SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Office of Emergency Management announced Thursday Gov. Kate Brown's early action to impose aggressive social distancing measures could be working.
In a joint press conference with officials from the Oregon Health Authority, they said data from the Institute of Disease Monitoring outside of Seattle is seeing a positive outlook for the state. The data suggests with the current trajectory Oregon is on, residents will see a gradual increase in cases. This will allow hospitals to keep up with the number of people getting sick and not be overwhelmed like the country is seeing in current hot spots.
Dr. Dean Slidelinger from the Oregon Health Authority said this trend depends on two things, continuous aggressive social distancing and the supply of personal protective equipment for health care workers.
"If we can accomplish those things, we are cautiously optimistic that here in Oregon cases seem to be rising at a level where we will be able to care for those who need it most," Slidelinger said.
Officials from both state agencies stressed the public still needs to follow the governor's aggressive social distancing orders. If the public doesn't, then there could be a spike in cases that overwhelms Oregon's health care system.
