At least 109 new cases of COVID-19 were reported by Benton County over the past week, which is similar to case reports from the week before. The county continues to have one of the lowest transmission rates per capita within Oregon, with a positive test rate of just 4%. Similarly, Benton County has one of the highest vaccination rates compared to other counties, with a recent bump up of vaccinations occurring over the past two weeks.
The state added just under 5,900 cases of COVID to its statewide case count, which is almost half the cases reported last week. Oregon has been on a downward trend of case reports for nearly eight weeks, which bodes well for family gatherings over the holidays. Vaccination rates are also up throughout the state, likely aiding the decrease in virus transmission.
Unfortunately, the U.S. just experienced its third-straight week of increased case reporting. Nationwide, there were over 565,000 new cases reported, with COVID testing in mid-western states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana currently resulting in positivity rates of between 8% and 15%.
Oregon Halting Help to Renters
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon’s unemployment rate reached a record-breaking 12%. This unemployment rate hit its peak in late spring of 2020 and has been steadily decreasing since. However, at just under 5%, there are still more people out of work now compared to pre-pandemic times. That makes the states’ decision to halt the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) starting December 1 unwelcome news for many renters. On top of losing out on economic relief, this means renters fearing eviction will have to look for other programs to apply to in order to seek protection from eviction.
Governor Kate Brown, in response to the rise of homelessness in the state, declared that any renters who applied to the OERAP were granted a two month protection from eviction. With this program being halted for at least six weeks, renters will be particularly vulnerable to the inflation rates of food and housing caused by COVID-19.
According to Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), the organization that runs the OERAP program, there is a massive backlog in applications that needs to be addressed. This is not surprising, as relatively few jobs were added throughout Oregon this fall, and the OHCS receives an average of 2,000 applications for renters’ assistance per week. So while the organization plans to take at least six weeks to process applications, many Oregon renters will face housing uncertainty brought on by the pandemic during the start of the holiday season.
How Heart-Failure Influences Mortality
Results of a new study that investigated the interaction of the COVID-19 virus with chronic heart failure were recently published in The American Journal of Cardiology. The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Charleston Area Medical Center, WV, looked at data collected over a year and a half from more than 20,000 individuals pre-diagnosed with chronic heart failure who subsequently contracted the COVID virus. This data was compared to people of similar ages who did not have chronic heart failure and tested positive for COVID-19.
Researchers found that individuals with chronic heart disease are particularly vulnerable to the virus and die at significantly higher rates than people who were not pre-diagnosed with the heart disease. Throughout the entire age range of those studied (18- to 90-years-old), those with the pre-diagnose only had a 75% likelihood of survival, compared to 90% survival rate of people without the heart disease.
Beyond the heart disease diagnosis itself, the researchers broke down the risk factors and found that numerous things like gender, race, hypertension, diabetes, a history of smoking and drinking, and body mass index also played roles in determining the likelihood of death due to COVID-19.
This is likely the first of many studies that will evaluate the virus’s interaction with heart disease, as it is the leading cause of death in the U.S. with approximately 30 million Americans diagnosed with it.
This is a weekly column updating the residents of Benton County on local, national, and international news on the pandemic. If you would like to make suggestions of topics to cover related to the virus, please email any resources or thoughts to covidupdate@corvallisadvocate.com.
By: Lauren Zatkos
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