COVID numbers in county all over the place, but mostly up

Kelly Kenoyer

Day after day this week, Oregon broke new COVID records for daily cases, has seen record hospitalizations, and even set a new record for daily deaths related to this pandemic.

The latest record is 1,517 new cases in a single day, recorded Nov. 22, coming after three days of record high cases. Oregon had 20 deaths from COVID-19 on Nov. 19, another morbid new record. 826 people have died of COVID so far this year, hundreds more than suicide and homocide deaths combined.

“We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. “These are family, friends, neighbors and we note their deaths with sadness and a renewed determination to suppress the spread of the virus.”

According to the numbers released Monday, Nov. 23, Linn County recorded 15 new cases, bringing its total to 169 cases for the week. That shatters the previous record from the prior week, which at 104 was also a new record.

Sweet Home is experiencing an upturn in numbers as well: eight new cases within the zip code during the week of Nov. 13-18, and at least two more since, as confirmed by Sweet Home School District and Linn County Health Department (see story beginning on page 1).

Official weekly numbers for zip codes come out each Wednesday. The most recent update puts Sweet Home at 63 cases total: one in every 215 people in the area has had COVID-19.

Herd immunity for COVID-19 is estimated to occur when between 50 and 90% of people are immune to the virus, either through vaccination or exposure, according to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Even then, immunity is expected to last months or years, not for a person’s entire life, and rapid spread is likely to overwhelm hospitals.

Linn County recorded its first death since October on Nov. 17, putting the county’s death toll at 18. The latest was a 76-year-old woman with underlying conditions who died at Samaritan Albany General Medical Center. She was Oregon’s 770th death, but the state has had 50 more deaths since.

Across Oregon, a record 456 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 109 in the Intensive Care Unit, as of Nov. 23. Thirty-nine of them are on ventilators.

“I have heard frequently from those who have refused to believe this pandemic is serious if we aren’t seeing hospitalizations and deaths,” Allen said on Nov. 19.

“Those hospitalizations and deaths are here, and are only likely to go up. Please take this seriously, and do what you can to slow the spread: wash your hands, wear a mask, and limit the number of people you come in close contact with.”

Three days later, on Nov. 22, Allen said, “Oregon is on a steep and stark slope of rising coronavirus cases.”

He warned that every part of the state has seen innocent get-togethers lead to spread of the virus, and some have resulted in hospitalizations and deaths.

“This Thanksgiving, cancel any plans you have to celebrate indoors with large groups of family and friends,” Allen advised.

“The safest, wisest and most caring way to protect the people you love is to keep your Thanksgiving dinner small and limited to no more than one other household beside your own. Keep the holidays a time to remember, not a time to regret.”

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