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Salem weekly Covid report for March 25: cases, hospitalizations continue falling

Salem Hospital on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

The number of cases and Covid hospitalizations are continuing to fall. 

Here’s our report for March 25, 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 455 total inpatients, 92% 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 three Covid inpatients. 

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 22 people hospitalized with Covid as of March 24, compared with 25 the week prior.

VACCINATION AND BREAKTHROUGH CASES

For the week of March 19, 37.7% 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, 52.7% had received a booster shot. 

The rate of Covid infection among unvaccinated Oregonians was 3.7 times higher than vaccinated Oregonians, and 4.3 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 23. 

Marion County: 15 new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 30.9 cases per 100,000 residents. 

That’s down from 26 average daily cases for the week ending March 16. 

2.7% of Covid tests this week were positive.

Polk County: Four new Covid cases per day on average, a rate of 32.2 cases per 100,000 residents. 

That’s down from an average of five daily cases the week prior. 

4.2% of Covid tests this week were positive.

Oregon: 247 new cases per day on average, a rate of 40.51 cases per 100,000 residents, with 3% of tests positive.

-Saphara Harrell