Oregon reports 344 new confirmed cases of coronavirus

Jul 3 2020, 7:56 pm

On Friday, the Oregon Health Authority confirmed 344 new known cases of COVID-19 — the second-highest number ever reported after yesterday’s 375 — and no new fatalities.

At the time of writing, the number of known cases in Oregon sits at 9,638, with 209 deaths.

According to Oregon Health Authority, the new cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (seven), Clackamas (22), Clatsop (one), Columbia (three), Coos (one), Crook (one), Deschutes (nine), Douglas (one), Jackson (nine), Jefferson (five), Josephine (three), Klamath (two), Lake (one), Lane (16), Lincoln (18), Linn (two), Malheur (20), Marion (32), Morrow (10), Multnomah (59), Polk (five), Sherman (one), Tillamook (one), Umatilla (49), Union (eight), Wasco (10), Washington (46), and Yamhill (one).

“Governor Kate Brown identified eight counties that will be placed on a ‘Watch List’ based on these data: Jefferson, Lake, Lincoln, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wasco. State and local health officials will closely monitor the situation in these counties in coming days and prioritize additional resources to suppress the virus in these hotspot communities,” reads the release from the OHA.

“Oregon has experienced five weeks of case growth and cases are rising faster in our rural communities and in central and eastern Oregon,” said the group yesterday. “The largest county case count today was in Umatilla County with 88 new cases attributed to outbreaks and community spread.”

The OHA is also reminding people that federal authorities continue to recommend wearing masks in public, including recent orders from Governor Kate Brown making face coverings mandatory in the state of Oregon beginning July 1.

The restrictions in an executive order passed down by Governor Brown have recently seen loosening. Instituting a new phased reopening plan, the state will reevaluate how to approach the coronavirus on a county-by-county basis as businesses look to reopen.

Wyatt FossettWyatt Fossett

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