PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 80 active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Oregon as of this week. That’s up from the 70 active outbreaks reported last week by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
The largest active outbreak is now at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton. The outbreak there was first identified in early July and the case count has continued to rise over the past month. A total of 199 coronavirus cases have been linked to the outbreak.
Eight COVID-19 deaths have been associated with workplace outbreaks in the state. No new deaths this week were reported in connection with these outbreaks. The OHA does not report employee deaths by workplace.
Officials track outbreaks of five or more employees at workplaces where there are at least 30 workers. Health officials say an outbreak remains active if there has been a case within the past 28 days. The case count for each workplace includes everyone who is linked to the outbreak, whether they are workers or a close contact.
The full workplace outbreak list was published in the OHA's weekly report, which details the state’s response to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The data is current as of 11 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9. The weekly report also lists 70 workplaces where COVID-19 outbreaks have been resolved.
Three of the four active outbreaks with the most cases are at correctional facilities. In addition to the outbreak at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, 185 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, and 176 cases connected to the Snake River Correctional Institution in Malheur County.
“The presence of correctional facilities and food packing and agricultural worksites on this list highlights the challenges of controlling COVID-19 in settings where people must work or live in proximity,” the OHA said in the report.
An area that remains hit hard by workplace outbreaks is Umatilla County in Eastern Oregon. Despite having a population of just 78,000, the county is home to 10 of the 21 largest active outbreaks, and 21 of the total 80 active outbreaks in the state. Two weeks ago, Gov. Kate Brown put the county back under a stay-home order because of the spread of COVID-19 in the area.
