure transport; individuals working in a state, federal, or county correctional setting;
- Group 3: outpatient settings serving specific high-risk groups; in home care; day treatment services; non-emergency medical transport (NEMT);
- Group 4: health care professionals in other outpatient, public health, and early-learning settings; death-care workers.
You can find more detailed information about these categories here. They include between 300,000 and 400,000.
OHA believes that it will be easier to do more widespread vaccinations of this larger group of medical professionals and residents. For example, we should be able to make more efficient use of existing federal partnerships with pharmacies to do the broader vaccinations in long-term care. We also heard today about a partnership between OHSU and SEIU, the union representing many homecare health workers, that will vaccinate thousands of these critical workers very soon.
We’ll also be able to start taking advantage of retired health professionals (through the Serve Oregon volunteer network), nursing students, and dentists to help with the inoculation effort.
Once we get through Category 1a, we’ll move on to Category 1b, where other “essential workers.” The Governor’s Vaccination Advisory Committee will be meeting this week to begin making recommendations abount sequencing within this group. However, the Governor has announced that she wants school educators to be the first to be vaccinated in this group, in order to make it easier for schools to reopen more quickly.
At the current rate that the state is receiving vaccines, OHA expects teachers to begin to be vaccinated mid- to late February.
The Governor announced yesterday that she wants to see vaccination rates increase to 12,000 per day within the next two weeks. That will fully distribute the vaccines on hand at the current rate in which we are receiving them. If we want to see all Oregonians vaccinated before the fall (as is the hope), the number of vaccines that we receive from the federal government will have to increase dramatically.
OHA Director Pat Allen did say today that reports that some hospitals are vaccinating personnel who are not front-line at-risk workers appear to be true. They are following up with the hospitals that have been identified.
You can follow the national vaccination effort at the daily Bloomberg tracker and at the CDC vaccination tracker
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 1,059. Here is the breakdown of cases by county today:
Baker (3)
Benton (18)
Clackamas (139)
Clatsop (3)
Columbia (3)
Coos (17)
Crook (22)
Curry (2)
Deschutes (69)
Douglas (21)
Harney (1)
Hood River (5)
Jackson (69)
Jefferson (10)
Josephine (26)
Klamath (10)
Lake (2)
Lane (65)
Lincoln (6)
Linn (42)
Malheur (16)
Marion (99)
Morrow (6)
Multnomah (163)
Polk (28)
Sherman (1)
Tillamook (4)
Umatilla (75
Union (3)
Wallowa (2)
Wasco (6)
Washington (100)
Yamhill (23)
And the Deaths:
Oregon’s 1,507th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Tillamook County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 1 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,508th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 29 and died on Dec. 24 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,509th COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Clackamas County who died on Dec. 28 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,510th COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old woman in Columbia County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 31 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,511st COVID-19 death is a 49-year-old man in Coos County who tested positive on Dec. 30 and died on Jan. 4 at Bay Area Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,512nd COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died on Dec. 23 at St. Charles Medical Center — Bend.
Oregon’s 1,513rd COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 28.
Oregon’s 1,514th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Douglas County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 1.
Oregon’s 1,515th COVID-19 death is a 53-year-old woman in Harney County who tested positive on Jan. 3 and died on Jan. 4 at Harney District Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,516th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 2 and died on Dec. 28 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,517th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 6 and died on Dec. 31 at Providence Medford Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,518th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Hood River County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died on Dec. 22 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,519th COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman in Hood River County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 21 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,520th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Hood River County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 21 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,521st COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man in Jefferson County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Dec. 22 at St. Charles Medical Center — Bend.
Oregon’s 1,522nd COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old man in Jefferson County who tested positive on Dec. 26 and died on Jan. 1 at St. Charles Medical Center — Bend.
Oregon’s 1,523rd COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 1 at Asante Three River Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,524th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Jan. 2 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,525th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 25 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,526th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 5 and died on Dec. 19 at Sky Lakes Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,527th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Dec. 25 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,528th COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Nov. 14 and died on Dec. 20 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,529th COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Malheur County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Dec. 23 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,530th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 3 and died on Jan. 3 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,531st COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 29 at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,532nd COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Jan. 3 at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,533rd COVID-19 death is a 60-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 20 and died on Dec. 25 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,534th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died on Dec. 29 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,535th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died on Dec. 25 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,536th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,537th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 27 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,538th COVID-19 death is a 60-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 13 and died on Jan. 2 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,539th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 28 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 1,540th COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 19 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,541st COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 24 and died on Dec. 25 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,542nd COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Dec. 27 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,543rd COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 29 at his residence.
Oregon’s 1,544th COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Union County who tested positive on Dec. 5 and died on Jan. 1 at Grande Ronde Hospital.
Oregon’s 1,545th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 28 and died on Dec. 25 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,546th COVID-19 death is a 55-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died on Dec. 20 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,547th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Dec. 23 at her residence.
Oregon’s 1,548th COVID-19 death is a 42-year-old man in Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 22 and died on Dec. 13 at Providence St Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,549th COVID-19 death is a 64-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died on Dec. 22 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
Oregon’s 1,550th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 3 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
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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