PORTLAND, Oregon — Health officials on Wednesday reported two more COVID-19 deaths in Oregon and 195 new cases of the virus.
The state’s death toll is now 521 people.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released the following information about the people who died:
- Oregon’s 520th COVID-19 death is a 70-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on July 9 and died on Sept. 8 at OHSU. He did not have underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 521st COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Aug. 4 and died on Sept. 10 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s total number of known cases is now 29,850.
Washington County had the highest number of new cases on Wednesday with 33, followed by Multnomah County with 32.
The new cases reported Wednesday are in the following counties:
- Benton: 1
- Clackamas: 10
- Clatsop: 2
- Coos: 2
- Deschutes: 4
- Douglas: 2
- Hood River: 1
- Jackson: 15
- Jefferson: 5
- Klamath: 14
- Lane: 15
- Linn: 1
- Malheur: 17
- Marion: 23
- Multnomah: 32
- Polk: 3
- Umatilla: 2
- Union: 1
- Wallowa: 6
- Wasco: 2
- Washington: 33
- Yamhill: 4
OHA also announced a new statewide COVID-19 wastewater monitoring project on Wednesday, to study the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in more than 40 small-to-medium-sized communities around the state. The project, funded by the CDC, will include weekly wastewater testing over the next 30 months, and will serve as an "early warning" system to tell if COVID-19 is spreading silently in communities.
"This program holds promise to help us monitor COVID-19 in our communities," said Melissa Sutton MD, MPH, Medical Director for Respiratory Viral Pathogens at OHA and a principal investigator for the wastewater study. "We look forward to our partnership with local communities and researchers. Together we hope to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon."
