New COVID-19 wave straining hospitals in many parts of unvaccinated Eastern Oregon

By BRYCE DOLE/EO Media Group

PENDLETON — More than half of all patients currently hospitalized at CHI St. Anthony hospital in Pendleton have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

The hospitalizations come as Umatilla County reports one of the largest surges in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, reporting about 8% of the state’s total cases over the past two weeks despite accounting for just 2% of its population. The county’s case rate during that same time period was more than seven times higher than Multnomah and Washington counties, which both have more than 500,000 more residents than Umatilla County.

The surge in cases is emblematic of a statewide spike, especially in undervaccinated areas.

The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday reported 1,032 new cases statewide. Hospitalizations statewide spiked to the highest totals since April on Tuesday with 259, up 52 since Monday, according to the state.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Oregon Health Authority web page monitoring hospital bed capacity showed that of the three hospital regions east of the Cascades, there were only eight intensive care unit beds available out of 81 ICU beds across the region. 

The Centers for Disease Control have reported a four-fold  growth in cases over the past month, most driven by the highly contagious delta variant. The key to the spike: Vaccination. The CDC reports that 97% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 nationwide are unvaccinated.

Gov. Kate Brown told Portland television station KOIN that state officials would be meeting with representatives of the Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday to discuss the revised masking guidelines that recommend even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. Brown said she would be discussing the new recommendation and “making a decision later today or later this week.”

In Pendleton, CHI St. Anthony hospital has reported a “significant uptick” in positive COVID-19 cases over the past week, nearing peak numbers seen last winter, the spokeswoman, Emily Smith, said in an email. Fourteen people have been hospitalized with the virus over the past seven days, with eight hospitalized on Monday alone.

Local hospitals will sometimes refer critically ill patients to other facilities for a higher level of care. But regional hospitals have been “unable to accept transfers” because they are full with patients, Smith said.

For one patient in need of a transfer, health care workers reached out to 15 different hospitals before finding one with an available bed, Smith said.

On Monday, the emergency department’s physician director reported a threefold increase in patients testing positive in the department over the past five days, Smith said. On Friday and Saturday alone, approximately 40% of patients who came to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms tested positive. None had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston said over the weekend it was also seeing an increase in hospitalizations and positive COVID-19 tests, but the hospital has yet to disclose any data.

Health officials say the surge in Umatilla County is largely due to social gatherings and large summer events that have ensued since the state lifted all pandemic restrictions on June 30. And experts say the highly contagious delta variant appears to be spreading rapidly through unvaccinated communities.

Umatilla County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Oregon, with fewer than 40% of residents fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The county reported 112 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a total that included cases from Saturday through Monday, according to county officials.

Just a few weeks ago, CHI St. Anthony’s tested 73 people. Five of those tests came back positive, amounting to a positive test rate of 6.8%. But in the past seven days, the hospital has tested 107 people with 28 coming back positive. That’s a positivity rate of 26.1% — a number that doesn’t include the patients who come to the hospital known to have COVID-19.

The hospital reports that between 25% to 30% of its daily visits are now due to COVID-19, which Smith said “has risen dramatically in the last week.”

   — Gary A. Warner of the Oregon Capital Bureau contributed to this report