Oregon coronavirus cases skyrocket, professionals fear fatigue contributing to rise

PORTLAND, Ore - Oregon saw record-breaking COVID-19 numbers this weekend, days before Governor Kate Brown puts Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Jackson, and Umatilla counties on a "social pause."

The state now has identified more than 50,000 cases of the virus and recorded 730 COVID-19-related deaths.

On Sunday, Governor Kate Brown released a video urging people to keep their social gatherings small and limit their social interactions to stop the spread of the virus.

It's a warning we have been hearing in Oregon for months, but health professionals worry it's not being taken as seriously anymore.

"I think COVID fatigue is real, I think it’s shorthand for the idea that when people have to do a behavior that doesn’t come naturally to them, it’s hard to do and it’s especially hard to sustain," explained Dr. Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County Health Officer. "What we are asking people really goes against human nature. Take a break these next two weeks and really just stick to their household, while we try to get a better handle on the level of virus transmission in our community."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Vines has been stressing the importance of washing hands, social distancing and wearing masks. But Oregon's numbers are still rising, reaching record high jumps over the past week.

READ MORE | Oregon reports nearly 1,000 new cases of coronavirus Saturday in another record-breaking jump

"It’s sobering, and this is our first winter with this virus, and I think it’s going to be difficult," explained Dr. Vines. "We are asking a lot of people to continue these measures and were going to be working really closely with hospitals to make sure that they run as usual or as close as normal as possible."

Many health professionals stand with the governor's two week pause. They want to lessen cases now before major holidays like Thanksgiving. They hope the recent spike in cases and deaths will motivate people to get over their coronavirus fatigue and take the proposed safety precautions more seriously.

"We’re tired and we’re fatigued about social isolation and that creates a mental health burden that we have and we have to think about that," said Dr. Carlos Crespo, Professor at OHSU PSU School of Public Health.

If cases don't improve during or after the two-week pause, Governor Brown says more restrictions will come.

Five counties are already going into this pause on Wednesday. But Washington, Baker, Union, Clackamas, and Linn are close to the COVID-19 thresholds that would necessitate adding them to the the two-week pause. The Oregon Health Authority will examine the metrics in those counties on Monday to determine if they need to be added to the pause list.