The Oregon Employment Department paid $97 million in benefits to Oregonians during the week of April 5 to April 11, quadrupling since the previous week, according to a release. The OED received 53,800 initial claims for unemployment benefits last week as well, down from 78,100 claims the week prior.

In the past four weeks, OED has received about 296,800 initial claims, more than any period in history.

The OED also says they are working on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. 

“Once ready, the PUA program will allow the self-employed, contract workers, and gig workers not already eligible to receive unemployment benefits for the first time,” according to the release. 

Lane County still has the third largest number of processed claims, with the largest share coming from the leisure and hospitality sector.

The US has 22 million people unemployed, according to Washington Post reporting, and 5.2 million filed for employment just last week. 

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 3.3% in March, the same as in January and February, according to a Tuesday release. That rate does not reflect the job losses due to the coronavirus, the release states, because the unemployment rate is based on data from prior to when social distancing orders took effect.

However, the U.S. unemployment rate increased from 3.5% to 4.4%, beginning to show the effects of the economic shutdown.

Most of the changes in unemployment due to the coronavirus will be reflected in the April unemployment rate, according to the release.