Oregon Has Reported 200 New COVID-19 Cases Each of the Last Three Days

Cases are currently projected to continue increasing.

Patrons line up to enter a reopened restaurant on Southeast Stark Street. (Brian Burk)

For three consecutive days, Oregon has reported more than 200 new COVID-19 cases.

The state has 247 new cases today.

On Saturday, it was 277.  And on Friday, it was 250. That's the first three-day streak of more than 200 cases each day since the pandemic began, signaling a new, higher plateau.

Multnomah County, similarly, reported its first three consecutive days of more than 50 cases—61 on Friday, 59 on Saturday and 52 on Sunday.

Umatilla County also continues to see a relatively large number of cases, with 48 reported today. (The Oregon Health Authority identified an outbreak at a food-processing company there earlier this week, though the agency has not released data on how many of the subsequent cases are tied to the outbreak.)

The state expects the number of cases to rise. On Friday, OHA released new modeling that projected as many as 5,000 daily cases by the middle of July. Gov. Kate Brown said on Saturday that she may be forced to again close restaurant, bars and other businesses if the case counts continue to mount. Brown, however, declined to set a benchmark in the number of cases or hospitalizations that would cause her to make that decision.

Case counts are rising at the same time the percentage of tests coming back positive has also risen since at least late May—statewide and in Multnomah County.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.