COVID Hospitalizations of Douglas County Residents Surges to New High

Douglas County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 surged to a pandemic high yesterday with 22 residents receiving hospital care. This morning, that number dropped to 21 people, 8 locally, and 13 out of the area for various reasons, including the level of care needed. Today we had 31 new cases in Douglas County. Yesterday, there were 21 new cases. Case numbers continue to rise in Douglas County even as they are dropping in most of the rest of Oregon and across the United States. DCCRT had this to say on Monday this week: "While new case counts around the United States are remarkably quiet (less than 8 per 100,000 per day) with no particular hot spots noted, here in Douglas County we are seeing a very concerning surge in new COVID-19 cases. In a review of cases in the last two weeks (last week ending Thursday, May 20, 2021), DPHN noted that we had 199 new COVID-19 cases in Douglas County, and of those 199 new cases, zero had been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of those are residents that are eligible to get the vaccine, with only a few that are not eligible as they are under the age of 12. This confirms that already overwhelming fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is proven to be a very effective tool for virus protection for those that have chosen to get their shot. We have already reached a 50% vaccination rate in Douglas County among those that are eligible. Getting the shot does make a difference in our communities, our schools and in our businesses. So, if you have not chosen to get the COVID-19 shot yet, we encourage you to talk with your health care provider to get the true facts about COVID-19 vaccines. If you’re already vaccinated try to make some time to help someone else get vaccinated by helping them make an appointment, offering to give them a ride or providing access to information resources." DCCRT had another message of concern to share with the community on Wednesday: "In addition to reporting another day with twenty-plus new COVID-19 cases, today we are MOST CONCERNED with the high and ever-increasing number of residents that are being admitted to the hospital with complications from contracting the COVID-19 virus. Today, marks the single highest day of hospitalizations since we reported our first hospitalized COVID case on Saturday, March 28, 2020, with 22 residents hospitalized. Previously our single highest day of hospitalizations was on December 10, 2020, with 21 residents hospitalized due to COVID-19. Adding to the concern is the steady increase in hospitalizations from younger and younger patients being admitted with COVID. Currently, the majority of our local patients that are hospitalized with COVID are under the age of 60, with several cases who are in their 40’s or younger. The patients are also spread all over the state due to the complexity of their illness and the level of care they need. This is putting a definite stress on the medical care community as a whole in Oregon, as we are seeing a surge in cases needing higher level breathing and lung equipment that is becoming scarcer to acquire."