COVID Cases Steady In Oregon

Study as she goes in Oregon on COVID related cases. Coronavirus cases has decreased by 40% in the past seven days, state data released shows, returning to early January levels. The Oregon Health Authority counted 16,991 confirmed or presumed infections in the past week, including 4,756 announced Monday for the preceding three days. The highly contagious omicron variant has produced a near-symmetrical rapid spike and fall in the past two months. Average daily cases now stand at 2,427, dramatically below the peak of about 8,200 daily cases from three weeks ago.

Hospitalizations are falling. The number of people hospitalized with a positive coronavirus test stood Monday at 865, down from a high of 1,130 last month.

State officials last week said they would lift indoor mask mandates by March 31 or when hospitalizations hit 400, whichever comes sooner. Oregon appears on track to beat that outside date, with hospitalizations already dropping at a rate more than a week ahead of schedule. Hospitals are relying on help from about 1,300 National Guard members and 1,200 traveling health care workers, state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said at a press conference Friday.

“I anticipate you’ll start to see some redeployment of those staff, some draw-down of those staff, over the next month to month and a half,” Sidelinger said. “And when we get to the end of March, when we predict [COVID] numbers are down, we’re going to see much less outside support in those hospital systems.”

“This is really not the time to stop universal masking in our schools,” Colt Gill, director of the Oregon Department of Education said. “This is a time when omicron can continue to spread rapidly through an indoor setting, when people are spending a lot of time together in close quarters inside a school building.” Voicing how school districts, which at this point can make their own masking rules. “We have a date; it’s named,” Gill said at Friday’s conference. “And our school leaders who are anxious to move away from universal masking know that that can happen on that date.” Gill said the education department is asking school districts to work closely with their local health departments to decide when and where to implement masking starting in April.

Portland Public Schools officials announced Friday afternoon they’re extending distance learning for three middle schools.