PORTLAND, Ore. — Cases of COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus, began popping up in the United States in January. On Feb. 28, the first case in Oregon was announced.
We will post a new blog 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 Wednesday evening:
- Oregon: 38 deaths, 1,239 cases, 24,564 tests (23,325 negative) Latest Oregon numbers
- Washington: 421 deaths, 9,097 cases, 88,080 tests (78,983 negative) Latest Washington numbers
- United States: 14,817 deaths, 432,132 cases Latest U.S. numbers
- World: 88,538 deaths, 1,484,811 cases Latest global numbers
11:25 p.m.
- The Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced it has laid off 80% of its staff and delayed its season due to the coronavirus. Learn more
- 'It's overwhelming': West Albany High School senior reacts to cancellation of in-person classes. Learn more
- The coronavirus appears to be hitting Oregon’s Latino population hard, a new state report shows, raising concerns among state officials about the disproportionate number who are testing positive. Learn more
- The effort to feed those working in hospital emergency rooms during the COVID-19 crisis is continuing, this time in Clark County. Learn more
- Local scouts find creative ways to support others during the pandemic. The newest tool deployed by Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts include how-to videos that show proper handwashing and how to make your own face mask. Learn more
8:45 p.m.
- New CDC guidelines suggest wearing homemade, cloth masks in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Here are some tips on how to clean and take care of your mask. Learn more
- The Clark County health officer has some optimism about flattening the curve, but only if people continue to stick with social distancing and other precautions. Learn more
- The owner of a Southwest Portland dry cleaning business, knowing the need for masks right now, is making and selling masks to help make ends meet. Learn more
- With school canceled for the rest of the year in Oregon and Washington, along with activities and social events, kids and teens might be struggling to cope with disappointment. A parenting expert offers tips for parents on how to help kids cope with social distancing and isolation. Learn more
6:55 p.m.
- The Oregon Department of Education released guidance to schools about how to award diplomas to class of 2020 seniors. Seniors with passing grades and on track to graduate will receive diplomas. For seniors who are failing classes, they'll have opportunities to earn credits and meet the necessary diploma requirements. Learn more
- Following the closure of schools for the rest of the academic year, the OSAA canceled spring high school sports for the rest of the year. Learn more
- Portland International Airport is bracing for a dismal next few months, after seeing a 94% drop in passengers compared to last year. Major carriers serving PDX, including Alaska Airlines, Southwest and Delta have reduced schedules and canceled flights. Learn more
- Spring is normally the busiest time for the real estate market, but it looks very different amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak has presented challenges for showing homes to potential buyers and decreased the number of listings. Learn more
- With such beautiful spring weather, many people are itching to get out from under the stay-home order and safely enjoy some fresh air. Here's what's open and what's closed in Oregon. Learn more
- Washington reports 27 more deaths and 415 new COVID-19 cases. There is now a total of 421 deaths and 9,097 cases in the state. Learn more
4:30 p.m.
- Wintler Park in Vancouver announced it will be closed beginning Thursday, April 9 and will remain closed through May 4. During the closure, there will be no park, parking lot of beach access. However, the portion of the Columbia River Renaissance Trail that ends in Wintler Park will be open. Trail users may not travel off of the paved pathway.
3:20 p.m.
- Umatilla County reports one new positive case, bringing the county's total to nine.
2:40 p.m.
- Oregon health officials announce five more deaths of coronavirus and another 58 new cases in the state. The state death toll is now 38 people. 1,239 people have tested positive in Oregon. Learn more
2:30 p.m.
- Clark County released new coronavirus numbers. It has 13 deaths, 190 positives and has tested 1,616 people.
1:05 p.m.
- Gov. Kate Brown has canceled in-person classes for the rest of the school year. Distance learning through remote means will continue for the rest of the school year. Learn more
12:15 p.m.
- Gov. Brown has asked for information from state and local corrections officials regarding the possible early release of inmates to limit coronavirus spread in Oregon prisons, according to an email circulating among Washington County community corrections officials. Learn more
9:45 a.m.
- Oregon will get only half the 20,000 coronavirus tests that Gov. Kate Brown promised from a private commercial lab and state health officials have no plans to put those tests to immediate use identifying infected residents. New details of the state’s deal with Quest Diagnostics show Brown and her top political aide provided misleading information to the public last month about the tests, according to records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Learn more
- Following reports of large crowds at local parks over the weekend, the Portland Parks and Recreation department has announced it will deploy “park greeters” to help enforce social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak. “Park greeters will educate the public about how to use their parks system safely and to explain what facilities are open or closed,” while maintaining proper social distance themselves, Portland park officials said in a news release. Learn more
- Portland International Airport is bracing for a dismal next few months, after seeing a 94 percent drop in passengers compared to last year. On average, most flights coming and going from PDX have only 10-20 percent of their seats filled- compared to the normal 85 percent, explained port officials. Learn more
8 a.m.
- How long will it take for Oregon's economy to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic? A lot of us hope the economy will recover quickly once the stay-home orders are lifted and businesses reopen, but economists say it could take up to a year to get back to where we were before this. Learn more
- The ban on in-person dining at restaurants and bars in Oregon has been extended indefinitely, to align with the state’s stay-home order, Gov. Kate Brown announced on Tuesday. As they have the past couple weeks, restaurants, bars and other businesses can continue to serve food for takeout and delivery. If they don’t comply with the governor’s orders, they could be subject to misdemeanor criminal charges. Learn more
- With people driving less because of the stay-home order, there has been a significant drop in vehicle emissions over the last month, and the latest data obtained by KGW from the Department of Environmental Quality also shows a significant improvement in air quality. Two pollutants found in vehicle emissions, nitrogen oxide and black carbon, have reduced over the past month by 61% and 56%, respectively. Learn more
- A Vancouver woman, Angela Primachenko, delivered a baby girl while battling COVID-19. Even more incredible, she delivered her baby while placed in a medically induced coma. The baby was born six weeks early but tested negative for the coronavirus. The mother is improving and was recently taken off a ventilator. Learn more