Oregon reports 302 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 11 new deaths

PORTLAND — COVID-19 has claimed 11 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 368, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Oregon Health Authority reported 302 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, bringing the state total to 21,774.

The new cases are in the following counties: Benton (3), Clackamas (23), Clatsop (4), Columbia (5), Crook (1), Curry (2), Deschutes (5), Douglas (5), Hood River (8), Jackson (12), Jefferson (6), Josephine (9), Klamath (3), Lane (6), Lincoln (2), Linn (12), Malheur (19), Marion (42), Morrow (6), Multnomah (60), Polk (5), Umatilla (16), Union (1), Wasco (2), Washington (41), and Yamhill (4).

Note: OHA receives death certificate information from the Office of Vital Statistics. Epidemiologists review death certificate information for Oregonians that have COVID-19 listed as a main cause of death or a contributing cause of death. When a death is reported to a county, the county may not always have the cause of death, and this death would not be counted as a COVID-19 related death. During data reconciliation by OHA, additional COVID-19 related deaths may be found and reported. The deaths reported today include eight deaths that were identified during this review process.

Oregon’s 358^th COVID-19 death is a 59-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on May 22 and died on August 7 at OHSU. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 359^th COVID-19 death is a 105-year-old woman in Clackamas County who died on July 5, in her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease, or SARS-CoV-2, as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.

Oregon’s 360^th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old woman in Umatilla County who tested positive on July 23 and died on August 8 in her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 361^st COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on May 7 and died on July 27 in her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 362^nd COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Umatilla County who tested positive on July 23 and died on August 5 in her residence. She had underlying medical conditions.

Oregon’s 363^rd COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on August 3 and died on August 8 at Providence Portland Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.

Oregon’s 364^th COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on April 7 and died on June 10 in his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 365^th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on May 31 and died on June 14 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 366^th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on June 16 and died on June 30 in his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 367^th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on June 27 and died on July 7 at Providence Portland Medical Center. He had no reported underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 368^th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on April 8 and died on July 12 in his residence. He had underlying conditions.

OHA releases Weekly Testing Summary

Yesterday, OHA released its Weekly Testing Summary which showed that the week of Aug. 2-Aug. 8, 25,744 tests were reported. Of those tests, 1,380 or 5.4 percent were positive, down from the 6.3 percent rate a week earlier.

This week, OHA has begun using the date of specimen collection as our denominator for COVID-19 test results, including percentage positivity, across all of OHA’s reported testing data. This change means testing data will be reported based on the date/week in which specimens were collected. These products include the Tableau data dashboards summarizing percent positivity by county, the overall percent positivity in Oregon, the data for metrics relating to schools reopening, as well as this Weekly Testing Summary and the Weekly Report. The data in these various products will not shift significantly as a result of this change.

Department of Education updates guidance for 2020-21 school year

As part of its planned guidance review process, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released updates today to Ready Schools, Safe Learners, the 2020-21 school year guidance.

Ready Schools, Safe Learners, developed under the direction of Governor Brown and in collaboration with OHA, provides a framework for schools for the 2020-21 school year that prioritizes the health and safety of all students and staff and the families they return to each day.

Flexibility for rural and remote schools

The revised guidance gives rural and remote schools more flexibility to offer in-person instruction. The new metrics require close partnership between school districts and local public health authorities to oversee a return to in-person instruction in small communities not impacted by COVID-19. The metrics also clarify limited in-person opportunities in schools required to operate through Comprehensive Distance Learning. ODE stated its priority is to return to in-person instruction as soon as it can be accomplished with stability and safety.

Learn more about the updated guidance from today’s press release.

Outbreak surpasses 20 cases

An outbreak of 25 cases of COVID-19 has been reported at Smith Foods in Umatilla County. The case count includes all persons linked to the outbreak, which may include household members and other close contacts to an employee.

The outbreak investigation started on July 24, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure. State and county public health officials are working with the company to address the outbreak and protect the health of the workers.

Stay informed about COVID-19:

Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response.

United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.

Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.