PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 102 active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Oregon as of this week, according to the coronavirus weekly outbreak report published Wednesday by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Seven of the eight largest active outbreaks are at state prisons.
The outbreaks at the prisons have been going on for months and the state has acknowledged the challenge of preventing the spread of the virus in an environment where people live in close quarters. A little more than one-quarter of inmates in Oregon prisons have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. A federal judge earlier this week ruled the state must offer the vaccine to inmates as soon as possible, as if they are part of Oregon’s 1a group of people eligible to get the vaccine. A spokesman for Gov. Brown said the state will not appeal the ruling and offer thousands of vaccines to inmates next week.
Here’s a look at the seven prisons with the largest active outbreaks in the state:
- Two Rivers Correctional Institution, Umatilla: 681 cases (outbreak investigation began Nov. 16, 2020)
- Snake River Correctional Institution, Ontario: 595 cases (outbreak investigation date began June 24, 2020)
- Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Pendleton: 534 cases (outbreak investigation began July 8, 2020)
- Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, Madras: 308 cases (outbreak investigation began Nov. 13, 2020)
- Oregon State Correctional Institution, Salem: 261 cases (outbreak investigation began Sept. 28, 2020)
- Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Wilsonville: 249 cases (outbreak investigation began Nov. 4, 2020)
- Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem: 211 cases (outbreak investigation began Sept. 28, 2020)
VIEW FULL SCREEN: Active workplace outbreaks in Oregon correctional facilities with five or more confirmed COVID-19 cases
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.
There have been 16,953 known coronavirus cases associated with workplace outbreaks in Oregon during the pandemic, including 88 deaths, according to OHA.
The list below includes active workplace outbreaks (Table 3), meaning that there has been a case within the past 28 days.
VIEW FULL SCREEN: Active workplace outbreaks with five or more confirmed COVID-19 cases
Distribution centers have also been hot spots for COVID-19. Amazon Troutdale has been linked to 216 COVID-19 cases, making it the seventh-largest active outbreak in the state. Amazon Aumsville in Salem has been connected with 125 cases and the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston has been associated with 116 cases.
A couple of care facilities remain among the largest active workplace outbreaks There have been 173 cases linked to Salem Hospital, the ninth-largest active outbreak. A total of 147 cases have been connected to Oregon State Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Salem, making it the 10th-largest outbreak in the state.
Health officials also reported a list of 82 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.
