May 13th COVID-19 Newsletter

May 13, 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.

Today’s COVID report includes a small increase in cases and another relatively large number of COVID deaths.  Again, as you’ll see, most of them were reports of deaths that actually occurred back in April.

The number of first vaccinations reported today is relatively low for a Thursday. Still, the 7-day average remains just under 33,000, a healthy number.

The big news today is the CDC’s revised recommendation that people who’ve been fully vaccinated are safe to go without face coverings most places.  You’ll find links to a number of explanatory stories further down in the newsletter. 

More specific guidance is on the way, but so far it appears that face coverings will no longer be needed in stores, offices, and most other public places—if one is vaccinated.

Although we’re still awaiting clarification from OHA, at this point, it doesn’t appear as if there will necessarily be a requirement for people who want to set their masks aside to show proof of vaccination.  But it’s clear from the CDC assessment of the science behind this decision that those who are still unvaccinated but do not wear a mask when in close proximity to others who may be infected are putting themselves at great risk.  In part because of the COVID variants that are now widespread, the disease remains extremely contagious.  If one is vaccinated, however, one is highly protected. 

The President and Governor are to a certain extent gambling that this new protocol will encourage more people to get vaccinated quickly.  Those who remain unvaccinated are putting themselves and other unvaccinated friends and relatives at high risk, a risk that is nearly nonexistent for those who’ve been fully vaccinated.

I hope that you’ll do what you can to encourage and help others to take this important step.

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 733 new COVID cases today.  The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 193,014.
• Variant COVID Cases: The reported variant case numbers have been updated. The case counts include  425 (up from 311) cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, 29 cases (up from 18) of the P.1 (Brazilian) variant, and 35 (up from 28) cases of the B.1.351 (South African) variant.  In addition, we are now seeing 196 (up from 177) cases of the B.1.427 variant, and 586 (up from 566) 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 942 positive tests today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 278,588.
• Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 17,593 tests today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is now 4,884,663.
• Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 5.4%.
• Hospitalization Information:
  • Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 35 (5 1more than yesterday)
  • ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 88 (same as yesterday).
  • Available ICU Beds: 162 (17 more than yesterday)
  • Other Available Beds: 472 (52 more than yesterday).
  • Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 40 (5 fewer than yesterday).
  • Available Ventilators: 784 (7 fewer than yesterday).
• Deaths: I’m sorry to report 14 additional COVID deaths today.  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 2,572.
• Vaccinations:
  • Yesterday OHA reported numbers for this first section that seemed wrong, so I didn’t include them. Indeed, they were wrong.  OHA corrected them this morning.  I’m including the corrected numbers as well as today’s numbers.
  • As of the end of yesterday, here are the latest numbers:
    • New Immunizations Reported Today: 30,037 (up from 28,652 reported yesterday)
      • 18,733 were conducted and reported yesterday (up from 16,592 the day before).
      • 11,304 were conducted earlier, but the reports were received yesterday (there can potentially be a three-day window for reporting) (down from 12,060 the day before).
        • The 7-day running average is now 32,922 doses per day.

• Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 3,436,657
  • 1,881,250 Pfizer doses
  • 1,437,343 Moderna doses
  • 116,551 Johnson & Johnson doses
• Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 2,017,944
  • 1,528,990 now fully vaccinated with two doses
• To date, 4,330,445 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon. (That’s an additional 65,780 doses, for a total of 295,461 so far for the week.)
  • 79.4% of these doses have been administered so far. The national average is now 78.6%.
  • 49.4% of Oregonians have received at least one dose (56.6% of those 16 and older).
  • 37.3% of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (41.9% 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:
  • Here’s the Associated Press story on the new CDC guidance. the new CDC guidance.
  • Here are details about what it means for Oregon details about what it means for Oregon/ from the Oregon.gov blog, including a written statement from the Governor and her video-recorded statement.
  • Here’s an Oregonian story on how the CDC guidance will be implemented in Oregon. how the CDC guidance will be implemented in Oregon.
  • And here is an announcement from Multnomah County setting the goal of Memorial Day Weekend for the county to move to Lower Risk status.

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 733.  Here is today’s breakdown by county.

Baker (5)

Benton (14)

Clackamas (35)

Clatsop (6)

Columbia (10)

Coos (7)

Crook (16)

Deschutes (80)

Douglas (14)

Harney (1)

Hood River (1)

Jackson (40)

Jefferson (9)

Josephine (11)

Klamath (23)

Lake (1)

Lane (49)

Lincoln (6)

Linn (35)

Malheur (4)

Marion (60)

Morrow (3)

Multnomah (156)

Polk (23)

Tillamook (2)

Umatilla (17)

Wallowa (1)

Wasco (3)

Washington (94)

Yamhill (7)

And the Deaths:

Oregon’s 2,559th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man from Columbia County who tested positive on March 28 and died on April 2 at Portland VA Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,560th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on March 27 and died on April 14 at Providence Portland Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,561st COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man from Crook County who tested positive on May 4 and died on May 12 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,562nd COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive on Feb. 15 and died on April 3 at his residence.

Oregon’s 2,563rd COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on May 1 and died on May 11 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,564th COVID-19 death is a 65-year-old man from Jefferson County who tested positive on Feb. 26 and died on March 30 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,565th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on April 6 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,566th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 16 and died on April 18 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,567th COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on March 11 and died on April 20 at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,568th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on March 2 and died on March 31 at Providence Portland Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,569th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Lincoln County who tested positive on April 1 and died on April 3 at her residence.

Oregon’s 2,570th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive on May 5 and died on May 9 at Providence Portland Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,571st COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on April 18 and died on May 12 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Oregon’s 2,572nd COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on April 6 and died on April 20 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

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