Salem Health’s laboratory site on State Street on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The number of cases and Covid hospitalizations are continuing to fall.
Here’s our report for March 18, 2022.
HOSPITAL CAPACITY
Salem Hospital and the mid-Willamette region have reported a decline in both the number of Covid-positive inpatients and the total number of hospital patients over the past week.
As of Friday, the hospital has 458 total inpatients, 93% of its total capacity of 494 people. Pre-pandemic, Salem Hospital was typically 80 to 85% full, hospital leaders have said.
On Friday, the hospital recorded eight Covid inpatients, including two in the ICU and two on ventilators.
Salem Health has stopped reporting Covid vaccination status in its weekly updates as impatient numbers decline.
Region 2, which is Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties, had 25 people hospitalized with Covid as of March 17, compared with 40 the week prior.
VACCINATION AND BREAKTHROUGH CASES
For the week of March 12, 37.3% of all Covid cases were in people vaccinated against Covid, according to the state’s most recent breakthrough case report. About 75% of Oregon adults are vaccinated against Covid.
Of vaccinated people who contracted Covid, 49.5% had received a booster shot.
The rate of Covid infection among unvaccinated Oregonians was 3.5 times higher than vaccinated Oregonians, and 4.5 times higher than Oregonians who had also received a booster shot.
MANDATES
Oregon’s mask mandate lifted on March 11 at 11:59 p.m.
CASES
The number of new Covid cases reported locally has continued falling in the past week. This data is for the week ending March 16.
Marion County: 26 new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 51.3 cases per 100,000 residents.
That’s down from 32 average daily cases for the week ending March 9.
5.3% of Covid tests this week were positive.
Polk County: Five new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 45.3 cases per 100,000 residents.
That’s down from an average of 10 daily cases the week prior.
0.7% of Covid tests this week were positive.
Oregon: 331 new cases per day on average, a rate of 53.75 cases per 100,000 residents, with 2.5% of tests positive.
-Saphara Harrell
