In a report released late last week by the CDC regarding the Omicron Variant, details regarding initial 43 cases of COVID-19 recorded in the U.S. attributed to the Omicron variant revealed that 79% of Omicron Variant infection occurred in persons who completed the primary series of an FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. Also, among these cases of COVID-19 attributed to the Omicron variant, 14 of the 43 cases had received an additional or booster dose, and, five of the 14 persons had received the additional dose.
Governor Kate Brown provided an update on the current state of COVID-19 in Oregon during a Friday, December 18th press conference. Joined by the Oregon Health Authority Director, the Chief Medical Officer at the Oregon Health & Science University as well as others, Governor Brown stated “OHSU’s modeling shows that we have about a three-week window to prepare for this next surge. Boosters are our best protection against Omicron.”
“Today I am calling on one million Oregonians to step up and get their booster dose by the end of January.” she continued, “Boosters work, and are incredibly effective at continuing your protection against this virus and hospitalization. If you aren’t yet vaccinated, now is the time. This can be a matter of life or death.” she said.
Vaccination rates across the state now sit at 73.5% of Oregonians fully vaccinated, growing only .2% in the past week. The Oregon Health Authority and the Center for Disease Control assured individuals in July that the fully vaccinated are well protected from COVID, including the Delta variant and more recently the Omicron variant.
Oregon Health Authority data show breakthrough case records began being kept some twenty-one weeks ago. In that same twenty-one week period, approximately 192,681 Oregonians tested positive for COVID-19. However, in that same twenty-one week period, there have been 49,250 vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon alone, adding 1,563 new breakthrough cases in the past week, and continues to total 26% off all new cases in the state.
Oregon has recorded 3.4 times more Breakthrough Cases than Delta Variant cases in the past twenty-one weeks with now 49,250 Breakthrough Cases, and 14,473 Delta Variant cases recorded by the Oregon Health Authority in the past twenty-one weeks. In the past week alone, Oregon added 1,563 Breakthrough Cases while recording only 1,785 new Delta Variant and 3 cases of the new Omicron Variant cases by comparison.
As of Friday, December 18th, the state of Oregon had tested 8,411,640 individuals, an increase of 156,952 individuals and now over 4,122,200 more people than the states 4,289,440 population. 7,861,337 have tested negative for the novel COVID-19 virus 550,393 have tested positive, and there are 405,292 total cases in the state.
Individuals hospitalized rose by 299 hospitalizations statewide in the past week, and now stands at 21,756 in the entire state since the pandemic began. In the past week 150 deaths were recorded statewide, and Oregonians who have unfortunately succumbed to COVID-19 has now reached 5,531 individuals throughout the entire state since the pandemic began.
Curry County’s latest numbers as reported Friday, December 18th, by the Oregon Health Authority, now reports testing 26,556 individuals with 24,532 negative tests, 2,024 total positive COVID-19 tests, and the latest data from the Oregon Health Authority has recorded 1,966 total cases and 39 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services reported adding 11 new cases in the past week, now reaching 3,926 total confirmed cases reported by Public Health, with 51 active cases, 0 current hospitalizations and 41 deaths.
Coos County to the north, reported testing 98,759 individuals last week with 92,005 negative results with now 6,754 total positive cases and 115 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Josephine County has seen significant increases in recent weeks and has reported testing 159,475 individuals with 145,163 negative results, 14,312 total positive test results with 10,620 total cases of COVID-19 and now 259 deaths.
Jackson County, which includes the Medford area, with a total population of 223,240, reports testing 435,407 individuals, 212,167 more people than the counties total population, with 398,176 negative test results, 37,231 positive results, and 25,724 total cases of COVID-19 with now 366 deaths as of Friday, December 18th.
Curry County:
Statewide:
