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Coronavirus cases climbing with no clear hotspot in Marion County

A Marion County Health & Human Services map shows where new cases of COVID-19 has been concentrated as of June 11. Numbers show new cases in the past two weeks per 100,000 ZIP code residents. Source here.

Marion County has seen an uptick in residents testing positive for COVID-19 over the past week, which health officials attribute to more widespread testing and the effects of people venturing out of the home more as restrictions have eased.

Some 1,134 county residents have had or currently have the virus since Marion County reported its first case on March 8. Of those, 165 were hospitalized at some point during their illness and 30 have died, while 387 have recovered.

The county added 95 cases to the total since June 5, including an additional 29 on Friday, the highest one-day increase the county has seen in over a month.

County spokeswoman Jenna Wyatt said contact tracers are still working to identify where those newly sick got infected.

Wyatt said public health administrator Katrina Rothenberger and health officer Dr. Christopher Cirino were not available for interviews. But Rothenberger said in an email it remains important for residents to follow health guidelines.

“It is still very important for everyone to continue physically distancing from those who do not live in their home, wearing masks or face coverings, and washing their hands frequently,” she wrote.

By one measure, Marion County is doing well: the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive has continued to fall, an indicator health officials are catching more cases of the virus rather than only testing the sickest residents.

Six percent of tests over the past week have come back positive, versus an average of 8.3% since the outbreak began.

“The small increase we have seen could be attributed the significant increases in testing we’ve made in recent weeks, and as more people are tested, it is expected to discover more cases,” Wyatt said in an email.

Recent cases have been mostly among residents of ZIP codes 97301 and 97305, covering central and north Salem and Brooks. Eight of the 29 cases reported Friday were in Keizer, according to county data, though the ZIP code someone lives in is not necessarily where they caught the virus.

Publicized workplace and nursing home outbreaks account for some of the increase over the past week, according to a state report released June 10. Oregon Health Authority lists workplaces with outbreaks of five or more cases, and nursing facilities with at least three confirmed cases or one death.

The Springs at Willow Creek, an assisted living facility in central Salem, has had 15 residents and employees sick with COVID-19 and one death since an outbreak began on June 2. Boone Ridge Senior Living in south Salem has reported three people sick with the virus since an outbreak began May 31.

Salem Hospital has six employees who have fallen sick, the report says, but the most recent began showing symptoms May 27.

NORPAC’s Salem facility has reported eight people sick with the virus, with a health investigation beginning there on June 5.

An outbreak at an Amazon warehouse in Aumsville, first reported publicly last week, has now sickened six people, up from five.

And outbreaks are still underway at Oregon State Penitentiary and Santiam Correctional Institution, though the pace of new cases has slowed.

Wyatt said county contact tracers are still working to identify where people fell ill in recent days.

Marion County’s hospitalization rate has also climbed in the past week. It’s one of two statewide measures for keeping COVID-19 under control that Oregon Health Authority says the county is not currently meeting.

Legacy Silverton Medical Center and Salem Hospital both have COVID-19 patients in-house, but only Salem Hospital is publicly reporting how many they’re caring for.

Wyatt said June 9 that 20 county residents had been hospitalized in the past two weeks, with 12 of those in the past week.

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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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.