UO reports 23 new COVID-19 cases in 3 days as fall term commences

Ardeshir Tabrizian

October 2, 2020

Students help each other with the move-in process. First-year students move into University of Oregon residence halls on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. (Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)

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:

Lane County

COVID-19 cases in Lane County totaled 1,328 as of Thursday morning, of which 161 were actively infectious and 11 were hospitalized, according to Lane County Public Health. The highest case rate in the age groups listed was among people aged 21 to 30 at nearly 27%, with the second-highest being 11 to 20 at over 16%.

Two more people in the county have died from COVID-19 since last week, marking 18 total deaths, according to LCPH.

University of Oregon

UO reported 23 new COVID-19 cases since Monday, Sept. 28, bringing the total number of cases since June 1 to 151. All but one of the cases were students, of whom one lives on campus, according to the UO’s dedicated COVID-19 site.

One UO employee who tested positive is confirmed to have been on campus in the past two weeks, the UO site stated. LCPH has contacted and provided guidance for people who are known to have had contact with the employee, “and appropriate protocols for cleaning occupied spaces have been followed,” the site stated.

The university and Lane County remain at “high alert” level, meaning “increased cases, including spread in the community. Available but stressed capacity in health care facilities,” according to the UO site.

From the Daily Emerald: reporter Joanna Mann looked ahead to socially distant and virtual religious services and events for students this term. Reporter Bruno Crolla checked in with Residential Assistants on campus about dealing with new safety regulations, as well as local businesses on students returning to campus. Reporter Makenzie Elliott explored the challenges and concerns surrounding partying during the pandemic. Reporters Makenzie Elliott and Reina Harwood detailed the fall move-in experience for UO students.

The Eugene ZIP code 97401, which includes off-campus UO housing, had 90 new cases — the most in the state — during the week ending on Sunday, according to a report by the Oregonian.

Statewide

The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,999 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths and 143 hospitalizations between Monday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 27, according to its weekly report.