Oregon Hospitals Near Breaking Point As COVID-19 Surges

[appalachiablue]

Source: AP News

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Just 41 intensive care unit beds were available in Oregon on Wednesday as COVID-19 cases continue to climb and hospitals near capacity in a state that was once viewed as a pandemic success story.

Oregon, which earlier had among the lowest cases per capita, is now shattering its COVID-19 hospitalization records day after day. Oregon — like Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana — has had more people in the hospital with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, 850 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Oregon — surpassing the state’s record, which was set the previous day. Before this month, the hospitalization record was 622 in November, during a winter surge and when vaccines were not yet available.

More than a third of the state’s 652 adult ICU beds are being used for COVID-19 patients. Health officials say that the overwhelming majority of hospitalized virus patients are unvaccinated...

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-science-health-oregon-coronavirus-pandemic-73771d0fb77d933ce265e05d66c70a4c

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- May 21, 2021, a sign reminds customers to wear their masks at a bakery in Lake Oswego, Ore. As of Wed., Aug. 18, 2021, just 41 intensive care unit beds were available in Oregon, as Covid-19 cases continue to climb & hospitals near capacity in a state that was once viewed as a pandemic success story. Oregon, which earlier had among the lowest cases per capita, is now shattering its COVID-19 hospitalization records day after day. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

[BumRushDaShow]

1. "in a state that was once viewed as a pandemic success story"

This media thing about touting "success stories" - whether it be a state or a country (remember the "success story" of Sweden? ) - is just ludicrous. They have been doing this type of characterization now for over 1 1/2 years.

Whether states or countries enforce mitigation strategies more than others or not at all almost becomes irrelevant to the virus because it is eventually going to find hosts there, and everywhere else, and replicate.

I hope we can all hang in there and particularly those whose states (like Oregon) have at least TRIED.

[IronLionZion]

4. Things change quickly

Sweden has had way more cases and deaths than nearby Norway, Denmark, Finland, etc.

For Oregon, it's spreading fast through their conservative rural areas. Some media outlets might hope people assume it's the liberals in Portland.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Exactly

But what happened as each wave came and went, because certain locales had their waves begin/end at different time frames from a majority of other locations, when they were in their "down" period, they were "hailed" as a "success"... until the next wave came.

[Steelrolled]

18. Exactly right.

I remember how Calif was the great success story until they became one of the worse states in the US.

I'm not sure whether Calif are a success or failure now - will have to look at the numbers.

[former9thward]

9. Uhh, no

If you read the link it is everywhere in Oregon including Portland.

[IronLionZion]

11. Cases per 100K is considerably higher in rural Trump counties all over America.

If you look at raw numbers, it's higher in cities because there are more people in cities. But it's a lower percentage of the population and higher rates of vaccination, masks, social distance, etc. to slow the spread.

[former9thward]

13. "Rates" per 100k have nothing to do with a higher population.

That is why they are rates not raw numbers. Also the OP is about Oregon not "all over America'. Covid spreads in the cities more because of more interaction between people in non-ventilated areas. For example in New York City when they refused to shut the mass transit system down it allowed the spread of the disease all over the city. The map of initial covid spread in NYC is the map of the mass transit system.

[IronLionZion]

15. Rates per 100K are lower in Portland and higher in rural Oregon counties now. nt

[former9thward]

16. And the hospitals which are full are in Portland and the major cities.

What is your point?

[IronLionZion]

17. Major cities have big hospitals with ICU capacity

smaller towns don't. Sick people from rural areas are brought to city hospitals for ICU treatment, sometimes by helicopter.

[CentralMass]

8. I live near Portland. Prior to the CDC lifting it mask guidance

everyone wore masks in stores etc. Within a few days of that change almost no one was wearing masks in the stores near me. That was an asinine and irresponsible change that directly caused this surge.

[chowder66]

12. I'm in Hollywood, CA and when the CDC lifted mask requirements the majority

kept wearing masks. There were a handful of people I saw inside stores without them. I'd say 95% or more were masked in all of the places I have been to and they are back to 100%. One guy came into the grocery store the day after Newsom required masks indoors again (after the lift from the CDC) and he didn't hear about it so he left without incident to go get a mask. He seemed perfectly happy to get back on board.

I'm grateful so many around here have taken this seriously. Of course there are plenty of hot spots all around California and the numbers worry me but that kind of goes with the densely packed population in some of the cities, neighborhoods and the overall population of the state.

[Ford_Prefect]

2. I cannot imagine what it will be like when the Lambda variant arrives...

[greenjar_01]

3. Oregon is definitely the interesting bird in the Delta variant landscape

[Silver Gaia]

5. Damn. I did not realize it was this bad in Oregon.

I just learned yesterday that my niece in Portland has covid. Hubby, too. (And her brother and his wife in Houston have it as well.) None of them are vaxxed. Not Trumpers, just lazy I guess. Thought they were super human. I am praying for them. Their dad, my brother, finally decided maybe he should get the vaccine, and got his first 2 days ago, but it took THIS to wake him up. Damn.

[MissB]

7. We went from 47th

To 15th (infectivity rates, Iirc) in what seems like days but was really weeks.

Hope your niece and nephew recover quickly.

[Silver Gaia]

19. Thanks!

I'm sorry this is happening where you live.

[Javaman]

10. Oregon, while blue, it has a gigantic chunk of right wing idiots the farther you move inland.

unvaxxed unmasked idiots

[former9thward]

14. The article at the link says it is all over OR.

Including the major cities such as Portland.

[Silver Gaia]

20. We have them in CA in the Sierra foothills, too.