Oregon COVID-19 Hospitalizations Leap Again, as Does the Number of New Cases

The high and growing use of hospital beds is the most concrete sign of COVID-19’s impact in Oregon.

Waiting. (Alex Wittwer)
By Nigel Jaquiss

On the first day of Gov. Kate Brown's two-week shutdown (lasting four weeks in Multnomah County), the Oregon Health Authority today reported the number of Oregonians hospitalized for COVID-19 climbed to a new high of 406, up from 378 on Nov. 17.

The number of those patients requiring intensive care beds declined to 94, from 96 the day before.

The high and growing use of hospital beds is the most concrete sign of COVID-19's impact in Oregon.

The number of new cases today—1,099—is the second-highest recorded during the pandemic, and it was accompanied by the report of 10 new deaths.

Although the number of cases has grown significantly, up 46% last week, that statistic is only partially helpful because Oregon's rate of testing its residents remains among the country's lowest. The rate of positivity for those tests has risen to nearly 12% statewide, but the clearest picture of how the virus is affecting Oregonians comes from the hospitalization number, a chart of which shows a nearly vertical slope since late October.

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