Albany, Ore. — Oregon added nearly 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 between June 29 and July 5, and on Wednesday the Oregon Health Authority reported a new death from the virus in Benton County.
OHA’s daily update showed 217 new cases statewide and four new deaths. The department’s weekly report, also released on Wednesday, said the state has seen a 51 percent increase in new cases over last week.
The cause for the increase, OHA said, is not solely due to the amount of testing being done, which has remained steady or increased over the last month. The positive rate for those being tested has increased from 3.7 percent to the current 5 percent in the span of two weeks.
Seven days ago, according to OHA, the state’s total case load stood at 8,931. On Wednesday, the department reported the state’s total as 10,817.
Hospitalizations increased for the fifth consecutive week but, according to OHA, remain below the levels seen at the height of the pandemic in March. The department said the lower hospitalization rate can be explained by the demographic currently accounting for the majority of cases: young people.
About 20 percent of total cases are being reported by those between the ages of 20 and 29, with 63 of those cases being hospitalized.
OHA also reported on Wednesday that, prior to May 1, when the definition of recovery was altered, the department contacted 1,885 individuals who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of that group, 86.7 percent are considered to have recovered while about 12 percent either haven’t recovered yet or no information is available for those individuals.
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center reported on Wednesday as part of OHA’s weekly release that it was treating 13 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Samaritan Albany General Hospital and Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital both reported between 1 and 9 patients with the virus as well.
Benton County reported its sixth death on Wednesday, an 85-year-old woman with underlying health conditions who died at her home on June 28. The county has had 98 cases of COVID-19.
Linn County’s death count remains at 10, but the county added eight new cases according to Wednesday’s update, bringing its total to 165.
