Oregon Cases of COVID-19 Climbed in Late May

The number of COVID-19 cases in Oregon increased by 24% during the two weeks from May 16 to 29, over the prior biweekly period, according to Oregon Health Authority data released June 2.

During the same two weeks, the number of new hospitalizations more than doubled—to 549 versus 208 in the prior period.

The pandemic continues, though this wave has been less dramatic and less deadly than past ones.

“The increases we are seeing with COVID-19 cases statewide confirm that the virus is still widespread through Oregon, even though many of us are ready to move on,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA’s medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations, in a June 2 statement. “With our health care partners, we continue to monitor hospitalization numbers that are rising gradually. We anticipate, based on the latest modeling, that hospitalizations will peak around the second week of June and then start to come down.”

Multnomah County earlier this month urged people to wear masks indoors and recommended against public gatherings. But it didn’t unpack any of its previous mandates or restrictions.

“We have vaccines, we have antivirals, we can mask,” says Jennifer Vines, the tri-county public health officer. “There are other ways that we can blunt the disruption and harm from a virus wave that don’t involve these heavy restrictions that we know are so incredibly hard for people.”

Instead, officials ask people to weigh their own risks, and take extra precautions if they’re worried.

As some in Portland get sick for the first time, Vines says they’re not to blame—but rather the way the virus has evolved to be ever more contagious.

“People can do everything right, and they can still get infected,” Vines says. “The good news is, if they’re vaccinated they’re very unlikely to have severe illness.”