To provide our community with important public safety information, The Register-Guard is making this daily update related to the coronavirus free to read. To support local journalism like this, please consider becoming a subscriber.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials’ new, more relaxed recommendations on masks have all but eclipsed another major change in guidance from the government: Fully vaccinated Americans can largely skip getting tested for the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that most people who have received the full course of shots and have no COVID-19 symptoms don’t need to be screened for the virus, even if exposed to someone infected.
The change represents a new phase in the epidemic after nearly a year in which testing was the primary weapon against the virus. Vaccines are now central to the response and have driven down hospitalizations and deaths dramatically.
Experts say the CDC guidance reflects a new reality in which nearly half of Americans have received at least one shot and close to 40% are fully vaccinated.
“At this point we really should be asking ourselves whether the benefits of testing outweigh the costs — which are lots of disruptions, lots of confusion and very little clinical or public health benefit,” said Dr. A. David Paltiel of Yale’s School of Public Health, who championed widespread testing at colleges last year.
While vaccinated people can still catch the virus, they face little risk of serious illness from it. And positive test results can lead to what many experts now say are unnecessary worry and interruptions at work, home and school, such as quarantines and shutdowns.
Coronavirus case at lowest level since June
NEW YORK — New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have decreased to rates not seen since June.
It’s sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
The seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week. CDC director Rochelle Walensky says cases haven’t been this low since June 18.
The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552, a rate not seen since July.
Health experts credit the rollout of vaccines to a dramatic turnaround since January. But they also caution that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus. President Joe Biden is trying to convince people to sign up for shots by reminding them that vaccines offer a return to normal life.
More than 60% of people over 18 have received at least one shot, and almost half are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Alabama’s vaccination rate — 34% of people have received at least one dose — is one of the lowest in the country. Health experts are concerned some areas with low vaccination rates, such as a swath of Southern states, could give rise to new virus variants that may be more resistant to vaccinations.
— The Associated Press
Oregon offering lottery prizes for vaccinations
Oregon will introduce a COVID-19 vaccine lottery to combat slowing vaccination rates, Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday.
That makes Oregon the fourth U.S. state, after Ohio, New York and Maryland, to offer residents the chance to win cash in exchange for getting a vaccine.
Brown’s “Take Your Shot Oregon” campaign will automatically enter every Oregonian age 12 and older who gets at least one shot by June 27 in the lottery.
A drawing June 28 will offer adults 18 and older the chance at one $1 million prize and 36 $10,000 prizes (one in each Oregon county). Youth will be entered for the chance to win one of five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan education scholarships.
The prize money, totaling $1.86 million, will come from Oregon’s Coronavirus Relief Act funds.
“If you’ve been waiting to get a vaccine or you just haven’t gotten around to it yet, we’re going to give you an extra incentive,” Brown said during a news conference Friday. “How about a million dollars?”
On Thursday, Maryland and New York both announced vaccine lotteries, joining Ohio which announced its lottery last week.
Lane County reports 39 new cases, no new deaths
Lane County reported 39 confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, raising the countywide case count to 13,287, according to Lane County Public Health. The death toll remained at 149 for an eighth consecutive day.
There were 154 people considered infectious, down four from Thursday.
Eighteen people were hospitalized, down one from Thursday, four were in intensive care, down two from Thursday, and none were on a ventilator, unchanged from Thursday.
As of Wednesday, 159,047 residents of Lane County have been fully vaccinated, 41.7% of the population, with 347,778 first and second doses administered.
Lane County rent assistance applications open through May 28
Lane County Human Services has opened another round of rent assistance applications, the county announced Friday.
This application is for Lane County residents with household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income, the press release stated.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a renter living in Lane County.
- Have income at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
- Experienced loss of income due to COVID-19 related factors, impacted by business closure due to COVID-19 or experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19.
Applications will be prioritized based on income, unemployment history and need, the release stated. Applications will be processed by community partners who will reach out to tenants and ask for additional information and eligibility documentation.
To apply, visit LaneCounty.org/RENT before 5 pm May 25. Tenants can fill out an online application or can be assisted in filling out a form over the phone at 541-682-3776.
Oregon reports 504 new COVID-19 cases, 7 new deaths
Oregon reported seven new COVID-19-related deaths Friday, raising the state’s death toll to 2,613.
The Oregon Health Authority also reported 504 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19.
Vaccinations in Oregon
OHA reported that 48,028 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 28,686 doses were administered on May 20 and 19,342 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 20.
The seven-day running average is now 29,816 doses per day.
Oregon has administered a total of 2,048,515 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,518,646 first and second doses of Moderna and 129,770 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of Friday, 1,685,321 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 2,136,133 people who have had at least one dose.
To date, 2,472,795 doses of Pfizer, 1,991,240 doses of Moderna and 282,200 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 285, which is 16 fewer than Thursday. There are 78 COVID-19 patients in intensive care, which is one more than Thursday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,236, which is a 4.9% decrease from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19-positive patients in the most recent seven days is 342.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (5), Clackamas (57), Columbia (10), Coos (7), Crook (4), Curry (2), Deschutes (35), Douglas (23), Hood River (1), Jackson (19), Jefferson (10), Josephine (4), Klamath (31), Lane (38), Lincoln (1), Linn (38), Malheur (1), Marion (56), Multnomah (67), Polk (4), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (23), Wasco (6), Washington (50), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (10).
- Oregon’s 2,607th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old man from Umatilla County who tested positive on May 3 and died on May 19 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 2,608th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on April 19 and died on May 18 at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
- Oregon’s 2,609th COVID-19 death is a 70-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on April 23 and died on May 18 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. He had underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 2,610th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive on May 3 and died on May 19. Place of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 2,611th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive on April 25 and died on May 14 at St. Charles Bend Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 2,612th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive on May 10 and died on May 18 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
- Oregon’s 2,613th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive on May 15 and died on May 19 at Portland VA Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
