Monkeypox cases rising in Oregon as COVID-19 strains hospitals
Monkeypox is spreading rapidly in Oregon, rising from five to 32 cases over the past month.
Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Oregon has grown from 309 to 424 over the same period, straining some hospital systems, state health officials said Wednesday during a media briefing on both viruses.
Monkeypox spreading in Portland, Eugene areas
Cases of monkeypox, also called hMPXV, have so far been identified in Lane, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, said Dean Sidelinger, Oregon state health officer.
All of the cases have been in men.
State health officials believe the virus is now spreading within communities, and that there likely are more cases that haven’t been identified.
Monkeypox is endemic in some central and western African countries.
Historically, people have become infected by handling wild animals, but monkeypox also can be transmitted person-to-person.
This can happen through prolonged, close contact, either skin-to-skin, contact with fluid from monkeypox lesions, or less commonly from large respiratory droplets.
The current global outbreak is largely affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
In the Portland area, local public health agencies are conducting outreach at bathhouses, bars and other organizations that cater to gay men, Sidelinger said. Lane County is working on setting up a similar approach.
Nationally, more than 2,100 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in 44 states and the District of Columbia. And worldwide, 14,500 cases in 70 countries can be attributed to the current outbreak.
BA.5 subvariant dominant in Oregon
Reported COVID-19 cases have leveled off in Oregon over the past month, Sidelinger said, from a rolling 7-day average of 1,455 to 1,400.
However, cases likely are much higher, because many people take home tests and don’t report the results, or don’t test at all.
Test positivity in the state grew over the past month, from 12.6% to 13.9%.
More: BA.5 makes up nearly 80% of new COVID-19 cases. Here's what to know about the subvariant
Most significantly, Sidelinger said, the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has risen.
The current total of 479 patients with COVID-19 is less than half the peaks during the Delta and Omicron waves, Sidelinger said. But it comes at a time when hospitals are dealing with vacations, staff burnout and resignations, and a backlog of postponed medical procedures.
“Hospitals are stressed across the state due to patients with COVID-19 as well as other diseases,” Sidelinger said.
Hospitals in Central Oregon are particularly hard hit right now, he said.
The Oregon Health Authority believes the subvariant BA.5 is dominant in Oregon now, and that both BA.4 and BA.5 are driving the increase in hospitalizations, Sidelinger said.
“Both are still spreading and causing an increase in infections, including breakthrough cases among those already vaccinated,” he said.
Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Monkeypox cases rising in Oregon as COVID-19 strains hospitals
