Lane County COVID-19 update, Jan. 18: 969 cases over two-day period, hospitalizations up 26%

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Lane County on Tuesday reported 969 cases over a two-day period, raising the countywide case count to 41,556. The death toll remained at 363 for a fifth consecutive day.

There were 3,294 county residents considered infectious Tuesday, a 5% decline from Sunday's 3,469.

There were 53 county residents hospitalized Tuesday, a 26% increase from Friday's 42, with six in intensive care and one on a ventilator, both unchanged from Friday.

Of the 53 county residents hospitalized Tuesday, 66%, or 35, were unvaccinated, Lane County Public Health reported.

As of Monday, 270,489 people in Lane County, 70.93% of the total population, had received first or second vaccine doses with 624,336 first and second doses administered in Lane County, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

— The Register-Guard

Tests available at covidtests.gov

The federal government's website covidtests.gov went live Tuesday, allowing residents of the United States to order free rapid COVID-19 tests for at-home use.

Each household can order four rapid tests, which will ship via the United States Postal Service in 7-12 days.

To order, individuals need to enter their contact information and a shipping address. Placing an order takes as little as one minute.

Federal officials are encouraging Americans to order tests right away so they are on-hand when needed. Tests have become scarce in Oregon and nationwide during the omicron surge.

The Oregon Health Authority recommends the following individuals get tested for COVID-19:

  • People experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus.

  • People who came into close contact with someone with COVID-19, both when the exposure is known and 5-7 days after the date of close contact.

The Oregon Health Authority has an online portal and hotline (866-917-8881) where Oregonians can report positive cases identified through at-home tests.

— Salem Statesman Journal

Portland nurses 'urgently concerned' about health in schools

PORTLAND — As COVID-19 cases surge in Oregon — forcing some of the state’s largest school districts to close last week due to staffing shortages — a letter from three dozen nurses at the Portland Public School District circulated over the weekend, in which they question the relative health and safety in school buildings.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on Monday that the nurses’ letter contends that the various mitigation layers that education officials are calling for — from ventilation to vaccination, proper masking to social distancing — are not being followed consistently.

“We are experiencing the worst outbreak of disease since the onset of the pandemic,” reads the letter signed by 36 registered nurses. “Messaging that schools are safe — without taking the steps to make them safe — does not keep children safe.”

In the letter, nurses described the scenes in schools “as crowded” with closed windows and where “masking is not of medical grade, children are testing positive at a rate that is too fast to track, the tests provided are expired, and staffing in every department is stretched too thin.”

Last week, a number of the state’s largest school districts — including Salem-Keizer, North Clackamas and Gresham-Barlow — closed due to staffing shortages and student absences, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant. However, these districts announced that they are planning to reopen in-person this week.

Portland Public Schools has taken a building-by-building, day-by-day approach, with five schools closed on Friday and beginning distance learning this week.

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been rising among children under age four and between the ages of 12 and 17.

Oregon health officials said on Friday that they are closely monitoring the trends in pediatric cases, which made up more than 20% of the state’s overall known caseload in the most recent reported full week that ended Jan. 8.

— The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County COVID-19 update: 969 cases in 2 days, hospitalizations up