Coronavirus in Oregon: Cases, hospitalizations projected to keep falling until early November

US-NEWS-CORONAVIRUS-OMICRON-BOOSTERS-MI

A nurse at a Walgreens pharmacy near Florida International University's Tamiami campus on 107th Avenue in Miami-Dade shows a patient the newly formulated Moderna bivalent vaccine on Sept. 7, 2022. The vaccine is an "updated booster" designed to target not only the original COVID-19 strain, but also omicron BA.4 and BA.5, which had surged in the U.S. in 2022. (Howard Cohen/Miami Herald/TNS) TNSTNS

The Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday reported about 4,500 newly identified coronavirus cases over the past week as hospitalizations and deaths continued to decline.

The latest weekly tally, up about 15% from the previous week, represents only a fraction of actual cases. That’s because many people identify infections through at-home tests that don’t show up in the state’s official numbers.

Most metrics, from test positivity rates to sewage samples to hospitalizations, indicate spread has plateaued or declined.

A recent forecast by Oregon Health & Science University indicates infections and hospitalizations are projected to continue falling until early November.

Health officials have encouraged new booster shots among eligible populations. It’s unclear how quickly Oregonians are taking the bivalent booster, however, which is supposed to offer better protection against omicron.

State officials last week reported that about 19,000 people had received that booster shot but new numbers won’t be publicly released until Oct. 12.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 890,507 confirmed or presumed infections and 8,520 deaths.

Hospitalizations: 237 people with confirmed coronavirus infections are hospitalized, down 16 since Wednesday, Sept. 14. That includes 30 people in intensive care, up four since Sept. 14.

New deaths: Since Sept. 14, the Oregon Health Authority has reported 28 additional deaths connected to COVID-19.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7328; @_brad_schmidt

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