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May 5, 2021
TriMet gets on board for staff vaccinations
Bus drivers, light rail operators and transit maintenance employees all work shifts that can make it hard to get to vaccine appointments. So TriMet, which provides bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services in the Portland Metro area, is bringing vaccinations to them.
Recently, the transit agency held a series of vaccination clinics at its operating facilities, photo of clinic at left. Employees, qualified family members and contract workers rolled up their sleeves for one of the 1,000 Moderna vaccine doses included in Trimet’s first allocation. The first clinic was April 26 at TriMet Operations Headquarters in Southeast Portland, pictured at left. Bus operator Steven Martinson, pictured below, got the very first dose. “It was absolutely painless, he said. “I’ve been in self-isolation for the last year other than coming to work, so to have the clinic here is very helpful.” |
 TriMet Interim General Manager, Sam Desue, Jr. said he was thrilled that Trimet is able to offer a safe, convenient vaccination option to its employees. “Our operators, frontline staff and other employees have worked selflessly throughout the past year to keep our transit service rolling and our community moving. They are heroes, and this is one way we can show our appreciation for their commitment and dedication.”
If you’re wondering about riding transit in the pandemic, know that all TriMet employees and passengers must wear masks. TriMet cleans and sanitizes vehicles regularly, limits capacity so riders can spread out safely, and provides masks and hand sanitizer on board buses and most trains. You can learn more about their safety procedures by clicking on the image below. |
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May is Wildfire Awareness Month: How to prepare for a wildfire
As we approach the hotter and drier weather of the summer, the risk of wildfires increases. Last year people in Oregon witnessed what it was like to experience a wildfire at the same time as a pandemic. This Wildfire Awareness Month we encourage you to make sure your home and your family are prepared for potential wildfires.
Check out FEMA’s list on simple ways to prevent a fire from affecting your home: https://www.fema.gov/blog/may-wildfire-awareness-month
Home damaged in the 2020 wildfires? Help may be available
Oregon Housing & Community Services and the Oregon Latinx Leadership Network have partnered together to offer up to $6,500 in relief funds to qualifying applicants whose homes were damaged by the 2020 Oregon wildfires.
Applications are being accepted now through May 31, 2021. Learn more about the program.
Are you in need of support? Safe + Strong Helpline can help
Sometimes it’s hard to know how to get help when things feel difficult. Last fall, the Oregon-based nonprofit Lines for Life and OHA launched the Safe + Strong Helpline to support people in Oregon in response to the need for emotional support around disasters like COVID-19 and wildfires. Callers are routed to a counselor who can provide emotional support, mental health triage, drug and alcohol counseling, crisis counseling or just connection.
No matter where you are in Oregon, the Safe + Strong Helpline is here for you. Call 800-923-HELP (4357). The line offers free, 24-7 emotional support and resource referral to anyone who needs it – not only those experiencing a mental health crisis.
You can find crisis lines geared toward various groups on the Safe + Strong website as well as other mental and emotional support information and resources.
15 counties to return to High Risk starting Friday, May 7
On May 4, Governor Kate Brown announced updates to county risk levels under the state’s public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. With the statewide seven-day average increase for hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients dropping below 15 percent, Oregon no longer meets the statewide metrics for the Extreme Risk level. Effective Friday, May 7, 15 counties will return to High Risk. In total, 24 counties will be at High Risk, four at Moderate Risk, and eight at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their risk levels is available here.
You can read Governor Brown’s statement here.
Weekly COVID-19 cases, deaths, hospitalizations decline
The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released today, shows decreases in daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the previous week.
OHA reported 5,557 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, April 26 through Sunday, May 2. That represents a 3% decrease from the previous week.
- New COVID-19 related hospitalizations fell to 272, down from 333 last week.
- Reported COVID-19 related deaths fell to 16, down from 26 last week.
- There were 110,134 tests for COVID-19 for the week of April 25 through May 1 — an 18% decrease from last week. The percentage of positive tests rose from 6.0% to 6.8%.
- People 70 years of age and older have accounted for 39% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 76% of COVID-19 related deaths.
Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 42 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.
Oregon reports 808 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 1 new death
There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,509, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 808 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 188,417.
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 30,994 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 21,621 doses were administered on May 4 and 9,373 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 4. Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize.
The 7-day running average is now 31,644 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered a total of 1,687,447 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,334,561 first and second doses of Moderna and 99,793 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,331,526 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,885,466 who have had at least one dose.
To date, 2,062,125 doses of Pfizer, 1,680,800 doses of Moderna and 241,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change.
OHA’s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
Cases and deaths
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (17), Clackamas (119), Clatsop (2), Columbia (6), Crook (16), Curry (1), Deschutes (81), Douglas (12), Grant (2), Hood River (5), Jackson (40), Jefferson (3), Josephine (18), KIamath (37), Lake (3), Lane (43), Lincoln (1), Linn (36), Malheur (7), Marion (59), Morrow (2), Multnomah (164), Polk (15), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (8), Union (1), Wallowa (2), Wasco (1), Washington (84) and Yamhill (17).
Oregon’s 2,509th COVID-19 death is a 41-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on Nov. 18, 2020 and died on Jan. 1, 2021 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 330, which is 15 fewer than yesterday. There are 83 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four more than yesterday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,371, which is a 12.1% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 351.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information
