PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County announced a 34-year-old resident died from COVID-19 on Sunday. The specifics surrounding the person's death, such as gender, location of death and if they had any underlying conditions was not immediately available. Dr. Jennifer Vines with the Multnomah County Health Department said more information would come from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
On Saturday, OHA reported a 37-year-old woman died from COVID-19 with no underlying health conditions. OHA said the woman tested positive on Aug. 10 and died on Aug. 15 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
"This is not unheard of," Dr. Vines said. "It's really a sad and stark reminder that there is a spectrum of infection and disease with this virus and it can affect young people including death."
Since May 31, five people under the age of 40 in Multnomah County have died from COVID-19.
- Oregon's 155th COVID-19 death was a 30-year-old woman in Multnomah County, who tested positive on May 31 and died the same day at Adventist Hospital. She had underlying medical conditions.
- Oregon's 224th COVID-19 death was a 36-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on June 3 and died on July 7, at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying medical conditions.
- Oregon's 254th COVID-19 death was a 35-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on July 6 and died on July 11, in her residence. She had underlying medical conditions.
- Oregon’s 416th COVID-19 death was a 37-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on August 10 and died on August 15, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had no known underlying conditions.
In the state of Oregon, the under 40 age group represents more than half of the number of positive tests, with more than 13,000 reported.
In Multnomah County, the state's most populated county, 3,247 positive cases under the age of 40 have been reported.
"This is a group that socializes quite a bit. This is a group that we know takes risks, certainly the numbers are in their favor, but I think that this is a reminder that there are no guarantees with this virus," Dr. Vines said.
She said taking constant precautions such as keeping things outside when possible, wearing face coverings and keeping 6 feet away from others are all things to protect yourself.
"With the uncertainty of this virus and with the number of young people it can potentially reach, we can't predict who are going to be the unlucky ones who are going to get seriously ill," Vines said.