PORTLAND, Ore. — Cases of COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus, began popping up in the United States in January. The first case in Oregon was reported on Feb. 28.
We post a new blog post every day that tracks the daily changes in Oregon and Southwest Washington as we get them. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES
As of Friday evening:
- Oregon: 86 deaths, 2,177 cases, 43,976 tests (41,849 negative) Latest Oregon numbers
- Washington: 723 deaths, 12,977 cases, 160,324 tests (147,347 negative) Latest Washington numbers
- United States: 51,017 deaths, 890,524 cases Latest U.S. numbers
- World: 195,920 deaths, 2,790,986 cases Latest global numbers
9:35 p.m.
- All vendors and customers will be required to wear masks at New Seasons Market starting April 29. Learn more
- The Oregon Employment Department has been working to set up a system to pay self-employed workers not normally a part of the unemployment system. It expects to be ready to start processing their claims by the end of the month. Learn more
- On KGW's Straight Talk with Laural Porter, Sen. Ron Wyden looked ahead to the November election and said he wants to avoid the fiasco of the Wisconsin primary, where people sacrificed their health to vote. Wyden is pushing for $3.6 billion to expand vote-by-mail and early voting to be added to the next coronavirus relief package. Learn more
- Oregon Education head Colt Gill praised school districts' efforts to make distance learning productive during the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more
6:50 p.m.
- Social distancing has prevented an estimated 70,000 people in Oregon from being infected with COVID-19, a new model shows. Researchers recommend Oregon continues with aggressive social distancing measures. Learn more
- New survey results released this week show most Oregonians expect to wait months before they can get a haircut or eat at a restaurant. Learn more
- Some dental workers in Oregon worry they will return to dangerous work spaces on May 1 when elective procedures can resume. Dentists from around the state donated their PPE to workers on the front lines of the medical battle with COVID-19. Now, they’re trying to find replacements. Learn more
- For the first time, President Donald Trump cut off his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Friday without taking any questions from reporters. There have been discussions within the White House about changing the format of the briefings to curtail the president's role. Learn more
4:30 p.m.
- The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Gov. Kate Brown shared her plan to reopen Oregon with about 1,000 people organized by the Portland Business Alliance and other business groups. Here's a detailed look at the three-phase plan. Learn more
- Restaurants that survive the coronavirus pandemic may have a new challenge on their hands: rehiring kitchen staff. Portland restaurateur Kurt Huffman thinks it's unlikely restaurants can reopen before federal unemployment benefits run out at the end of July. Learn more
- People wanting to get tested for COVID-19 have another option. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced on Friday that drive-through testing is available at Walgreens in Hillsboro. Learn more
- More than half of the coronavirus stimulus payments have already been delivered, totaling nearly $158 billion, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced Friday. While more than 88 million people have already received their payments, more than 62 million were still waiting, as of April 17, according to the IRS data. Learn more
- School is out for the summer, so a group of students from Roosevelt High School are using the free time to offer a free service. Learn more
1:30 p.m.
- The Portland Rose Festival announced that it will be holding several virtual events as it plans for an actual festival later in the year. Learn more
- A substantial drop in emergency room visits across the Portland and Vancouver areas has health officials worried life-threatening conditions, not tied to COVID-19, are going untreated. As a result, they’re issuing public warnings about symptoms and reminders about the measures local hospitals are taking to treat ER patients safely amid the pandemic. Learn more
- The demand for food in light of the COVID-19 pandemic is growing and experts say food insecurity will become a larger local and global emergency. The Oregon Food Bank’s partner regional food banks and food assistance sites around Oregon and Southwest Washington report a 20 to 70 percent increase in people accessing food assistance. Learn more
12 p.m.
- Oregon reports 3 new deaths and 51 new cases of coronavirus statewide, bringing total deaths to 86 and statewide cases to 2,177. A case originally reported in Douglas County earlier this week was later determined not to be a coronavirus case and has been removed from the infection numbers. Learn more
- Oregon health officials may need 600 more workers to perform coronavirus contact tracing under a plan being developed for Gov. Kate Brown’s “Reopening Oregon” framework. The tracers would be largely tasked with performing time-consuming detective work to help slow the spread of coronavirus when Brown and counties begin lifting restrictions to restart sectors of the economy. Learn more
8 a.m.
- Supplements containing vitamins C and D, along with other micronutrients, can be a "safe, effective and low-cost" means to fight off COVID-19 and other acute respiratory tract diseases, according to an Oregon State University researcher. Learn more
- The Oregon Zoo, which has been closed to the public since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, is asking for donations from the community. Learn more
- The Linn County Sheriff's Office confirmed they are helping investigate a coronavirus outbreak at the National Frozen Foods plant in Albany. Ten people have tested positive. Learn more