The Oregon Health Authority reported 140 COVID-19 diagnoses Wednesday, the fewest new cases the state has seen any day since late June and part of a weeks-long decline.
Officials also reported three deaths, bringing the death toll in Oregon to 468:
Since the start of the pandemic, 27,075 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in Oregon.
New infections fell 8.6% last week from the week before, according to state health officials, and appear to be falling even more this week. Of all people tested for the coronavirus, 4.4% tested positive last week, the lowest in two months, the state said Wednesday.
The number of Oregonians who died of COVID-19 last week climbed, however: the state reported 39 deaths from Aug. 24-30, up from 32 deaths the week prior.
Thousands of firefighters, crew bosses, contractors and other support personnel are now deployed to major wildfires across the West. It’s the first real big test to whether federal and state COVID-19 safety protocols for wildland firefighting are working and are stringent enough.
About 400 firefighters have been deployed to the the Indian Creek Fire in Eastern Oregon. Fire managers say they’ve only had one suspected coronavirus case since the fire ignited in August, but fortunately it turned out to be negative.
Deputy incident commander Lonnie Click said the fire’s command post and accompanying camp in Vale, Oregon, are only a skeleton of what you’d normally see. Instead of setting up in a crowded communal camp, he said, most of his firefighters are staying out in so-called “spike camps” closer to the fire line itself.
Wednesday was the first day of fall classes for Portland Public Schools students. The district is calling the beginning of remote learning a “soft start.” But despite the “soft” label, a lot of families, teachers and students are worried about how hard it all seems to return to remote learning.
Under Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 standards for school reopening, most Oregon schools will remain closed for at least the first two months of the school year. Lower COVID-19 rates in more rural counties have allowed some schools to open, especially for younger students.
Another 18 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Clark County, Washington, the local public health department reported Wednesday. To date, 2,649 Clark County residents have tested positive for the virus, and 51 have died.
Since the start of the pandemic, 74,939 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Washington, and 1,931 have died, according to the latest count available from the state.
Copyright 2020 Oregon Public Broadcasting