Beth Nakamura/Staff
The Oregon Health Authority reported 307 new confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases and five deaths on Friday.
Disclosure of the new cases comes a day after case counts surged to record-breaking heights for the third consecutive week with 437 cases reported Thursday.
Hospitalizations on Friday also reached record heights with 158, topping the previous record of 156 set in early April.
State public health officials have raised concerns in the past when they see increases in residents at Oregon hospitals. They say the number typically grows as people seek care at a faster pace and when the sickest need longer stays.
However, state officials said this week that despite the high counts, hospitalization rates are starting to plateau after five consecutive weeks of growing. Officials attributed this to increased testing and the fact that young people, who are less likely to be hospitalized, are reporting most of the cases.
State officials also said social gatherings and “sporadic cases” – cases that are not linked to a specific outbreak – are driving the spike in case counts. The rise in sporadic cases means that infection is spreading uncontained throughout communities, state officials said.
“Large outbreaks account for a smaller proportion of recent cases,” Patrick Allen, the health authority director said in a Thursday press conference. “These outbreaks are diminishing in proportion to other types of cases, particularly, sporadic cases.”
Where the new cases are by county: Benton (2), Clackamas (19), Clatsop (1), Columbia (2), Coos (4), Deschutes (12), Douglas (3), Hood River (2), Jackson (12), Jefferson (7), Josephine (2), Klamath (2), Lane (10), Lincoln (1), Linn (3), Mal