Senior care deaths soar as Oregon readies for a tough winter
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
More Oregonians in senior care homes died with COVID-19 in November than any month of the pandemic, with the potential for higher fatality counts this winter until the state completes targeted vaccinations.
Residents in congregate care have been the most vulnerable to the lethal effects of coronavirus, accounting for just over half of the state’s associated deaths, which now stand at 1,214. In November alone, nearly 120 people in senior care and retirement homes died.
State regulators are now under growing pressure from within to do more to limit fatalities. Oregon’s chief advocate for seniors said November’s record case and death counts reflect a “systemic failure” that must be urgently addressed.