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Covid hospitalizations, cases again on the rise as most Oregonians become eligible for shots

Agnes Tsai draws up a dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Oregon on Monday will open Covid vaccinations to anyone 16 and older who wants a shot.

But state and local health officials said they’re seeing a rise in both new Covid cases and hospitalizations as Oregonians wait for their turn to get vaccinated, and cautioned it’s too early to stop taking precautions against the virus.

“It’s clear that this virus is persistent and it’s stubborn. While we’ve flattened the curve again and again, Covid will not surrender,” Gov. Kate Brown said in a news conference Friday.

Health officials said they’ve tied recent outbreaks to social gatherings where people are not wearing masks or physically distancing, including a multi-day karaoke party and an indoor concert.

After the number of people hospitalized with Covid declined in January and February, it’s on the rise once again. said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist. Hospitalizations have increased 26% over the first two weeks of April statewide.

In the mid-Willamette Valley, 34 people were hospitalized with Covid as of April 15, up from 15 a month ago.

The number of people with Covid in mid-Willamette Valley hospitals rose in late March and early April after declining in January and February (Screenshot on April 16, 2021 from Oregon Health Authority website)

Katrina Rothenberger, Marion County’s public health division director, told county commissioners Wednesday that a majority of new cases locally are among people in their 20s and 30s.

For more information on scheduling a vaccine in the Salem area, check out Salem Reporter’s guide to local vaccination.

-Rachel Alexander