Another COVID outbreak is sweeping parts of the country, with infections increasing on the West Coast.
The summer spread has become a yearly trend as temperatures rise, fostering the spread of the virus, which thrives in steamy, hot conditions. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking growing outbreaks in about 40 states, including Oregon. The virus is also spreading in Washington, California, Arizona and Colorado in the West.
Washington saw 2,905 positive COVID tests in the week ending July 27. The weekly trend rate, which is determined by taking the number of positive tests divided by the population and multiplying by 100,000, is 36.9. The weekly rate of positive tests has gone up steadily over recent weeks. The average number of hospitalizations over the week ending in July 27 was 260. Just over 3% of hospital beds in the state were occupied by COVID patients.
In Oregon, nearly 15% of people who tested for COVID over the past week had the virus, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s latest data. That rate only takes into account the 1,515 tests the agency knows about – many people test at home – but it’s an indicator of viral spread and is a high rate for this time of year. The only other year in which test rates were higher at this time was the week of July 23, 2022 when nearly 18% tests were positive.
The difference between then and now is that many people have become sick, which can provide some immunity, and many have been vaccinated. Health authority data shows 80% of Oregonians had one initial dose of the COVID vaccine and about 74% had two. But fewer people have kept up with the booster shots, which are designed to protect against the latest dominant variant. As of early July, about 1 million Oregonians had received a booster shot designed to provide protection against the original variant and two omicron strains.
Omicron continues to mutate, thus the need for updated shots. Vaccine manufacturers are expected to come out with an updated dose this fall to give people protection against the KP.2 variant, an omicron descendent that’s been circulating. Oregon data shows that cases of KP.2.3, a variant of KP.2, and KP.3, another omicron descendent, are growing and are now dominant in the state.
People with immunity can still become sick, though many experience less severe symptoms, health officials say. But people are still dying from COVID in Oregon. State data says that nearly 30 have died in the past four months, a relatively low number compared to mid-January, for example, when 25 died in a week.
The hospitalization numbers are also relatively low: The latest data from Tuesday shows that 225 people hospitalized in Oregon have COVID, 20 are in intensive care and only five are on a ventilator.
Health officials continue to advise people to stay up to date with the vaccines, wear a mask to avoid exposure and maintain distance between yourself and others. Inside, HEPA filters can be used to clean the air, or open windows to let fresh air in, provided it’s not smoky.
For more information on how to protect yourself, to the CDC at www.cdc.gov/covid/prevention/index.html
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