PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Noting that the COVID delta variant “spreads like wildfire among the unvaccinated in our community,” leaders of a coastal county in Oregon said Friday they no longer have the capacity to store the bodies of the dead. and ask the state for a refrigerated truck.
“The spread of COVID in Tillamook County has reached a critical stage,” the county board of commissioners said in a statement. They said that from August 18 to August there were six new deaths from COVID-19 in the county, surpassing the five deaths from COVID-19 in total that occurred during the first 18 months of the pandemic.
“These are six tragic deaths in six days. We grieve for our friends and neighbors and their families. We are very sorry for your loss, “wrote Commissioners Mary Faith Bell, David Yamamoto and Erin Skaar.
A local funeral home is licensed to hold nine bodies and has been in operation since last week, they said.
“Due to the increased mortality from COVID and the anticipation of additional deaths, we have asked the state for a refrigerated morgue truck,” the commissioners said.
They urged people to get vaccinated, saying 86% of newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 belong to unvaccinated people.
As Oregon destroys its record number of daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to overwhelm the health care system, an outside mask warrant was reinstated on Friday. Oregon is the first U.S. state to reimplement an outside mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents, as the delta variant caused an increase in COVID-19 cases.
People 5 years of age or older, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks in most outdoor public spaces, including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible, such as now festivals and concerts. The rule doesn’t apply to “fleeting encounters,” such as two people walking each other down a track or park.
The previously announced mandate is part of a growing list of statewide requirements, including indoor mask mandates and vaccine requirements for health care workers, teachers and state employees, implemented in Oregon in an attempt to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19. .
The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,207 confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The previous record, set earlier this month, was 2,971. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 268,401 reported cases of coronavirus in the state.
Over the past month, cases of coronavirus, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overflowed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. As of Friday, 1,098 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized, surpassing the state record set the day before by 18 people. Earlier this month, the record was 622, set in November, when vaccines were not yet available.
Oregon was once described as a success story for limiting the spread of coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the country’s strictest security measures. These restrictions were lifted on June 30 and the state is being hammered by the delta variant, which was first detected in India.
There are currently only 40 adult intensive care beds available in Oregon. Currently, more than 90% of the ICU and state hospital beds are full. Health officials say the vast majority of hospitalized people are not vaccinated.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 990% in Oregon since July 9, according to health officials. Many hospitals have canceled elective surgeries and some patients are housed in the hallways instead of the rooms.
On Friday, U.S. Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will complement the medical staff of six hospitals in southern and central Oregon, where there is a need for fundamental personnel.
“The daunting and creepy accounts that nurses, doctors and staff shared with me last week in Bend and Medford speak directly to their need for immediate care, as they work long hours caring for Oregonians filling their hospitals,” he said. Wyden.
On Wednesday, Brown announced that “crisis teams” of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants are being deployed in the regions of the state hardest hit by a wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations that have allowed to extend hospitals to the limit.
The state has finalized a contract with a medical endowment company that will send up to 500 health care providers to central and southern Oregon, where hospitals have been hit by a wave of coronavirus patients, most unvaccinated. . Smaller teams will also head to long-term care centers across the state.
In addition to the medical crisis teams announced Wednesday, Brown has sent some 1,500 National Guard troops to hospitals across the state to help them with logistical and non-medical tasks.
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Andrew Selsky reported from Bend, Oregon. Sara Cline is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit services program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on covert issues.