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June 10, 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 numbers are up a little, probably the result of some late reporting from the CDC regarding both test reports and death reports. However, they’re still in line with the current downward trends.
Unfortunately, the CDCs vaccination numbers are also off today. (We use CDC numbers to identify adults 18+ that bring us closer to our 70% vaccination goal.) They suggest that our countdown to 70% has only improved by 210 people, even though the state reports 27,000 additional vaccinations today. Something is off, and hopefully it will soon be cleared up.
The big news in the Legislature today is the expulsion an hour or so ago of Representative Mike Nearman from the House of Representatives. You can read all about it further down in the newsletter.
Aside from this historic vote (the first in Oregon’s history), today was actually a fairly routine day in the closing weeks of this legislative session.
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 370 new COVID cases today. The cumulative number of cases in Oregon since the beginning of the pandemic is 204,291
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Variant COVID Cases: Here are the cumulative case counts for the COVID variants in Oregon: 1,240 (up from 1,152) cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, 200 cases (up from 176) of the P.1 (Brazilian) variant, and 108 (up from 86) cases of the B.1.351 (South African) variant. In addition, we are now seeing 279 (up from 257) cases of the B.1.427 variant, and 716 (up from 700) of the B.1.429 variant. OHA is now producing a Variant Dashboard, providing current variant case numbers for the state as a whole and for various parts of the state. It’s updated each Wednesday.
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Positive Test Results: OHA reported 680 positive tests today. The cumulative total of positive test results since the beginning of the pandemic is now 296,390.
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Total Tests: OHA reported an additional 12,752 tests today. Our cumulative total of reported tests is now 5,226,007.
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Positivity Rate: The test positivity ratio for Oregon today is 2.9%.
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Hospitalization Information:
- Patients Currently with Confirmed COVID-19: 173 (9 more than yesterday)
- ICU Patients Confirmed w COVID-19: 41 (5 more than yesterday).
- Available ICU Beds: 137 (11 fewer than yesterday)
- Other Available Beds: 457 (18 fewer than yesterday).
- Confirmed COVID-19 Patients Currently on Ventilators: 20 (1 fewer than yesterday)60
- Available Ventilators: 779 (19 fewer than yesterday).
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Deaths: I’m sorry to report 10 additional COVID deaths today. The total number of COVID deaths in Oregon is still 2,726.
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Vaccinations:
- As of the end of yesterday, here are the latest numbers:
- New Immunizations Reported Today: 27,113
- 11,182 were conducted and reported yesterday
- 15,931 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 15,761 doses per day.
- Total First and Second Doses Administered So Far: 4,152,140
- 2,337,634 Pfizer doses
- 1,659,139 doses
- 153,424 Johnson & Johnson doses
- Total Oregonians vaccinated so far: 2,303,485
- 1,991,717 now fully vaccinated with two doses
- Number of Oregonians who still need to get a first dose for Oregon to reach the 70% threshold: 93,234 (210 fewer than yesterday)
- To date, 5,333,735 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon. (That’s 2,620 more than yesterday, so 44,090 doses have come in so far this week.)
- 77.8% of these doses have been administered so far. The national average is now 82.0%.
- 56.2% of Oregonians have received at least one dose (63.8% of those 16 and older, 67.2% of those 18+, which is the CDC standard).
- 48.0% of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated (56.2% of those 16 and older).
Additional Brief Updates
- The New York Times has a profile of Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new head of the CDC. Will this respected scientist be able to navigate the difficult political waters of pandemic response and vaccination rollouts?
- Amidst increased protection from vaccines, which groups are still dying from COVID? Those still dying are getting younger, but they also remain rooted in certain populations.
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Can employers require their workers to be vaccinated? In general, yes.
- Which city wears the crown of most vaccinated city in the U.S.A.?It’s that big city to the north.
- As we know, there is an unusual amount of trash and litter in public places in Portland, the legacy of the disruptions of the last year. The City of Portland is partnering with SO:VE Oregon--the excellent people who assemble volunteers to do litter cleanups, do plantings, and work to reduce the amount of trash in our environment,—to do a big cleanup (“Pick It Up, Portland”) at the end of the month. If you’re available on Friday, June 25, or Saturday, June 26, I encourage you to volunteer. Here's more information about the effort. If (as I pray!) the Legislature has finished our session by then, I look forward to joining you!
