May 7th COVID-19 Update

Friends and Neighbors,

May 7, 2021

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

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.

I’m pleased to report that the number of COVID hospitalizations has decreased again.  Percent positive test results are down slightly, as the number of COVID tests jumped.  Unfortunately, we see an increase in the number of COVID deaths; today, most of those deaths involve people in their 70s and up (including one woman who was exactly 100 years old).

As you’ll see below, the number of vaccinations reported today reflects a big jump back up to record terrain.  This again follows the pattern we’ve been seeing for the last few weeks—lower numbers on the weekends, gradually increasing as the following week progresses. Much of this is a function of how quickly the results are reported to Salem.  It’s reassuring when we see days like this.

I’ll have a report over the weekend on the week in Salem.  Some important, controversial bills passed, but there were many more non-controversial (surprisingly so sometimes), bipartisan bills that made it through their first or second chambers.  Despite the requirement to read bills fully aloud, the Senate was able to make it through each day this week without a backlog.  It was actually pretty impressive.

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

• New COVID Cases: OHA reports 844 new COVID cases today.  The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 189,162.
• Variant COVID Cases: The reported variant case numbers have just been updated and they show further increases: 311 (up from 168) cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, 18 cases (up from 13) of the P.1 (Brazilian) variant, and 28 (up from 18) cases of the B.1.351 (South African) variant.  In addition, we are now seeing 159 (up from 177) cases of the B.1.427 variant, and 566 (up from 519) of the B.1.429 variant.  OHA is now producing a Variant Tableau dashboard providing current variant case numbers for the state as a whole and for various parts of the state.
• Positive Test Results: OHA reported 1,323 positive tests today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 273,567.
• Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 22,559 tests today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is now 4,798,681.
• Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 5.9%.
• Hospitalization Information:
  • Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 324 (4 fewer than yesterday)
  • ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 90 (same as yesterday).
  • Available ICU Beds: 148 (14 more than yesterday)
  • Other Available Beds: 512 (22 more than yesterday).
  • Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 37 (3 fewer than yesterday).
  • Available Ventilators: 787 (4 fewer than yesterday).
• Deaths: I’m sorry to report 8 additional COVID deaths today.  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 2,522.
• Vaccinations:
  • As of the end of yesterday, here are the latest numbers:
    • New Immunizations Reported Today: 54,747
      • 31,754 were conducted yesterday
      • 22,987 were conducted earlier, but the reports were received yesterday (there can potentially be a three-day window for reporting)
      • The 7-day running average is now 32,741 doses per day.
    • Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 3,213,945
      • 1,744,935 Pfizer doses
      • 1,363,622 Moderna doses
      • 103,959 Johnson & Johnson doses
    • Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 1,927,021
      • 1,385,116 now fully vaccinated with two doses
    • To date, 4,035,095 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon. (That’s 37,450 more than yesterday, for a total of 290,609 so far this week.)
      • 79.6% of these doses have been administered so far. The national average is now 77.9%.
      • 46.9% of Oregonians have received at least one dose (52.7% of those 16 and older).
      • 33.5% of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (37.9% of those 16 and older).
      • For more details, including the demographics of those receiving the vaccine and the counties in which the vaccines are being administered, here is a link to more information about the vaccine and vaccination protocols.
      • Here is the daily vaccination tracker from Bloomberg.
      • And here is a link to each county's vaccination website. It provides access information for those in Category 1a and 1b.

• Additional Brief Updates:
  • Still haven’t gotten a vaccine, or know someone who hasn’t? If you or they would prefer a drive-through setting, the OHSU mass vaccination site at the Portland Airport has scheduled “walk-ins” for this weekend (I guess ithey’re actually drive-ins.)  Here's info.
  • Emma Green, a staff writer at The Atlantic, writes about the difficulty many progressives are having the removal of COVID lockdowns.
  • Pfizer and BioNTech have begun the process of requesting a full regular authorization from the FDA for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. They are still under emergency authorization. 
  • According to Katharine Wu, another staff writer at The Atlantic, one of the keys to increasing vaccine acceptance will be to estore the reputation of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
  • Another story about incentives local governments are using to increase vaccinations.
  • The Norwegian Cruise Line, one of the major operators of cruises, may avoid starting or docking in Florida (normally a major cruise point) because of that state’s decision to prohibit businesses and venues from requiring proof of vaccination. The CDC is requiring cruise ships to show that 95% of passengers and 98% of the crew are vaccinated. Norwegian is more concerned with CDC approval than Florida’s. Here's more.
  • Here’s the Kaiser Family Foundation’s most recent survey of public attitudes about the COVID vaccines. It is showing a plateau in enthusiasm for getting a vaccine.
  • Oregon will allow youth overnight camps this summer.

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 is 844.the first time that’s been true in a while.  Here is today’s breakdown by county:

Baker (2)

Benton (16)

Clackamas (104)

Clatsop (3)

Columbia (10)

Coos (4)

Crook (12)

Deschutes (87)

Douglas (11)

Gilliam (1)

Grant (5)

Harney (3)

Hood River (4)

Jackson (36)

Jefferson (12)

Josephine (7)

Klamath (42)

Lake (1)

Lane (71)

Lincoln (2)

Linn (44)

Malheur (1)

Marion (80)

Morrow (1)

Multnomah (146)

Polk (12)

Tillamook (1)

Umatilla (10)

Union (4)

Wasco (2)

Washington (94)

Wheeler (2)

Yamhill (14)

And the Deaths:

Oregon’s 2,515th death is a 74-year-old man from Coos County who tested positive on April 11 and died on May 6. Location of death is unknown.

Oregon’s 2,516th death is an 89-year-old man from Grant County who tested positive on April 12 and died on May 5 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,517th death is a 60-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on April 10 and died on May 5 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,518th death is a 57-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on April 18 and died on May 2 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,519th death is an 84-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 19 and died on April 26 at her residence.

Oregon’s 2,520th death is an 87-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 19 and died on April 21 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,521st death is a 100-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 30 and died on May 6 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,522nd death is a 57-year-old man from Jefferson County who tested positive on April 9 and died on May 6 at St. Charles Madras Hospital.

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

• You can view the reopening status of all 36 counties here.
• Here is the OHA’s coronavirus page, with links to a number of resources. 
• Oregon's Office of Emergency Management now has a website for information about COVID-19.
• Multnomah County has an excellent website with lots of really important advice and guidance.
• Here’s one from the Governor’s Office.
• The Employment Department has put together a webpage with Q&A’s on a number of employment issues related to COVID-19 (e.g., eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits).
• The Oregon Education Department has a site for COVID-19 updates.
• The Department of Corrections has a COVID tracking website.

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: 503-281-0608
mail: 900 Court St NE, S-407, Salem, OR, 97301