PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 124 active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Oregon as of this week, up from the 108 reported last week by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). It’s the largest number of known active coronavirus workplace outbreaks in Oregon so far during the pandemic.
The record number of known workplace outbreaks comes as Oregon reported record highs for COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in a week.
There have been 61 deaths and 11,139 cases associated with workplace outbreaks in Oregon during the pandemic, according to OHA. Those numbers were not updated this week in the agency’s report on the spread of the coronavirus.
Health officials track outbreaks of five or more employees at workplaces where there are at least 30 workers. An outbreak remains active if there has been a case within the past 28 days. The case count for each workplace includes everyone who is linked to the outbreak, whether they are workers or a close contact.
The largest active outbreak remains at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario. The outbreak was first identified on June 24 and the case count has continued to rise since then. There have been 554 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak, with the most recent onset reported on Dec. 4.
The three largest active workplace outbreaks in Oregon are at prisons:
- Snake River Correctional Institution, Ontario: 554 cases (most)
- Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Pendleton: 522 cases (second-most)
- Oregon State Correctional Institution, Salem: 202 cases (third-most)
The list below includes active workplace outbreaks (Table 3), meaning that there has been a case within the past 28 days.
Distribution centers have also been hot spots for COVID-19. Amazon Troutdale has been linked to 126 COVID-19 cases, which is up 25 cases from the week prior. It’s currently the fourth-largest workplace outbreak in the state. Three other distribution centers are among the 10 largest active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks. The Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston has been connected to 93 cases and the Fred Meyer Distribution Center in Clackamas has been associated with 89 cases. Amazon Aumsville, in Salem, has been linked to 74 cases.
A couple food processing and packaging facilities are also among the state’s largest workplace outbreaks. There have been 96 coronavirus cases connected to Lamb Weston East in Morrow County and 93 cases have been linked to Amy’s Kitchen in Jackson County.
Two Oregon hospitals remain among the largest workplace outbreaks. An outbreak since May has continued at Salem Hospital with 100 total cases reported. Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston has been associated with 74 COVID-19 cases.
Health officials also reported a list of 48 workplaces where COVID-19 outbreaks have been resolved (Table 4) over the last eight weeks. Outbreaks are considered resolved if there hasn’t been a known case in 28 days.
