The number of COVID-19 cases has increased over the last couple of weeks.
Courtesy: Oregon Health Authority
The number of COVID-19 cases in Oregon appears to have increased over the last couple of weeks. But state health experts have said they expected it, and there’s no need to worry.
The seven-day moving average of COVID cases has risen from about 230 a few weeks ago, to 421 this week. On Wednesday alone, 605 cases were reported to the Oregon Health Authority.
Peter Graven with Oregon Health and Science University said the increase comes as Oregonians no longer have to wear masks in most public places and as children return to school. He said the recent increase is caused by the same variant of COVID that caused a spike in cases this winter.
“The good news is that it is the same Omicron and we know that it has a much lower risk of hospitalization, certainly than Delta did, particularly if you’ve been vaccinated,” Graven said.
According to Graven, while the number of people getting COVID is increasing, those people are not suffering as severe symptoms and are not ending up in the hospital.
About 100 Oregonians are hospitalized with the virus right now, and that number has stayed around the same since the start of April. The month before, the average number of people hospitalized with COVID was about 400.
Over 50 people were waiting in line for a COVID-19 test at the Oregon Convention Center testing site operated by Curative, Jan. 6, 2022. A staff member told people in line that the wait was 45-60 minutes. Getting access to tests has become increasingly challenging.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
