A new analysis by Oregon health officials offered the first positive sign that social distancing is helping in Oregon.
Sweeping social distancing measures appear to be reducing the transmission of the novel coronavirus between 50% and 70%.
The figures are estimates and do not signal that Oregon has defeated the coronavirus. Loosening restrictions would lead to a resurgence in cases in as little as a week. The state still faces major challenges, including the risk that front-line health care workers will continue contracting the virus.
Here are the latest developments to know Thursday:
UNEMPLOYMENT: More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus.
CARE: As the coronavirus spreads through Oregon, hospitals are taking in more patients. Hospitalizations have doubled in six days at Providence, and nearly tripled at Legacy Health. It’s not clear how long most patients stay. State health officials say they do not know how may Oregonians have recovered so far from coronavirus.
CASES: One more Oregonian has died of coronavirus, and dozens more have been infected, bringing the total number of known cases in Oregon to 737. But the day’s rise in infected patients was the smallest increase in more than a week.
RESPONSE: Gov. Kate Brown asked the federal government to pay for as many as 1,250 Oregon National Guard members to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic. She also issued a 90-day moratorium on commercial evictions. The order comes as many small business owners reported panic and fear over the prospect of making rent this month. But Portland city leaders said that wasn’t enough. They’re calling for state officials to waive missed rent and mortgage payments.
BUSINESS: A Redmond factory has launched a new project to sterilize used face masks and high-end respirators that are in short supply. Other businesses are struggling. Demand for hotels fell 80% in Portland amid the coronavirus outbreak.
FOOD: Demand for online groceries has skyrocketed. Many shoppers who want to limit their exposure to the coronavirus are finding it hard to nail down delivery times. Some grocers are taking more social distancing measures. Costco will limit the number of shoppers inside the store at a time.
ESSENTIAL WORKERS: Employers across Oregon are having to address cases of coronavirus within their workforce. Among the essential workers who recently tested positive for COVID-19 include a Washington County firefighter, a Hillsboro Amazon warehouse employee and a state prison worker. Meanwhile, parents who work in essential service industries are trying to do their jobs and figure out how to address the sudden loss of child care after schools and many private day cares shut down.
CENSUS: The virus has complicated efforts for census surveyors. Only four in 10 households in Oregon have responded to the census so far.
COURTS: A federal judge in Oregon declined to tell U.S. immigration courts how to operate during the coronavirus outbreak after six nonprofits urged the judge to order all immigration courts to require remote hearings for detained people.
MEDIA: In Portland, Salem, Bend and Baker City, newspapers have cut staff in the past few weeks even as they raced to cover the coronavirus outbreak. Falling ad sales have prompted sweeping cutback statewide.
OUTDOORS: Recreation in Oregon is effectively closed. A beautiful spring weekend during the pandemic resulted in the unprecedented closure of public lands.
GOOD NEWS: An Oregon veteran -- free and clear of coronavirus -- celebrated his 104th birthday with relatives and staffers of the Lebanon nursing home where he lives. He may be the oldest patient worldwide to survive COVID-19. Meanwhile, firefighters and police officers in Clackamas County helped an 8-year-old boy mark his birthday.
-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
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