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Oregon COVID-19 updates June 18: 148 new cases, four more people have died

As COVID-19 continues to impact Oregon and Southwest Washington, get the latest updates here.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Cases of COVID-19 began popping up in the United States in January. The first case in Oregon was reported on Feb. 28.

We've been posting a weekday blog to track the daily changes in Oregon and Southwest Washington as we get them. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES

BY THE NUMBERS

As of Thursday afternoon:

REAL-TIME UPDATES

10:00 p.m.

  • Since March 1, 13 inmates infected with COVID-19 have been released from Oregon’s prisons back into their home counties. Learn more
  • Crook County, in Phase 2 of reopening, provides a glimpse of what to expect as government restrictions are lifted. Learn more
  • In Lincoln County, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to go up. A total of 226 people have tested positive for the virus. The majority of those cases have been people without any symptoms. Learn more
  • The state has received a total of 97,000 PUA claims from Oregonians. About 70,000 of those still need to be processed. Learn more
  • The Washington State Department of Corrections reported on Thursday that a 63-year-old male inmate died of coronavirus, the first state inmate to die from the virus. Learn more

1:15 p.m.

  • Gov. Kate Brown was asked Thursday what changed between last Friday and her decision Wednesday to let Multnomah County enter Phase 1 of reopening. She said the pause allowed state health officials to more closely study what was causing the surge in cases in the state. The information gathered over the past several days, partnered with the fact that Multnomah County's hospitalizations have remained low and that the county is meeting contact tracing and hospital capacity standards, convinced her that the county was ready to move forward. Learn more

12:50 p.m.

  • Oregon Health Authority announces 148 new cases of COVID-19 in the state and says four more people have died from the virus. Learn more

12:30 p.m.

  • Gov. Kate Brown expanded on the upcoming Oregon face mask requirements in a press conference with health officials. Among the rules: Children under 12 and people with certain health conditions will not have to wear face masks. Learn more

7:45 a.m.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown will hold a press conference this morning at 11 a.m. to talk about the decisions she announced Wednesday regarding the state's COVID-19 response and counties reopening. She'll be joined by representatives from the Oregon Health Authority. KGW will live stream the briefing at kgw.com, on the KGW app, and on our social media channels (YouTube, Facebook and Twitter).

Here's a look at the announcements made Wednesday by the governor:

  • Face coverings will now be required while in indoor public spaces in several counties across Oregon, including Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Hood River, Marion, Polk and Lincoln. This will go into effect on June 24. Learn more
  • Multnomah County was approved to enter Phase 1 of the state’s reopening plan on Friday, June 19. Learn more
  • Three more Oregon counties, Hood River, Marion and Polk, were approved by Gov. Kate Brown to enter Phase 2 of reopening on Friday, June 19. Learn more
  • Gov. Brown said she'll be grouping several counties together as regional units for future reopening decisions, including the tri-county area of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. All three counties will remain in Phase 1 for at least 21 days after June 19, despite Washington and Clackamas counties reopening before Multnomah. Learn more
  • Here's how businesses in Portland reacted to the news that they'll be allowed to enter Phase 1 on Friday. Learn more

INTERACTIVE: Oregon COVID-19 cases (updated Thursday afternoon)

INTERACTIVE: Oregon COVID-19 data by age group (updated Thursday morning)

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