Covid-related hospitalizations are ticking up in the Salem area, with Salem Hospital more full as flu season continues.
HOSPITAL CAPACITY
As of Friday, Dec. 2, Salem Hospital had 30 inpatients with Covid.
Of those, none were in the ICU or on a ventilator.
419 of the 415 adult acute and critical care beds were in use, or 101%. The hospital is able to care for more patients than it’s licensed for due to ongoing waivers related to the Covid pandemic.
496 total hospital beds were in use on Friday. The hospital recently expanded its licensed bed capacity from 494 to 644 with the addition of a new tower, but that total includes every potential licensed bed at Salem Hospital including those dedicated to specific uses, like pediatrics, inpatient psychiatry, and labor and delivery.
The daily number of hospitalized Covid patients has been between 22 and 30 patients over the past week, according to Lisa Wood, Salem Health spokeswoman. Last week, the number was between 14 and 24.
Region 2, which is Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties, had 46 people hospitalized with Covid as of Nov. 30, compared with 44 the week prior and 24 two weeks ago.
CASES
In the week ending Nov. 30, the average daily number of new Covid cases reported increased statewide and in Marion County, and decreased in Polk County compared to the week prior.
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Salem Reporter did not publish a Covid report last week so case numbers are compared to those two weeks ago.
Marion County: 35 new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 70.3 cases per 100,000 residents.
That’s up from 30 average daily cases two weeks ago.
7.6% of Covid tests this week were positive, up from 5.6% two weeks ago.
The Oregon Health Authority reported two newly identified deaths of county residents with Covid in the past week.
Polk County: 15 new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 118.1 cases per 100,000 residents.
That’s more than double the 7 average daily cases two weeks ago..
12.4% of Covid tests this week were positive, an increase from 5.3% two weeks ago.
The Oregon Health Authority reported one newly identified death of county residents with Covid in the past week.
Oregon: 465 new cases per day on average, up from 401 average daily cases last week; 6.8% of tests were positive, compared with 6.5% last week.
VACCINATION AND BREAKTHROUGH CASES
The Oregon Health Authority has a data dashboard showing trends in cases, hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status, updated on the second Wednesday of each month.
The most recent data as of Oct. 23 shows Covid infection, hospitalization and death rates continue to be highest among Oregonians not vaccinated against Covid compared with those vaccinated as recommended, which includes a booster shot.
In September, the state recorded seven deaths with Covid per 100,000 unvaccinated adult Oregonians, compared to two deaths per 100,000 adults vaccinated as recommended. Hospitalization rates in September were 42 per 100,000 unvaccinated adults compared to 14 per 100,000 vaccinated as recommended.
The data will next be published in December.
MANDATES
Oregon’s mask mandate lifted on March 11 at 11:59 p.m.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
