On September 12th, OHA reported six COVID-19 deaths, bringing the statewide total to 505.
“Today’s 500th death marks another sad milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon,” said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. “These are our family members, our friends, neighbors and colleagues. We extend our deepest condolences to every Oregonian who has suffered a loss to COVID-19.”
This is an incredibly challenging time for many reasons. As many of us continue to deal with the devastating effects of wildfires, as well as the COVID-19 public health crisis, we wanted to remind you of some resources. If you need support, please know that help is available for you.
- The Oregon Behavioral Health Support Line is a free and confidential resource for all Oregonians who are looking for emotional support. Call 1-800-923-HELP (4357). You do not need to be in mental health crisis to call this line. If you need or want help beyond what the line can provide, you will be connected to those services. This can include community-based services such as housing, food assistance or clinical services. Certified interpreters are also available for those who speak a language other than English. Through this number, you can also connect with Lines for Life (linesforlife.org), a suicide prevention organization with specific resources for youth, military personnel and their families, and those affected by substance abuse problems.
- SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Call SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.
Save this to your phone for quick access when you or someone you know might need it. - Call 211 or visit 211info.org to connect with health and social service organizations. These include child care resources, utility assistance, food resources, housing and shelter information and more.
- OHA also has contacts for crisis services by county on its website.
Stay safe from wildfire smoke
As wildfires continue throughout the state, please continue to take care of yourselves and those around you. Keep an eye on local conditions in case evacuation levels change and find resources at wildfire.oregon.gov.
With wildfire smoke creating unsafe air quality conditions that are expected to persist for several days, please remember to follow these tips to protect yourself and your family:
- Stay indoors as much as possible.
- Limit activity outdoors.
- If you have heart or lung disease or respiratory illnesses such as asthma, follow your health care provider’s advice about prevention and treatment of symptoms.
- Reduce other sources of smoke, such as cigarette smoking and wood-burning stoves, for example.
- Check current air quality conditions. Go to oregonsmoke.blogspot.com to find the current air quality and wildfire smoke resources.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
- Remember that while cloth masks and face coverings do not protect you from wildfire smoke, they do offer protection against COVID-19. N95 respirators may offer some protection if properly fit-tested and worn. Otherwise, they may create a false sense of security. N95s are not available in children’s sizes.
- Learn more about the dangers of wildfire smoke and how you can stay safe by visiting healthoregon.org/wildfires.
Evacuation tips: Be prepared so you are ready to GO!
Things change fast during a wildfire. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, but one thing you can do is get prepared in case you need to evacuate. If you must evacuate for any reason, be sure to bring:
- An emergency food and water supply: https://bit.ly/3bT5G9P .
- An emergency medicine supply: https://bit.ly/2F4ihej. Make a plan to keep medications that need refrigeration cold.
- Emergency power sources for medical devices and flashlights: https://bit.ly/2FptO7t (don’t forget extra batteries).
- Safety and personal items, including a face covering and hand sanitizer to protect against COVID. Face coverings do not protect against wildfire smoke.
- Important documents, including medical documents, wills, passports and personal identification: https://bit.ly/3k1n0Mn.
- Reduce smoke in your vehicle by closing your windows and vents and running your car’s air conditioner in recirculate mode to lower air intake from outside and to stay cool. Check www.tripcheck.com to help plan a safe route.
Governor announces updates to County Watch List
Today, Gov. Kate Brown announced that Jackson and Jefferson counties have been removed from the County Watch List and that Umatilla has met the prerequisites to move to Phase 2, effective immediately.
“I want to commend Jackson, Jefferson and Umatilla counties for their efforts in curbing community spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Brown said. “Their work in reducing community transmission shows that we can reduce the spread of this disease if we all work together.”
Umatilla remains on the list along with Malheur and Morrow counties.
Learn more in today’s news release.
Oregon reports 185 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 5 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed five more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 509, the Oregon Health Authority reported at today, September 13th
Oregon Health Authority reported 185 new cases today, bringing the state total to 29,337.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported are in the following counties: Benton (2), Clackamas (9), Curry (1), Deschutes (3), Douglas (1), Gilliam (1), Jackson (13), Jefferson (1), Josephine (4), Lane (8), Lincoln (1), Linn (3), Malheur (26), Marion (27), Morrow (1), Multnomah (38), Polk (6), Umatilla (6), Wasco (1), Washington (33).
See table below for total cases, deaths, and negative tests by county.
|
County |
Cases1 |
Total deaths2 |
Negative tests3 |
|
Baker |
90 |
2 |
1,464 |
|
Benton |
244 |
6 |
11,618 |
|
Clackamas |
2,151 |
59 |
55,254 |
|
Clatsop |
102 |
0 |
5,109 |
|
Columbia |
143 |
1 |
6,392 |
|
Coos |
131 |
0 |
6,094 |
|
Crook |
59 |
1 |
2,388 |
|
Curry |
26 |
0 |
1,518 |
|
Deschutes |
723 |
12 |
26,778 |
|
Douglas |
188 |
3 |
11,734 |
|
Gilliam |
5 |
0 |
257 |
|
Grant |
8 |
0 |
822 |
|
Harney |
12 |
0 |
742 |
|
Hood River |
238 |
0 |
4,660 |
|
Jackson |
967 |
3 |
30,127 |
|
Jefferson |
487 |
8 |
4,404 |
|
Josephine |
178 |
2 |
10,860 |
|
Klamath |
242 |
2 |
9,487 |
|
Lake |
29 |
0 |
803 |
|
Lane |
846 |
13 |
57,417 |
|
Lincoln |
473 |
13 |
8,206 |
|
Linn |
431 |
13 |
14,994 |
|
Malheur |
1,407 |
22 |
4,632 |
|
Marion |
4,248 |
87 |
43,598 |
|
Morrow |
471 |
4 |
1,602 |
|
Multnomah |
6,556 |
127 |
129,827 |
|
Polk |
481 |
15 |
8,013 |
|
Sherman |
18 |
0 |
321 |
|
Tillamook |
45 |
0 |
2,801 |
|
Umatilla |
2,844 |
41 |
12,275 |
|
Union |
431 |
2 |
3,237 |
|
Wallowa |
23 |
1 |
888 |
|
Wasco |
227 |
3 |
4,584 |
|
Washington |
4,107 |
55 |
84,413 |
|
Wheeler |
0 |
0 |
157 |
|
Yamhill |
706 |
14 |
15,807 |
|
Total |
29,337 |
509 |
583,283 |
1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.
2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases.
3This includes cases who test negative and are not epi-linked to a confirmed case.
Stay informed about COVID-19:
Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response.
United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.
Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.