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@OHAOregon
October 19, 2020
Media contact: OHA External Relations 971-673-2097, orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us
PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed eight more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 627, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 266 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 39,794.
The new cases are in the following counties: Clackamas (24), Coos (8), Crook (2), Deschutes (15), Douglas (1), Jackson (18), Josephine (1), Lane (40), Linn (2), Malheur (5), Marion (39), Multnomah (68), Polk (3), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (9), Washington (25), and Yamhill (5). Updated information is available about Oregon’s 512th COVID-19 death, a 73-year-old woman in Washington County on Sept. 1.
Due to an updated death certificate, COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 is no longer considered as a cause or as a significant condition that contributed to her death. As a result, OHA is re-numbering our reported deaths starting with 620 today.
Oregon’s 620th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Oct.13 and died on Oct. 17, at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 621st COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Oct. 11 and died on Oct.16, at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 622nd COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Oct.11 and died on Oct.17, at McKenzie Willamette Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 623rd COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old woman in Crook County who tested positive on Oct. 12 and died on Oct. 17, at her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 624th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct.11 and died on Oct. 15 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 625th COVID-19 death is 69-year-old woman in Umatilla County who tested positive on Oct. 5 and died on Oct 14, at Good Shepherd Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 626th COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Sept. 21 and died on Oct. 12, at Adventist Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 627th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 2 and died on Oct. 13, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
OHA has submitted its draft plan to the federal government for allocating and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon, once a safe and effective vaccine becomes available. The draft plan, sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, Oct. 16, is posted on the OHA website.
The plan is centered around equity, reflecting the state’s values of recognizing historical and contemporary injustices toward communities of color and the disproportionate effects that COVID-19 has had on them. The document represents Oregon’s response to the CDC’s Sept. 16 request of all states to describe how they will manage the distribution of a vaccine.
OHA’s plan is intended to understand Oregon’s existing systems and structures for vaccine delivery. The next steps are to understand how those systems and structures need to be rebuilt to meet the needs of disproportionately impacted communities.
The draft plan prioritizes the need for strong community engagement through partnerships with public health, health care and community organizations that reach and support underserved populations, and addresses the roles that power, privilege and race have played in the state’s response to the pandemic.
OHA’s plan follows federal guidance of a phased approach that assumes a COVID-19 vaccine will be, at the outset, in limited supply and should be focused on individuals critical to the pandemic response, provide direct care and maintain societal function, as well as those at highest risk for developing severe illness.
The plan will allow for broadening of the vaccine’s distribution to other high-risk groups and the general population as more doses become available.
The plan OHA submitted Friday is not final. It is expected to evolve in the months ahead as more is learned about likely vaccines, including safety, effectiveness, side effects, storage, supply, distribution and administration.
OHA has revised its guidance on face coverings to include the following new provisions:
The guidance now requires that people wear face coverings in all private and public workplaces including classrooms, offices, meeting rooms and workspaces, unless someone is alone in an office or in a private workspace.
The revised guidance also requires that people wear face coverings in outdoor and indoor markets, street fairs, private career schools and public and private colleges and universities.
Finally, the revised guidance also recommends wearing a face covering instead of a face shield, except in limited situations when a face shield is appropriate such as when communicating with someone who is deaf or hearing impaired and needs to read lips. COVID-19 is surging again. Oregonians can to lower the risk to themselves, their families and their communities by:
For more information about face coverings and face masks visit healthoregon.org/masks.
Stay informed about COVID-19:
Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority leads 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.