329 Oregonians Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 as Case Count Nears 1,200

As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,181 Oregonians have tested positive for COVID-19 and another 33 have died from the virus.

To date, 329 people statewide have been hospitalized for the virus, and 69 are on ventilators. Both of these numbers represent positive shifts from yesterday's data, which said 82 people in the state were on ventilators and 404 were hospitalized. It's unclear if the numbers represent actual improvements, or if the state has shifted its reporting methods.

The largest afflicted age group is people ages 40-49, although almost all of the deaths in the state have been among people ages 60 and up. (Slightly more women than men—634 and 541, respectively—have tested positive for the virus in the state.)

New models suggest Oregonians are successfully flattening the curve and staying home, even as the sunny spring weather offers new temptations.

Updated data from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation on April 6 says Oregon is 14 days away from the virus's peak on April 21. Currently, the state has 303 adult intensive care beds and 2,130 adult non-intensive care beds available. There are also 300 pediatric beds available.

On April 3, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines and recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks while in public. The shift in policy came after officials realized far greater numbers of people could be carrying the virus without showing symptoms.

Following the CDC's lead, Gov. Kate Brown issued a similar statement to Oregonians on Tuesday morning, urging residents to wear cloth masks when they leave the house for essential errands. (She didn't order Oregonians to cover their faces, however—so this isn't a legally enforced command, just a strong suggestion.)

"Early in this pandemic, health experts advised that masks were not an effective way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus," Brown said in the statement. "They now say that wearing cloth masks in public places like grocery stores can help prevent those who are sick––particularly unknowingly infected, asymptomatic people––from spreading the virus further."