Identified coronavirus cases jumped 32% in Oregon last week compared to the previous week, according to state data released Monday, with hospitalizations rising above projections for the omicron wave.
Oregon recorded about 12,000 weekly cases, up from about 9,000 the previous week. The state is now identifying about 1,700 daily cases – the highest level since February – but reported case numbers are a dramatic undercount because of at-home testing.
The number of people hospitalized and testing positive also jumped in the past week, reaching 357 as of Monday, exceeding the June 5 peak of 327 projected by Oregon Health & Science University. The increase comes as Oregon sees more iterations of the highly contagious omicron variant.
Hospitalizations this weekend reached their highest levels since early March. But they remain far below earlier records from delta and omicron, when the number of people hospitalized surpassed 1,100.
Nine Oregon counties are now in the high category for spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with indoor masking recommended in public places.
The high counties are: Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Jackson, Klamath and Lake. In the metro area, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties are in the medium range, with people at high-risk of severe infection encouraged to talk with a health care provider about whether to wear masks.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 805,978 confirmed or presumed infections and 7,791 deaths.
Hospitalizations: 357 people with confirmed coronavirus infections are hospitalized, up 57 since Monday, June 20. That includes 55 people in intensive care, up 11 since June 20.
Vaccinations: As of June 20, the state has reported fully vaccinating 2,923,957 people (68.5% of the population), partially vaccinating 288,639 people (6.8%) and boosting 1,673,842 (39.2%).
New deaths: In the six days since June 21, the Oregon Health Authority has reported 62 deaths connected to COVID-19.
— Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628
