After a week downgraded to medium, Jackson County’s COVID community level is back to high.
Citing a new case rate that crosses a key threshold, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the risk level for Jackson County, and issued recommendations that Southern Oregonians wear masks indoors in public and on public transport.
This week, Jackson County’s case rate topped the 200 to 200.05 mark per 100,000 population over the past seven days, with 17.9 new hospital admissions for COVID-19 per 100,000 and 6, 3% of staffed beds in the local hospital system occupied by patients with COVID-19, according to the CDC website.
Last week’s numbers fell below the 200-case threshold to 190.55.
For Jackson County to return to medium risk next week while above 200 cases, new COVID admissions must be 10 or fewer per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. In contrast, below the 200 case mark, new COVID admissions must be at or below 20 per 100,000.
Jackson and Klamath County are among the 11 counties in Oregon with the highest level of risk. Josephine County remains at medium risk after being downgraded last week.
Southern Oregon hospitalizations are trending up after a brief dip in the second half of July.
As of Friday, there were 60 patients with the coronavirus in Oregon Hospital Region 5, which combines hospitals in Jackson and Josephine counties. The July record was 64 hospitalizations recorded on July 17, but that number fell to 37 hospitalizations recorded on July 22.
Jackson County Health and Human Services reported 72 new cases Friday, bringing the latest case count to 48,680. This is an increase of 402 cases from the county’s July 22 case record.
Jackson County’s death toll rises to 560, three more than last Friday.
Contact Web Editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
