COVID-19 Cases Rose Last Week in Oregon for the First Time in Six Weeks

Cases are still at a relative low, but they have declined more slowly in Oregon than in other states.

duniway screening Health screening area at Duniway Elementary. (Mick Hangland-Skill)
By Rachel Monahan

As vaccination rates have increased, Oregon’s COVID-19 case count has been in decline.

But last week, for the seven-day period ending June 13, cases grew 3.2%, with the average daily case rate now around 250 cases.

“Unfortunately, the progress we have seen in recent weeks was affected for the reporting week ending June 13, and those who remain the most at risk are Oregonians who have not been vaccinated,” said Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority. “This comes two weeks after one of the busiest holiday travel times we have seen since the start of the pandemic and is a reminder that gatherings we enjoy and travel still present risks without the protection provided by vaccination.”

COVID case counts across the country have continued to fall for the past two weeks. Oregon’s case counts have fallen as well, down 17%, according to a New York Times analysis.

Oregon is tied as the U.S. state with the eighth-highest case counts, but daily cases averaged just 6 per 100,000 over the past two weeks, according to The New York Times. That’s because case counts are at a historic low since the pandemic began, and COVID-19 cases have fallen more slowly in Oregon.

There are still 51,616 adult Oregonians who need to get a first dose of vaccine before Gov. Kate Brown lifts masks restriction and capacity limits for restaurants and venues throughout the state. Brown set a benchmark of 70% of Oregonians 18 years of age or older for when she would do so.

The state this week hit an important milestone in the vaccine effort: Half of all Oregonians (as opposed to just adults) have now received two doses.

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