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 Saturday morning:
- Oregon: 72 deaths, 1,844 cases, 36,321 tests (34,536 negative) Latest Oregon numbers
- Washington: 603 deaths, 11,445 cases, 131,627 tests (120,182 negative) Latest Washington numbers
- United States: 37,625 deaths, 715,536 cases Latest U.S. numbers
- World: 157,400 deaths, 2,293,644 cases Latest global numbers
8 p.m.
- The Oregonian reports that COVID-19 testing could expand in Oregon but tests are sitting idle due to restrictive guidelines. Learn more.
5 p.m.
- The Evergreen School District is offering free childcare for children of first responders and healthcare workers. Even for those out of their normal district. Learn more.
1 p.m.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported two more deaths and 59 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. Learn more.
11:30 a.m.
- The areas that Portland Parks & Recreation closed last month to support social distancing will now remain closed until June 6; many of Vancouver's parks department closures will stay in effect until July 31st. Learn more
- In Washington, protesters plan to rally Sunday at the Capitol in Olympia against Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order, now in effect until May 4. In Idaho, more than 1,000 people gathered at the Capitol on Friday to speak out against Gov. Brad Little's stay-at-home order.
10 a.m.
- Portland police say shootings and commercial thefts are on the rise amid the coronavirus stay-at-home order. Learn more
- Starting Sunday, scientists at Oregon State University will begin going door-to-door in Corvallis to test the community for COVID-19. Learn more
- Six veterans so far have lost their lives due to coronavirus at the Oregon Veterans' Home in Lebanon. Among them was 95-year-old World War II veteran Robin Barrett, who was just 17 years old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Learn more
Overnight updates:
- "Keep doing what you're doing," say leaders of the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Association of Hospitals, who are pleading with Oregonians to continue to stay home and social distance. The director of the Oregon Health Authority said Oregonians' sacrifices over the last six weeks probably cut COVID-19 infections down by 75%. Learn more
- A model from the University of Washington, which has received criticism for its projections of Oregon's coronavirus timeline, has now set a projected date for when Oregon could relax social distancing measures. Learn more
- A petition is seeking to reopen Oregon hair salons to one customer at a time as a way for hair stylists to begin earning money again during the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more
- The city of Camas has offered its residents an incentive to support local businesses during the COVID-19 crisis: a break on their utility bills. The city's Support Local & Save Challenge offers residents $15 off their utility bill for every $25 they spend at small Camas businesses. Learn more
- In Washington, 20 new deaths and 293 new overall cases were reported on Friday. That's a total of 603 deaths and 11,445 cases in the state. Learn more
- 13 countries unite to demand global cooperation amid virus outbreak. Learn more
- Spain has reached 20,000 deaths for the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more
- Africa now has more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. Learn more
- Representatives looking to house homeless in Japan's Athletes Village for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. Learn more
- Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people in ambulances. Learn more