The news moves pretty fast and cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in Oregon. The Daily Emerald summarized the top COVID-19 news. See what you might have missed:
New Cases
Since Jan. 22, the Oregon Health Authority reported 4,069 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases and 66 new deaths in its daily reports. Tuesday, Jan. 26, had the largest numbers of the week with 796 cases and 22 deaths. OHA reported a 48% decline in cases during the week of Jan. 18 to Jan. 24 from the previous week, along with decreases in hospitalizations and percentage of positive tests.
The total number of cases in Lane County has risen to 8,980 and 113 deaths, according to Lane County Public Health. There are 24 people currently hospitalized.
The University of Oregon has seen 178 new cases since Jan. 22, composed of 116 off-campus students, 61 on-campus students and one employee, according to the university’s COVID-19 website. There was a decline in campus cases from Jan. 18 to Jan. 25, going from 175 to 65.
Vaccine Updates
Oregon had administered 340,369 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Wednesday and 600,875 doses of vaccine had been delivered to sites across Oregon, according to OHA.
OHA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee decided Thursday that several groups should receive the COVID-19 vaccine before the general public, including individuals 16 to 64 years of age with underlying health conditions, front-line workers who cannot work from home, individuals in custody who are 16 and older and people living in low-income and congregate senior housing, according to KOIN. Multigenerational households and the general public will follow.
OHA Public Health Director Rachael Banks said the state will narrow down the committee’s recommendation as there are not enough vaccines to supply these large groups.
“Ultimately, we don’t want to frustrate communities by having a lot of people that ultimately think, you know, I’m eligible right now and know that there’s not enough spots,” Banks said at a committee meeting Thursday morning.
