The Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday announced 555 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths as a looming winter storm could jeopardize vaccination plans at two large clinics in Portland.
Many of the vaccinations scheduled this week are for Oregonians 80 and older, who account for more than half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. The death toll among all age groups in January is now at least 359, the second-highest since the pandemic began, with several deaths announced Wednesday occurring last month.
December claimed the most Oregonians — 576 fatalities among all age groups.
Where the new cases are by county: Baker (2), Benton (15), Clackamas (41), Clatsop (2), Columbia (5), Coos (15), Crook (3), Deschutes (39), Douglas (53), Grant (1), Hood River (3), Jackson (25), Jefferson (13), Josephine (18), Klamath (6), Lake (6), Lane (40), Linn (9), Marion (44), Morrow (1), Multnomah (116), Polk (16), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (9), Union (5), Wasco (3), Washington (53) and Yamhill (10).
Who died: The 2,032nd death is a 49-year-old Clatsop County man who tested positive Jan. 11 and died Feb. 8 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.
The 2,033rd death is an 85-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Feb. 3 and died Feb. 7 at Mercy Medical Center.
The 2,034th death is a 73-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Feb. 8 and died Feb. 7 at Mercy Medical Center.
The 2,035th death is an 84-year-old Lane County man who tested positive Dec. 11 and died Jan. 27 at his residence.
The 2,036th death is an 84-year-old Lane County man who tested positive Jan. 9 and died Jan. 25 at his residence.
The 2,037th death is an 89-year-old Klamath County man who tested positive Jan. 8 and died Jan. 29 at Sky Lakes Medical Center.
The 2,038th death is a 73-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive Jan. 17 and died Feb. 1 at his residence.
The 2,039th death is an 81-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive Jan. 21 and died Jan. 27 at his residence.
The 2,040th death is a 94-year-old Multnomah County woman who died Feb. 4 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause or significant condition contributing to her death.
The 2,041st death is a 62-year-old Washington County man who tested positive Jan. 19 and died Jan. 28 at his residence.
The 2,042nd death is a 101-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Jan. 11 and died Jan. 16 at her residence.
The 2,043rd death is a 96-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Dec. 25 and died Jan. 5 at her residence.
The 2,044th death is a 90-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Jan. 22 and died Jan. 26 at her residence.
Unless noted above, each person who died had underlying health conditions or state officials were working to determine if the person had underlying medical conditions.
Prevalence of infections: The state reported 477 new positive tests out of 15,229 tests performed, equaling a 3.1% positivity rate.
Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (27); 10-19 (73); 20-29 (99); 30-39 (91); 40-49 (71); 50-59 (70); 60-69 (45); 70-79 (31); 80 and older (30).
Who’s in the hospital: The state reported 211 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Wednesday, 15 fewer than the previous day. Fifty-three of those patients are in the intensive care unit — the same number as Tuesday.
Vaccines: On Wednesday, the state reported that 16,427 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered, including 9,686 on Tuesday and 6,741 from previous days. In total, the state has administered 604,215 doses of the vaccine, including first and second doses. That’s about 75% of the state’s total vaccine supply.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 148,475 confirmed or presumptive positive cases and 2,044 deaths, among the lowest per capita rates in the nation. To date, the state has reported 3,344,227 lab reports from tests.
—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
