Those who died ranged in age from 47 to 88, including a 59-year-old Washington County man with no underlying health conditions. Public health officials say 269 people in the state are now known to have died from COVID-19.
Public health officials Tuesday also announced 299 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed or presumptive cases to 15,139. The record for the most cases was set last Thursday, with 437 new infections reported.
New cases have been rising since late May, about two weeks after Gov. Kate Brown started lifting her stay-at-home orders for most counties in the state and allowed them to reopen. Public health officials say some of the increase is due to more testing, but the disease also is spreading much more rapidly as people have started socializing with family and friends and have disregarded safety precautions such as wearing masks and keeping at least six feet of distance from people who aren’t members of their own households.
Cases by county: Tuesday’s new cases came from the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (1), Clackamas (15), Clatsop (3), Columbia (1), Coos (1), Deschutes (7), Douglas (3), Harney (2), Hood River (4), Jackson (5), Jefferson (8), Josephine (2), Klamath (1), Lake (1), Lane (3), Malheur (18), Marion (40), Morrow (10), Multnomah (67), Polk (3), Umatilla (59), Union (2), Wasco (1), Washington (32), and Yamhill (8).
Death toll: An 88-year-old Clackamas County woman died June 15 in her home, after testing positive June 10. She had underlying conditions. It’s unclear why it took more than one month to report her death, or if an Oregon Health Authority news release meant to say the woman died in July. A question asking for clarification wasn’t immediately answered.
A 59-year-old Washington County man died last Wednesday at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had tested positive June 23 and had no underlying conditions.
A 47-year-old Umatilla County man died Friday at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash., after testing positive June 29. He had underlying conditions.
A 52-year-old Multnomah County man died at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center on Saturday, after testing positive June 24. He had underlying conditions.
An 88-year-old Malheur County woman died on Sunday after testing positive June 28. Officials said they are still confirming her place of death and whether she had underlying conditions.
An 88-year-old Clackamas County man died Sunday at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, after testing positive July 7. He had underlying conditions.
An 87-year-old Clackamas County man died Monday, after testing positive on June 23. Officials still are confirming his place of death. He had underlying conditions.
Hospitalizations: The number of hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 held nearly steady. Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority reported 156 hospitalized patients, compared to 155 the previous day. Two fewer — 53 compared to 55 — were in intensive care units. But two more — 33 instead of 31 — were on ventilators.
Hospitals in Oregon still have significant ICU capacity left, with 142 available beds, officials said. There also are 776 ventilators available.
Outbreak: State officials reported that an outbreak at a Walmart distribution center in Hermiston in Umatilla County continues to grow. The outbreak started June 30, grew to 15 cases by July 12 and as of Tuesday stands at 23 cases. Those infected are either employees or close contacts of employees.
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— Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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