Representative Mike Nearman Expelled from the Legislature
In a sad but inevitable turn of events, the Oregon House voted 59-1 to expel Representative Mike Nearman this evening. This followed a unanimous vote of a special committee (half Democrats, half Republicans) to recommend the expulsion resolution, HR 3.
After some relatively brief debate—with Rep Nearman the only Republican speaking, the resolution passed. Rep Nearman argued that he was upholding the constitutional requirement to keep the Capitol open to all, despite the exigencies of the pandemic. Others pointed out (correctly) that if he, Patriot Prayer, and the others who tried violently to break into the Capitol believed that the Legislature’s rules for the pandemic were unconstitutional, the courts are the proper avenue for a challenge, not a challenge with guns, bear spray, metal rods, and physical violence.
As we’ve seen in video that I’ve linked to in previous newsletters, the violent attacks on Oregon’s Capitol--including smashing a door down, brandishing firearms, using mace, and attacking state troopers intent on protecting legislators—were part of a pre-meditated plan that Rep Nearman was complicit in. As a result, all of his Republican colleagues requested that he resign. He refused.
As a result of this evening’s vote, HD 23 is now vacant. Nearman’s replacement will be named by the county commissioners of the counties that make up his district. He must be replaced by another Republican.
Here's reporting from The Oregonian and from OPB.
Where Are Today’s Cases?
If we put together the positive test results and new “presumptive cases” reported today, the overall number of new cases reported is 370. Here is today’s breakdown by county:
Baker (1)
Benton (8)
Clackamas (30)
Clatsop (1)
Columbia (4)
Coos (2)
Crook (11)
Deschutes (85***)
Douglas (17)
Harney (1)
Hood River (4)
Jackson (15)
Jefferson (1)
Josephine (8)
Klamath (10)
Lane (23)
Lincoln (3)
Linn (11)
Malheur (2)
Marion (35)
Multnomah (59)
Polk (7)
Umatilla (8)
Union (1)
Washington (22)
Yamhill (4)
***Note from OHA: Due to a delay in laboratory reporting, OHA received 767 electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) on June 9, 2021 for Deschutes County. The reports are from April 17, 2021 to June 9, 2021. As a result, case counts, ELR totals and percent positivity is higher in Deschutes County for June 9, 2021 than anticipated.
And the Deaths
The first 16 deaths reported below are from yesterday. They just came in this morning. They were late reports that required additional research from OHA. Most of these deaths occurred last month.
OHA reports 10 deaths today, but apparently most of those are late reports as well. We don’t yet have the individual information for them. They’ll be in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Oregon’s 2,701st COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on May 9 and died on May 27 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,702nd COVID-19 death is a 97-year-old woman from Clackamas County who tested positive on April 29 and died on June 2 at her residence.
Oregon’s 2,703rd COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on April 15 and died on May 21 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,704th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman from Clackamas County who died on May 19 at her residence.
Oregon’s 2,705th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on May 15 and died on May 24 at Portland Adventist Hospital.
Oregon’s 2,706th COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man from Grant County who tested positive on May 9 and died on May 27.
Oregon’s 2,707th COVID-19 death is a 65-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive on May 14 and died on June 7 at Mercy Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,708th COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man from Hood River County who tested positive on April 28 and died on May 21 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,709th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive on May 22 and died on May 26 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.
Oregon’s 2,710th COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on May 24 and died on May 26 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,711th COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on May 17 and died on June 3 at Providence Portland Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,712th COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive on May 3 and died on June 6 at Salem Hospital.
Oregon’s 2,713th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on May 29 and died on June 7 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,714th COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on May 4 and died on May 27 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,715th COVID-19 death is a 60-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on May 3 and died on May 14 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Oregon’s 2,716th COVID-19 death is a 54-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on April 28 and died on June 7 at Legacy Good Samaritan 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
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
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