PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 108 active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Oregon as of this week, up from the 89 reported last week by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). More than 11,000 people in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus in relation to workplace outbreaks.
Health officials track outbreaks of five or more employees at workplaces where there are at least 30 workers. 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.
OHA said there have been 61 deaths and 11,139 cases associated with workplace outbreaks in Oregon during the pandemic. That’s eight more deaths and 1,172 more cases than officials reported last week.
The largest active outbreak remains at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario. The outbreak was first identified on June 24 and the case count has continued to rise since then. There have been 550 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak, with the most recent onset reported on Nov. 30.
The three largest active workplace outbreaks in Oregon are at prisons:
- Snake River Correctional Institution, Ontario: 550 cases (most)
- Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Pendleton: 520 cases (second-most)
- Oregon State Correctional Institution, Salem: 192 cases (third-most)
The list below includes active workplace outbreaks (Table 3), meaning that there has been a case within the past 28 days.
Food processing and packaging facilities have also been hot spots for COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplace. Amy’s Kitchen in Jackson County and Lamb Weston East in Morrow County have both been linked to 90 total cases, with the most recent cases reported on Nov. 24.
Distribution centers have also been connected to numerous coronavirus outbreaks. Amazon Troutdale has been linked to 101 COVID-19 cases, the fourth-largest workplace outbreak in the state. The Fred Meyer Distribution Center in Clackamas, with 88 associated cases, and the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston, connected to 87 cases, are also among the 10 largest active workplace outbreaks.
Two Oregon hospitals are also among the 10 largest active workplace outbreaks. Salem Hospital has been connected to 95 cases, with the most recent known case on Nov. 23. Good Shepherd Hospital in Umatilla County has been associated with 73 COVID-19 cases, the most recent on Nov. 27.
Health officials also reported a list of 88 workplaces where COVID-19 outbreaks have been resolved (Table 4) over the last eight weeks. Outbreaks are considered resolved if there hasn’t been a known case in 28 days.
