COVID-19 Cases Surging in Douglas County, 24 Area Residents Hospitalized

Covid-19 cases in Douglas County have sharply increased in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, Douglas County set a single-day record with 56 new cases. We also set a record for hospitalizations with 24 residents currently hospitalized. Of the 24 hospitalizations, 23 were had not been vaccinated. Much of the increase in cases is likely due to the much more contagious Delta variant that is now present in Douglas County. The Delta variant is currently the most contagious variant in the world and it spreads 2-3 times faster than the original version of the virus according to recent studies. The following is an excerpt from today's Covid Update from Douglas County: The bottom line for the future of COVID is that “This virus primarily exists among the unvaccinated, and as long as the coronavirus continues to circulate, with or without causing illness, it will continue to mutate, including into new variants that may be even harder to control. This is the biggest reason why it is so important to get vaccinated, as it aids in controlling the spread and the severity of the virus,” stated Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer. On Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at noon we had FIFTY-SIX (56) people with new positive test results and TWO (2) new presumptives to report, bringing our total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 4,377*. We had NINETEEN (19) Douglas County COVID- 19 patients hospitalized, fifteen locally and four out-of-the-area. Also, DPHN was supporting 250 cases in isolation, 214 cases in quarantine for a total of 464 in isolation and quarantine. As of 12:00 pm today, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, there are FORTY-ONE (41) people with new positive test results and FIVE (5) new presumptives to report following our Tuesday recap listed above. The total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County is now at 4,423*. Currently, there are TWENTY-FOUR (24) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, twenty locally and four out-of-the-area. A TSUNAMI OF NEW COVID CASES HITTING OREGON Over the last few days, the United States and numerous counties in Oregon experienced an unprecedented surge in new COVID cases and hospitalizations, with some Oregon counties hitting triple digit single day new case counts. Click here to read more from OHA about the 1,032 new cases reported yesterday in Oregon. Yesterday, Douglas County surpassed our previous single day COVID case count from February 11, 2021 with 44 new cases, with 56 new positive test results and 2 new presumptives totaling 58 news cases. We sadly, also surpassed our highest single day record for hospitalizations, from December 10, 2020 with 21 residents hospitalized, to today with 24 Douglas County residents being hospitalized with issues related to contracting the COVID-19 virus. It’s also important to note that of the 24 hospitalized patients, 23 were unvaccinated. This comes at a time when we have more access and availability to COVID-19 vaccines in Douglas County than ever before. The Douglas County Commissioners set a goal for vaccination accessibility in Douglas County in early January this year to have COVID vaccines available to every resident within 5 miles of their home. We are happy to report that we have achieved that goal. Again, as we have said since the beginning, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer our Douglas County Public Health Officer and our partners at DPHN and within our local medical community continue to encourage our residents to be safe, protect your families, take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, stay home if you are sick and make the choice to get vaccinated. COVID-19 Data Shows That Breakthrough Cases are Rare A breakthrough case is when some who has been fully vaccinated gets infected with COVID despite being fully vaccinated. However, breakthrough cases are infrequent, and fully vaccinated people continue to be well protected against severe disease and death, even with the Delta variant. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that symptomatic breakthrough COVID-19 infections rare, expected and represent only about 0.098% of those fully vaccinated in the United States. “No vaccine can provide 100% protection, but the data overwhelmingly illustrates that the three COVID vaccines are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and death,” commented Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer. “The risk of getting seriously ill from COVID for fully vaccinated people is so low that it doesn’t make any sense why anyone who is able, would choose not to get vaccinated. The occurrence of breakthrough cases is expected and, at this point, is not even anywhere close to a level that should raise any concerns about the performance and efficacy of the three available COVID vaccines.” When you review the new data and statistics from the CDC, experts say it is clear that the risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19 after receiving a vaccine is incredibly low. And, although reports of breakthrough COVID-19 cases happening among fully vaccinated Americans are being sensationalized by the media, as the country is reeling from a new surge in COVID cases, the new report from the CDC shows just how rare these breakthrough infections are, and further shows that the overwhelming majority of those becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 are the unvaccinated. “Yes, there are breakthrough cases, which is expected with any vaccine, and they can raise concern around the vaccine, but when put in the larger context of how many people have been vaccinated and the sheer volume of cases in the unvaccinated population, we recognize that the vaccines are working and how rare breakthroughs actually are,” said Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital in a recent interview. The CDC reported that over 156 million Americans, 18 years of age and older have been fully vaccinated, nationwide and there were approximately 153,000 symptomatic breakthrough cases estimated to have occurred as of July 20, 2021, representing approximately 0.098% of those fully vaccinated. *The estimates from the CDC do not include asymptomatic breakthrough infections. Coronavirus cases are now at their highest point since early May, according to CDC data, with the U.S. average nearly quadrupling since June to 47,000 new cases a day, largely driven by the highly infectious Delta variant, which now accounts for more than 83% of new cases nationwide. COVID-related hospitalizations have also increased, with more than 27,000 patients hospitalized around the country, though that number is still significantly lower than in January 2021, when over 125,000 patients were receiving COVID care in hospitals. According to the CDC, severe breakthrough infections remain super rare, and nearly all of the hospitalized COVID patients, an average 97% are unvaccinated. Locally our epidemiology teams at DPHN have been reviewing our local data for breakthrough cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and are working with our Douglas County Commissioners and Dr. Dannenhoffer, on how we will be reporting these statistics in our updates moving forward. Please look for the first report of their findings for this data in our Friday, July 30. 2021, COVID-19 Recovery Update. Aviva Health Will Be Offering Covid Vaccines at the Douglas County Fair Shared from Aviva Health. Aviva Health is pleased to announce that one of two Mobile Medical Units (MMU’s) assigned to Aviva Health by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners during the COVID-19 pandemic will be at Douglas County Fair, August 3 to August 7, 2021, from open to close. Aviva Health staff will be on hand to help fairgoers sign up for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), assist existing OHP members to establish with a local provider, and provide FREE COVID-19 Vaccinations. Additionally, Aviva Health will hand out a variety of giveaways and informational literature on programs and services offered by the Douglas County based Federally Qualified Health Center. Be sure to stop by the MMU, located just passed the entrance at the front of the Swine (Pig) Building during your visit to the fair to learn more about Aviva Health and health resources it offers the community.