May 15th COVID-19 Update

May 15, 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 is a continuation of the latest trends: stable (though still relatively high) case numbers, declining hospitalizations, and a relatively small number of COVID-related deaths. 

The controversy continues over the recent CDC decision to relax masking requirements. You can read more about it in the newspaper articles linked below.  A number of national retailers have decided to end their masking requirements, depending on the honor system to accept that those who are not wearing a mask have been vaccinated. 

Many workers in those stores  are now worried (a) that they will be exposed to many people who are actually unvaccinated; or (b) that they will be placed in a difficult position having to intervene between customers.  Many customers are concerned that they will be surrounded by unvaccinated people who will be putting their lives at risk.

I very much understand their concern. I will say, though, that the impetus behind the new CDC guidance is a recognition that those workers and customers who are fully vaccinated can remain safe even if they and those around them are unmasked.  The latest science is providing clear evidence (a) that the vaccines are extremely effective, and the risk of having a symptomatic COVID case for a vaccinated person is extremely low; (b) the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have now been well studied and have shown themselves to be extremely safe; (c) not only do the vaccines provide safety to the vaccinated individual, but scientific studies have made it clear that fully vaccinated individuals will not  carry the virus and pass it on to others who for now must remain unvaccinated (e.g., young children); and (d) the vaccines have proven themselves to be extremely effective against COVID variants. 

So, if you have been fully vaccinated, you are not putting yourself at risk if you  remove your mask in most settings, and you’re not putting your loved ones at risk.  That’s the core message in the new CDC guidance. 

Make no mistake:  the COVID-19 virus, and especially its new variants, remain extremely contagious and dangerous for those who are not vaccinated.  Those who are unvaccinated are putting themselves at risk if they choose to go unmasked in indoor settings in close proximity to others.  They are putting their unvaccinated friends and loved ones at risk if they go unmasked in places where others are also unmasked.

The safer course would obviously for them to get vaccinated, and the CDC (and OHA) would obviously prefer that they do so. It’s the best way to put this disease behind us entirely, limit the proliferation of COVID variants, and limit the devastation that this disease is continuing to wreak.  But they’re also recognizing that that’s ultimately going to be a decision for those who are still unvaccinated to make. 

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 751 new COVID cases today.  The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 195,179.
• Variant COVID Cases: The reported variant case numbers were updated earlier this week. 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 1,042 positive tests today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 280,612.
• Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 18,743 tests today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is now 4,919,988.
• Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 5.6%.
• Hospitalization Information: OHA only reports on the first two items over the weekend. I’ll catch you up on the other metrics on Monday.
  • Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 332 (5 fewer than yesterday)
  • ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 75 (2 fewer than yesterday).
  • Available ICU Beds: 160 (2 fewer than yesterday)
  • Other Available Beds: 495 (23 more than yesterday).
  • Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 37 (3 fewer than yesterday).
  • Available Ventilators: 778 (6 fewer than yesterday).
• Deaths: I’m sorry to report 3 additional COVID deaths today.  The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is now 2,585.
• Vaccinations:
  • As of the end of yesterday, here are the latest numbers:
    • New Immunizations Reported Today: 42,051
      • 26,502 were conducted and reported yesterday
      • 125,549 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 30,708 doses per day

• Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 3,515,775
  • 1,928,411 Pfizer doses
  • 1,465,897 Moderna doses
  • 119,887 Johnson & Johnson doses
• Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 2,050,961
  • 1,578,144 now fully vaccinated with two doses
• To date, 4,350,115 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon. (That’s a total of 315,131 so far for the week.)
  • 80.8% of these doses have been administered so far. The national average is now 78.6%.
  • 50.1% of Oregonians have received at least one dose (56.6% of those 16 and older).
  • 38.3% of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (43.2% 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.
  • Want to see how close each county is to hitting the 65% target for moving to lower risk? Here's an interactive map showing percentages for total population and for eligible population (residents about age 16).

• Additional Brief Updates:
  • The Washington Post has done a deep dive into the genesis of the recent change in masking policy from the CDC, including the role (or not) of the Biden administration in the decision.
  • Here’s another update from the large group of epidemiologists that the New York Times has been following.
  • Here’s a a story from the Statesman-Journal about the position that Oregon businesses now find themselves in.
  • And here are is a group of stories from the NY Times with the latest on COVID this weekend.

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 751.  Here is today’s breakdown by county:

Baker (1)

Benton (9)

Clackamas (92)

Clatsop (3)

Columbia (9)

Coos (7)

Crook (7)

Deschutes (93)

Douglas (11)

Harney (2)

Hood River (5)

Jackson (39)

Jefferson (9)

Josephine (10)

Klamath (40)

Lake (1)

Lane (36)

Lincoln (2)

Linn (24)

Malheur (4)

Marion (54)

Morrow (2)

Multnomah (158)

Polk (7)

Tillamook (3)

Umatilla (17)

Union (2)

Wallowa (1)

Wasco (2)

Washington (93)

Yamhill (11)

And the Deaths:

Oregon’s 2,583^rd death is an 80-year-old woman from Coos County who tested positive on May 10 and died on May 14 at Bay Area Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,584^th death is a 79-year-old woman from Hood River County who tested positive on May 4 and died on May 14 at Providence Hood River Hospital.

Oregon’s 2,585^th death is a 42-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive on May 4 and died on May 13 at Asante Rogue Regional 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