PORTLAND, Ore. — Cases of COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus, began popping up in the United States in January. The first case in Oregon was reported on Feb. 28.
We post a new blog post every day that tracks the daily changes in Oregon and Southwest Washington as we get them. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES
As of Sunday night:
- Oregon: 91 deaths, 2,311 cases, 48,964 tests (46,653 negative) Latest Oregon numbers
- Washington: 749 deaths, 13,521 cases, 175,477 tests (161,956 negative) Latest Washington numbers
- United States: 54,856 deaths, 965,426 cases Latest U.S. numbers
- World: 206,494 deaths, 2,970,705 cases Latest global numbers
6:15 p.m.
- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown took to Twitter Sunday afternoon to apologize to Oregonians waiting for their unemployment claims to be processed. She wrote: "I hear your frustration. I'm sorry for the delays. I'm committed to ensuring that eligible Oregonians receive the maximum benefits available, as quickly as possible. These benefits are critical during this stressful time." Learn more
- Thousands of businesses who missed out on the first round of funding through the Paycheck Protection Program hope their loans will get approved when the additional $320 billion in funding becomes available Monday morning. One of those businesses is Gimre’s Shoes, which was founded in 1892 by Sven Gimre in Astoria, Oregon. Learn more
- If you live in Portland and are in a tough spot financially because you’ve lost your job due to COVID-19, the city has a little help available. Starting Monday morning, people can apply to get money from the Portland Housing Bureau’s COVID-19 Emergency Household Stabilization Fund to help pay for things like groceries or rent. Learn more
- Regional leaders and entities, including Wilsonville Mayor Tim Knapp and the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce, believe that the COVID-19 crisis is cause for the State of Oregon to fast track an application to develop a for-profit psychiatric hospital in Wilsonville. Learn more
- Small business owners throughout Oregon are struggling amid the COVID-19 crisis. Those struggles are coming into sharp focus as many shuttered businesses prepare to pay their bills for the second month of the outbreak, with no path toward reopening. Learn more
- Piccolo Mondo Toys is working with Hillsboro elementary schools to deliver free activity bags filled with educational items and toys to local families. They've donated 170 bags to Hillsboro families so far. Learn more
12:55 p.m.
- The Oregon Health Authority reports four new deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the state's death toll to 91. In addition, 58 new cases have been reported, bringing the number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Oregon to 2,311. Learn more
12:30 p.m.
- On Oregon father built a backyard go-kart track for his kids to help them make some great memories during the coronavirus pandemic. Brian Giannettino, who lives in Prineville with his family, grabbed a shovel, some river rock and twelve hours later (yeah, twelve!) he and his family were outside having the time of their lives. Learn more
8:15 a.m.
- The Oregon Health Authority announced one more death and 76 new positive cases in Oregon on Saturday. This additional death brings the death toll to 87 and the total number of positive cases is now at 2,253. A total of 47,377 people have been tested for the virus in the state. Learn more
- An internal video obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows the director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration Medical Center in Roseburg holding a flash mob dance party in hospital offices with at least 16 staff, none of them consistently wearing protective equipment or maintaining social distance. Learn more
- Home care workers feel unprotected during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the SEIU, a union that represents thousands of home care workers, they have not been issued any PPEs and have been begging for them since the beginning of the pandemic. Learn more