PORTLAND, Ore. — There were 1,402 new COVID-19 cases last week in Oregon, the most in a single week during the pandemic so far and 11% more than the week prior. Oregon’s positive test rate also jumped to 4.2%, compared to 3.7% the week before.
Meanwhile, the number of completed tests dropped by 11% in that time.
“Testing capacity remains finite. And if anything is becoming strained, we are focused on finding cases and slowing the spread of the disease,” said Dr. Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County health officer.
The Oregon Health Authority said about 75% of recent COVID-19 cases are among people younger than 50, an increasing trend as the virus continues to spread.
One reason for that spike is people, after months of isolation, reconnecting with others too quickly, according to Kim Toevs, communicable disease director for Multnomah County.
“We’re really urging people to back off from that,” Toevs said.
Kids and teens remain on the lower end of cases, and often don’t get as sick. Still outbreaks at child care centers, like one at Kindercare in Lake Oswego, where 28 cases have been linked to, raise concerns. Multnomah County said it had three smaller clusters connected to child care.
But generally, most new cases are from social groups, not large outbreaks. That’s likely because of better weather, reopening and people meeting beyond their household family members.
Vines said people need to fall back on the tried-and-true virus-prevention methods that have been publicized throughout the pandemic.
“We’re pushing what we know works, which is face coverings, physical distancing and getting people outside and limited social contacts,” she said.
There's another ongoing trend that's an area of concern for health officials. People of color are being disproportionately impacted, with a few hundred more cases reported in Multnomah County each week compared to white people.
Washington state reports similar problems, with death rates two to three times higher for people of color, especially for immigrants and refugees with less access to the health system. Since May, Hispanic people have accounted for 58% of cases with a known race but make up only 13% of Washington’s population.