Oregon New COVID-19 Cases Skyrocket As Daily Total Nears 3,000

PORTLAND, OR — On Monday, there were 1,900 new cases of COVID-19 in Oregon. By Tuesday, the number passed 2,300. Thursday, the Oregon Health Authority reported there were nearly 3,000 new cases on Wednesday.

That's a thousand more daily cases than had been recorded two days ago.

The state says that the 2,948 new cases on Wednesday bring the total to 421,263 since the pandemic began. There were also 15 new deaths. There have now been 5,655 Oregonians who have been killed by the virus.

OHA says that the number of breakthrough cases – cases where a person who has been fully vaccinated and gets the virus anyway – is also increasing. More than a third – 36.7 percent – of the cases recorded last week were breakthrough cases.

That means more than 63 percent of the cases last week involved people who are unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, all the new cases are putting a strain on hospitals and their staff. As of Thursday afternoon, there were only 50 beds available for adults in ICUs around the state. There are also only 265 nonICU beds available for adults throughout Oregon. That means both categories are above 90 percent of capacity

There are only 60 total beds available for adults in Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook, and Washington Counties.

In the region that includes Benton, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Pol, and Yamhill Counties, there are only 16 hospital beds available for adults. Total.

OHA says that the nearly 3,000 new cases reported on Wednesday were spread across 35 of the state's 36 counties.

Here's the county by county breakdown:

Baker (4), Benton (61), Clackamas (269), Clatsop (12), Columbia (15), Coos (39), Crook (26), Curry (11), Deschutes (286), Douglas (57), Gilliam (1), Grant (9), Harney (2), Hood River (19), Jackson (185), Jefferson (12), Josephine (48), Klamath (35), Lake (2), Lane (244), Lincoln (37), Linn (75), Malheur (24), Marion (148), Morrow (6), Multnomah (641), Polk (39), Sherman (3), Tillamook (15), Umatilla (121), Union (11), Wallowa (5), Wasco (10), Washington (418), and Yamhill (58).