APRIL 24, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
COVID-19 cases spike in Marion County,
cause remains under investigation
By RACHEL ALEXANDER
Of Salem Reporter
Marion County experi-
enced a surge over the week-
end in residents testing positive
for COVID-19 that is con-
cerning state and local health
offi cials who can’t yet identify
a cause.
Fifty-four county residents
got a positive test back between
Saturday, April 18 and Monday,
April 20, the largest three-day
increase since the fi rst Marion
County resident confi rmed
positive on March 8.
With 10 more people testing
positive as of Tuesday morning,
there are now 381 people con-
fi rmed to have COVID-19 in
the county, a 20 percent in-
crease. Fourteen have died.
Since the epidemic began,
testing in the area has increased,
but that doesn’t fully explain
the spike. Over the weekend,
306 county residents got test
results back. Eighteen percent
were positive - a far higher rate
than typical and three times the
state average.
Statewide, about 5 per-
cent of Oregonians tested for
COVID-19 since late February
have tested positive. In Marion
County, it’s 11 percent since
testing began.
“We are concerned. Addi-
tional research is being done to
analyze demographics of pos-
itive cases, including wheth-
er the cases are sporadic or
linked to a known outbreak,
or household,” said Jonathan
Modie, Oregon Health Au-
thority spokesman, in an email.
There’s been no equivalent
increase in Polk County, which
has 33 residents who have test-
ed positive for the virus.
Marion County has con-
sistently had the highest rate
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of people with COVID-19 in
Oregon, despite testing at a rate
similar to or lower than many
other urban counties.
Modie said one explanation
may be that Oregon’s Latino
population has been hit hard-
er by COVID-19. While Lati-
nos make up about 13 percent
of Oregon’s population, they
account for 26 percent of the
positive tests for COVID-19.
Marion County has a high
Latino population, about 26
percent of residents, according
to Census data.
Among the new cases, coun-
ty health offi cials have not yet
identifi ed how many live or
work in nursing homes, prisons
or other facilities considered to
be at high risk, though it ap-
pears known cases in facilities
don’t explain the rise.
County
spokeswoman
Jolene Kelley said county of-
fi cials planned to compile ployees who have tested posi-
that information in the next tive for COVID-19, or at least
few days. Most cases, she said, one death from the virus.
They are The Oaks at Sher-
weren’t related to group living
wood Park in Keizer, Marquis
environments or facilities.
Most of those who recently Marian Estates in Sublimi-
tested positive have had con- ty, Country Meadows Village
tact with another infected per- in Woodburn and Jason Lee
Manor Apartments, Four Sea-
son, Kelley said.
sons Memory
“Because
Care and Sa-
Marion Coun-
lem Transition-
ty continues to
al Care, all in
see new cases,
Salem.
we
strongly
To g e t h e r ,
encourage resi-
those
facili-
dents to adhere
ties have 46
to social dis-
people testing
tancing guide-
positive
for
lines which can
C OV I D - 1 9 .
be a powerful
But only fi ve
p reve n t a t ive
have been add-
tool when used
ed in the past
c o n s i s t e n t l y.
week, the state
And although
wearing face
— Jolene Kelley reports show.
coverings
is
County spokesperson Facilities with
no deaths and
not mandato-
fewer
than
ry, we strongly
encourage residents to wear three people testing positive
masks when in public settings,” aren’t reported.
With four state prisons, a
Kelley said in an email.
State data released Tuesday county jail and Oregon State
shows a slight increase in the Hospital within its boundar-
number of Marion County ies, Marion County has more
nursing home residents con- people living and working in
institutions than many Oregon
fi rmed to have COVID-19.
Six local nursing homes counties. But those facilities
have outbreaks, defi ned as account for only a handful of
three or more residents or em- the new cases.
To date, no Oregon State
Hospital patient has tested
positive for the virus, hospital
spokeswoman Rebeka Gip-
son-King said. Nine have test-
ed negative, and one has a test
pending.
Three hospital employees
have reported positive tests for
COVID-19, Gipson-King said.
As of April 21, the Marion
County Jail has not had any in-
mates test positive for the virus,
said Sgt. Jeremy Landers, Mar-
ion County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
spokesman.
Two of the four pris-
ons in the Salem area have
COVID-19 cases. At San-
tiam Correctional Institution,
six employees and four in-
mates were confi rmed to have
COVID-19. At Oregon State
Penitentiary, four employees
tested positive for the virus.
No one at Oregon State
Correctional Institution or
Mill Creek Corrections Cen-
ter has yet tested positive, ac-
cording to Department of
Corrections data.
Overall, Modie said the
rate of new people getting
sick with COVID-19 is falling
across Oregon, despite some
local spikes.
“We continue to fl atten the
statewide curve and estimate
that Oregon’s aggressive phys-
ical distancing measures will
continue to prevent new cases
from rising above current dai-
ly levels of active coronavirus
cases, as long as we maintain
restrictions into May,” he said.
“We strongly
encourage
residents
to adhere
to social
distancing
guidelines.”
(Special to the Keizertimes.
Salem Reporter is providing
free
coverage
of
the
coronavirus outbreak and
everything else for free at
salemreporter.com.)
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