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We’ll update this story throughout the day with the latest news about coronavirus and its effects in Oregon on Friday, June 26.

UPDATE at 2:38 p.m.

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde receives $100,000 for transportation

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will receive $100,000 to support transportation needs among the community during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a press release by Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.

The funding was allocated by the CARES Act passed in March.

The grant will support operating, administrative and preventative maintenance, including personal protective equipment for transit workers and services needed to disinfect vehicles and transit centers.

“Tribes in Oregon have been hit hard by COVID-19’s devastating public health and economic impacts, so these federal funds will help by supporting transit workers to safely continue providing essential transportation services for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde,” Wyden said.

— Bill Poehler

UPDATE at 2:30 p.m.

New modeling shows cases could rise by 20% in Oregon

Daily cases of COVID-19 could increase by as much as 20% according to new worst-case modeling released by the Oregon Health Authority and the Institute for Disease Modeling.

Based on data through June 18, if testing remains at the present 4,000 tests per day, the optimistic assumption is that higher testing will see case counts remain stable at 180 per day over the next month, though it is the least likely scenario as about a third of new infections have not been traced to a known source.

The moderate scenario assumes a 10% increase in transmission as of June 3 and that the estimated number of new infections per day would be higher and reach 310 per day, which would mean 10,800 more infections of the novel coronavirus.

The pessimistic scenario assumes infections would reach 560 per day and increase over the subsequent month. Under the worst case scenario, the model projects about 50,600 more infections and 74 new hospitalizations per day.

“This latest model provides us with a sobering reminder that we all need to guard against continued spread, especially as we continue to reopen and the weather gets warmer,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon State Health Officer.

Oregon has had 7,818 cases of the novel coronavirus and 202 deaths attributed to it as of June 26.

— Bill Poehler

UPDATE at 2:14 p.m.

Oregon tops 200 COVID-19 deaths

Oregon had its second largest number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday with 250, according to data released by the Oregon Health Authority, a week after stay home restrictions were eased by Gov. Kate Brown.

Friday’s case count comes second to the high of 278 announced on June 16.

Oregon has had 7,818 cases of the novel coronavirus and 202 deaths, including five new deaths in Friday’s announcement.

Marion County, which moved into phase 2 a week ago had 18 cases, including three more deaths. The county has had 1,400 positive cases and 41 deaths total.

A 79-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on June 18, died June 24 in her residence.

A 96-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on June 18, died June 25 in her residence.

A 90-year-old man in Marion County, who tested positive on June 19, died June 25 in his residence.

All had underlying conditions, according to officials.

Polk County, meanwhile, had no new cases announced.

Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous, moved into phase 1 one week ago and had 61 cases Friday.

The United States set a new single-day record of 39,327 on Thursday with many states including Texas, Alabama, Missouri and Nevada reporting record highs in new cases.

— Bill Poehler

UPDATE at 2:10 p.m.

COVID-19 by the numbers in Oregon

Here’s the most recent data from OHA, as of Friday, June 26.

• 202: Deaths from COVID-19
• 149: People hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19
• 35: Patients placed on ventilators
• 7,818: Total cases

Gov. Kate Brown OKs early release of 57 inmates vulnerable to COVID-19

Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday approved the early release of 57 state prisoners deemed medically vulnerable to the coronavirus, which has spread throughout correctional facilities in Oregon and around the country.

The decision comes two weeks after Brown said she would consider commuting the sentences of some people to help stem the disease’s spread in the prison system, where more than 200 prisoners and staff have tested positive for COVID-19, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

One of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the state has occurred at The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, infecting at least 182 people, according to the state health authority.

More: Gov. Kate Brown OKs early release of 57 inmates vulnerable to COVID-19

— Associated Press

New US cases hit single-day record

As the U.S. hits a new record for daily coronavirus cases, the true number of infections is likely 10 times the number of reported cases, said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Thursday.

