Increasing COVID-19 infections in Oregon as the pandemic moves into its third year | News

Salem-Oregon is in the midst of a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections to commemorate the world’s second anniversary of the pandemic on Friday.

A Thursday report by the Oregon Department of Health recorded 2,948 new cases and 15 deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 21 from Wednesday to 440. Oregon recorded 421,263 infections and 5,655 deaths from COVID-19, first reported in China two years ago on Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 488,000 new cases nationwide, a new record. The World Health Organization said the new infectious disease is a “tsunami” that hits the planet.

The spikes are driven by the fast diffusion of the Omicron variant, coupled with the stubborn and slow decline of the delta variant, which peaked in September.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron currently accounts for the majority of new cases in the United States. The number of cases is expected to continue to increase in Oregon, with a positive test rate of 15% on Thursday, three times the standard that OHA states is a manageable spread.

Health officials said Thursday that they had ordered 12 million home antigen rapid test kits that could show results in 15 minutes. Local public health agencies and partner organizations distribute tests free of charge. The first kit should arrive in Oregon next week. “Oregon has learned that during a delta surge, we need to be prepared for unpredictable situations. To keep schools, businesses and communities open while still protecting the most vulnerable people in the community. I knew I needed to prepare for future variants, “Gov Kate Brown said in a statement.

Pharmacies in the state are reporting sales of all available kits, and mail-order sales will be backlogged next month.

Scientists studying the Omicron strain have stated that it is the most contagious version of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Early reports indicate that individual cases are unlikely to lead to hospitalization or death, but the large number of new cases overwhelms hospitals and rescuers.

The CDC reports that Omicron is likely to cause “breakthrough” cases in vaccinated people. However, those who have been boosted in conjunction with previous vaccinations are significantly less likely to experience severe illness or death.

Oregon Health & Science University predicts that the Omicron Spike will peak in Oregon around February 9. Last week’s OHSU forecast reduced the peak number of hospitalizations in Oregon from 3,000 to about 1,200, close to the level at which the Delta peaked in early September. The new forecast expected for Thursday has been postponed until Friday, according to OHSU officials.

A seven-day average of new cases in Oregon rose to 1,532, according to Thursday’s report. The ratio per person is 251.3 per 100,000.

Deschutes County continues to be the state’s leading COVID-19 hotspot, with the highest infection rates of any county, adjusted for population. In Deschutes County, there are an average of 565.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per week. In the sparsely populated Grant County, there are an average of 546.8 cases per week. Umatilla County has the third highest average, just over 402. Crook County is fourth with an average of 337, followed by Jefferson County with 331.9 per 100,000. Sherman County, with less than 2,000 residents, has the highest positive test rate at 33.3%, based on an increase from 0 to 3. Umatilla County has the second highest positive test rate at 29.1%, followed by Deschutes at 22.7%, Union at 21.7% and Tillamook at 19.8%.

The average seven-day new infection in the United States exceeded 267,000 on Wednesday, setting a new record. Despite the surge in case reports, the state has stepped into invalidating the information for three days. The Oregon Department of Health has previously announced that it will not release a daily COVID-19 report from Friday to Sunday to protect New Year’s holidays.

Two-year pandemic traces Uncertainty about the virus was a hallmark of a pandemic that officially began two years ago today.

The World Health Organization has received reports of pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan, a metropolitan area of ​​11 million people living in central China. The first all cases were related to the South China seafood wholesale market in the city.

7th The last day of 2019 report is the reason for the number of COVID-19. Chinese researchers reported to WHO on January 7 that the disease was caused by a “new coronavirus” that had never been seen before.

WHO published a public report on January 10. The next day, Thailand reported the incident. Japan was next on January 15th. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the virus was found in Washington State on January 20th.

The first case in Oregon was confirmed on February 28. The following day, February 29, Washington reported the first death of COVID-19 in the United States. WHO declared a pandemic (a contagious disease found on multiple continents) on March 11.

A 70-year-old man died first in Oregon on March 15 at the Portland Veterans Medical Center. By the end of the year, more than 300,000 Americans had died from the virus. The first vaccine was released to the public on December 14th. We have reached the beginning of 2021 hoping that the worst crisis has passed.

Optimism was premature. Today, more than 5.4 million people have died worldwide. This includes more than 824,000 people in the United States, the largest number in the world.

Oregon has one of the lowest infection and mortality rates of the 50 states, but still recorded 5,640 deaths as of Thursday morning.

Most of the poorest countries in the world had few, if any, vaccine supplies, but the United States was in the black because a significant minority of Americans refused to vaccinate.

The last 24 months have eased expectations of a pandemic solution. We hope that rally restrictions and compulsory face mask edicts will reduce cases in the summer of 2020, potentially controlling the virus while scientists are working on the vaccine.

By that fall, hospitalizations and deaths began to surge, peaking in December, just as the first vaccine was released to the public. Despite hesitation about the vaccine, the decline in the number of cases lifted most pandemic restrictions in Oregon at the end of June.

However, in July, new infections, severe cases, and deaths caused by the delta variant surged. September set a new record for COVID-19 deaths in the state.

Spike peaked on Labor Day weekend and began to stubbornly and slowly descend. In October, OHSU researchers said that by early November, the state could be reduced to negligible levels of severe cases, as most of the state was vaccinated or immunized by exposure to the virus. Said there is.

If you were hungry for people who could be infected with the virus, there was a possibility of herd immunity. However, the pandemic “fatigue” has led to people gathering more often with more people and not always following safety precautions.

Studies have also shown that the effectiveness of the vaccine has begun to decline, but vaccinated people are only 1% likely to die if infected with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. did. Health officials said a third booster dose was needed for vaccinated people to be fully protected.

Due to the decrease in delta cases, a new subspecies of Omicron was reported in southern Africa on November 22, and the first case in the United States was reported in San Francisco on December 1. Oregon reported the first case on December 13.

The tenacious nature of the virus, coupled with political fractures that disrupted public health policy, ended the story of eradicating COVID-19.

The latest models follow the path of the 1918-19 “Spanish flu” pandemic. Zero case is not the goal. Instead, scientists say that a series of variants that ultimately produce a widespread but much less virulent form of the original virus makes it easier to manage life with COVID-19.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on Thursday that COVID-19 “will not be eradicated and will probably not be eliminated.”

However, in the first few months of 2022, it may have been possible to bring it down to a controllable level that “doesn’t disrupt society and the economy.”