Oregon hit a brand new report of COVID instances for the fourth consecutive day Thursday, greater than doubling its previous mark.

Well being officers reported 7,615 new COVID instances Thursday. The state report earlier than this week of three,207 instances in a day was set in August.

Oregon averaged 4,001 COVID instances the previous week. That determine is up 162 p.c from simply final Thursday. The infections are being pushed by the Omicron variant, which is extremely contagious, though much less extreme. A lot of the unfold occurred since Christmas.

Virtually 25 p.c of the state's reported COVID exams have been constructive on Thursday, as nicely.

Regardless of the report variety of instances, Oregon reported a number of the lowest charges of instances within the nation in the course of the newest COVID surge.

Well being officers in a few of Oregon's largest counties, similar to Multnomah, the place Portland is, stated the variety of COVID instances and hospitalizations will in all probability frequently enhance over the subsequent a number of weeks.

"I believe all of us are going to really feel the squeeze of Omicron spreading shortly by means of our communities and folks calling out sick," Dr. Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County's well being officer, stated. "It should disrupt hospitals, childcare, companies, and public providers, as folks keep house after they're sick."

Oregon, Record Daily COVID Cases, Omicron Surge
Virtually 25 p.c of Oregon's reported COVID exams have been constructive on Thursday. On this picture, a medical employee treats a non-COVID affected person, who's simply in a room in addition to rooms with COVID sufferers, within the ICU ward at UMass Memorial Medical Heart in Worcester, Massachusetts on Jan. 4, 2022. Joseph Prezioso/AFP through Getty Photographs

Hospitals for the primary time additionally reported the largest single-day uptick in weeks, with 588 folks in care who examined constructive, a 12 p.c spike since Wednesday.

There at the moment are solely 42 accessible grownup intensive care unit beds and 95 p.c of the state's staffed grownup non-ICU beds are full.

"Sadly, after a number of weeks of hospitals slowly happening after the delta surge we're simply beginning to see or hear about an uptick in hospitalizations," Vines stated. "It's trigger for concern, provided that our hospitals and well being techniques are already underneath intense pressure."

In Multnomah County, Vines stated EMS calls are up 40 p.c over a typical common quantity and no less than one massive Portland space emergency division — which was not recognized by title — was "bodily out of house" yesterday afternoon.

"Most of us I feel are going to come across Omicron and most of us may have gentle or no signs," Vines stated. "A few of us, comparatively few of us, might get extreme illness from Omicron. And the best way the virus spreads — so shortly — signifies that it may possibly very simply discover the people who find themselves going to be most in danger for extreme illness."

In contrast to previous waves, the expansion charge of instances has far outpaced COVID hospitalizations. Nevertheless, native scientists estimate that roughly 1,650 coronavirus sufferers will probably be hospitalized statewide on the expected peak in late January, which might surpass the Delta surge.

The Related Press contributed to this report.