That means officials estimate that 20 million Americans, or 6% of the nation’s 331 million people, have actually been infected, meaning the vast majority of the population remains susceptible. 

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are trending upward in about half of U.S. states, and several have reported record-breaking daily new case counts this week, according to Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. reported 39,972 daily cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, a new daily record, according to a database maintained by Johns Hopkins University. 

While some states are pushing ahead to the next phase of reopening, Florida and Texas hit pause on their reopening plans Thursday and Texas also suspended elective surgeries in the state’s largest counties.

— USA TODAY

Survey: Young Americans less likely to social distance

WASHINGTON – As the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States continues to rise, nearly half of young Americans say they’ve hung out with people outside of their household without social distancing, according to a new survey.

Among Americans ages 18 to 29, 45% said in the past week they have socialized with people they do not live with while not maintaining social distancing, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project. That is the highest rate among all age groups, with those ages 30 to 44 trailing just slightly at 42%

That is almost two times the rate of other age groups. Among Americans ages 45 to 64, 28% reported socializing without social distancing. Americans over 65 were the least likely (21%) to have hung out with people they don’t live with while not social distancing. 

The United States on Wednesday saw its highest number of new coronavirus cases recorded in months. Since May, the majority of states across the country have begun loosening social distancing restrictions that were in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Several of the nation’s most populous states, including California, Texas and Florida, have reported record-setting highs in daily new cases.

When broken down by party lines, young Republicans were the most likely group to say they had hung out with people they didn’t live with while not practicing social distancing, according to analysis from Nationscape Insights, a project of Democracy Fund, UCLA and USA TODAY.

The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project is a massive study of the American electorate designed to conduct 500,000 interviews about policies and the presidential candidates during the 2020 election cycle. The survey was conducted June 11-17, with 6,914 people surveyed. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

More than half of Republicans ages 18 to 29 (55%) and 30 to 44 (56%) said they did not practice social distancing when hanging out with people they do not live with. That topped young Democrats by double digits. Among Democrats, those numbers were 40% for those ages 18 to 29 and 34% for those ages 30 to 44.

“We’re kind of in this naughty situation where these folks are probably engaging in this stuff because it is less dangerous to them personally, but that has significant downstream effects,” said Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. “They are now some of the people who are most likely to be causing this to happen, and (it) to grow worse in some of these states.”

Read more: Young Americans less likely to social distance as coronavirus cases continue to rise, survey says

⁠— Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY

Oregon COVID-19 cases by county

Here are the number of cases, both tested positive and presumptive, and deaths as of Friday, June 26:

• Baker: 1 case 
• Benton: 80 cases, 5 deaths
• Clackamas: 665 cases, 24 deaths 
• Clatsop: 48 cases 
• Columbia: 27 cases
• Coos: 39 cases
• Crook: 9 cases
• Curry: 7 cases
• Deschutes: 159 cases 
• Douglas: 38 cases
• Gilliam: 0 cases
• Grant: 1 case
• Harney: 1 case
• Hood River: 88 cases
• Jackson: 98 cases
• Jefferson: 91 cases
• Josephine: 28 cases, 1 death
• Klamath: 111 cases
• Lake: 12 cases 
• Lane: 122 cases, 3 deaths
• Lincoln: 305 cases, 2 deaths
• Linn: 136 cases, 9 deaths
• Malheur: 73 cases, 1 death
• Marion: 1,400 cases, 41 deaths
• Morrow: 48 cases, 2 death
• Multnomah: 2,028 cases, 68 deaths
• Polk: 134 cases, 12 deaths
• Sherman: 1 case
• Tillamook: 7 cases
• Umatilla: 363 cases, 4 deaths
• Union: 309 cases, 1 death
• Wallowa: 8 cases 
• Wasco: 58 cases, 1 death
• Washington: 1,214 cases, 20 deaths 
• Wheeler: 0 cases
• Yamhill: 109 cases, 8 deaths 

Source: Oregon Health Authority

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