PORTLAND, Ore. — New projections released Thursday by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reinforce the need for wearing face masks and the importance of social distancing.
The OHA released optimistic, moderate and pessimistic scenarios for what the pandemic could look like by Aug. 13.
Here’s a look at all three scenarios:
OPTIMISTIC SCENARIO
If transmission rate decreased by 10 percentage points from current rates:
- New infections would decrease (About 600 per day)
- New hospitalizations decrease (About 17 per day)
MODERATE SCENARIO
If the current transmission rate continues:
- New infections would rise steadily (About 1,600 per day)
- New hospitalizations remain stable (About 27 per day)
PESSIMISTIC SCENARIO
If transmission rate increased by 10 percentage points from current rates:
- New infections would be even higher (About 2,300 per day)
- New hospitalizations increase (About 46 per day)
Health officials continue to encourage people to continue to wear face coverings, stay six feet apart and limit the size of social gatherings to bend the curve again.
OHA said in its release, "These actions, along with the recent measures put in place by Gov. Kate Brown, will make a difference in the course of COVID-19 in our state."
Correction: This article previously stated cumulative infections for each scenario. Those numbers were not accurate.
