March 12, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon is adding three new presumptive positive cases to its count of people diagnosed with novel coronavirus, COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 24.
Clackamas County now has its first case, a man between the ages of 35 and 54 who was a close contact with a previous case. The new Washington County cases are both women older than 55 who had no known close contacts with confirmed cases and are considered community-spread cases.
Washington County now has a total of 10 cases.
Health officials continue to urge all Oregonians to take steps to protect those who are most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. Those considered “high risk” include adults 60 and older, or anyone with a serious health condition, including lung or heart problems, kidney disease, or diabetes, or anyone who has a suppressed immune system.
People vulnerable to complications should follow federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings.
Every resident should take these basic steps to protect those most at risk:
- Never visit a hospital or long-term-care facility if you have a fever or cough illness.
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home if you feel ill.
- Call your provider before seeking health care.
The COVID-19 virus spreads like the flu, when someone who is sick coughs or sneezes close to another person (close means about 6 feet).
After someone contracts COVID-19, illness usually develops within 14 days. Symptoms mirror those of the flu, including fever, cough, runny nose, headache, sore throat and general feelings of illness. That has made it more difficult for health officials to identify sick individuals and stop the virus from spreading.
As testing capacity increases—with LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics online, and clinical laboratories at some Oregon hospitals expected to begin testing by next week—officials expect the number of people who test positive with COVID-19 to rise.
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