The Oregon Capital Bureau
The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Oregon increased to 21 after the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday announced six new cases in scattered parts of the state, including two elderly men in a veterans nursing home in Linn County.
The Health Authority confirmed two cases in Linn and one individual in each of Polk, Marion, Umatilla and Deschutes counties have test results indicating they are infected with novel coronavirus. The results mean that Polk and Deschutes counties have seen their first cases and the virus has now spread to 10 Oregon counties.
That two residents at a veterans’ facility in Linn County have tested positive for coronavirus could signify a dramatic and troubling turn as the pandemic spreads across America.
The outbreak at the the Edward C. Allworth Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon marks the first at a senior-style living center in Oregon. Both residents are believed to be at least 80 years old. It’s unclear how they became infected and the cases have been labeled as “community spread.
There are no cases in Lincoln or other Oregon Coast counties.
None of the four other people with confirmed cases traveled to a country affected by the outbreak, health officials said. The individuals in Polk, Marion and Deschutes counties didn’t have close contacts with others carrying the coronavirus and are considered to be “community spread.” The individual in Umatilla County had contact with the county’s first person confirmed to have coronavirus.
The announcement came the same day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The designation signifies the outbreak’s rapid transmission and is applied to global diseases to which most people aren’t immune.
In announcing that the disease had become a pandemic, World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom said that the number of cases of COVID-19 outside of China, where it originated, increased 13 fold in the last two weeks.
There are more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 people have died from the disease with thousands more fighting for their lives in hospitals, he said.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher,” he said. “WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is expected to announce on Thursday new measures aimed at mass gatherings, social distancing, and workplace practices that are intended to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Oregon universities Wednesday afternoon began announcing new regimens, but they varied campus to campus. The University of Oregon canceled nonessential events and gathering of more than 50 and the first three weeks of class during spring term will be held remotely. In-person final exams for winter term won’t be held.
Oregon’s two senators signed onto a letter asking the Trump administration to consider issuing disaster declarations that would allow states to access $42.6 billion.
Symptoms of COVID-19 usually develop within 14 days and are similar to those of the flu, which has created difficulty for health officials as they try to pinpoint people infected with the disease.
In announcing the new cases, the Health Authority reiterated its call for people to wash their hands, cover their coughs and sneezes and stay home if sick. The Health Authority also restated the risk the illness poses to adults older than 60 as well as those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems. These individuals are urged to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings.
On Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Human Services mandated stops to visits at long-term care facilities.
Officials have been tight-lipped about the details surrounding each person diagnosed with COVID-19 out of privacy concerns. But Oregon Health Authority numbers show that of the 19 diagnosed with COVID-19, 10 have been hospitalized and nearly 58 percent were over 55 years of age. Just under a third of Oregonians diagnosed with the disease were between 35 and 54. There are currently only two positive cases under the age of 24.
Currently, the test results for 62 cases are pending and 220 people are currently under monitoring. The number of cases and suspected cases is expected to rise as the state increases its testing capacity.
Two private labs, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics, and clinical laboratories at some Oregon hospitals are expected to begin testing next week.
During a press conference Wednesday, George Conway, Deschutes County Health Services director, said that the testing process still has “quite a few kinks and wrinkles that need to be worked out.” He noted that Oregon was doing a “reasonable job” and was on its way to resolving its issues with testing.
He also said that nationally “we’re really in the dark” about how bad the disease is because of the lack of testing.
“I should point out that nationally, there’s very very little idea about the location and the frequency of these infections,” he said. “There just hasn’t been enough testing.”
During a Health Authority call with legislators, Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, asked Director Pat Allen if the state should begin looking at commercial stockpiles of things such as hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment. Allen said that Oregon’s stockpile of supplies is approaching its expiration date and supplies are now being deployed to avoid having to throw them out.