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MEDFORD, Oregon – Jackson County public health officials say they work to scale up their COVID-19 response as cases rise again, as many additional staff hired or assigned to the efforts COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic have either relocated or been reassigned to their normal duties.
Jackson County Public Health has reported an unprecedented 253 new cases of COVID-19. It would be a new single-day record, but officials said some of those cases were late Saturday and Sunday. Jackson County recorded the most new cases of any Oregon county on Tuesday, easily overtaking Multnomah, Washington and Lane. The agency reported 132 new cases on Monday.
Between Jackson and Josephine counties, hospitalizations for COVID-19 numbered 82 Tuesday morning, including 26 in intensive care. JCPH also reported two new deaths attributed to the virus, a 43-year-old man and a 96-year-old man. Both had underlying conditions and died at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
“Every day we are setting new records for the number of new cases and hospitalizations in Jackson County. We are in dire straits for our public health and health care infrastructure, and for the health of our community, ”said Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Health Officer. “Our public health and health care systems are approaching, at or above capacity.”
Officials said they were hiring more case investigators and transferring staff from other public health programs to take on contact tracing duties.
“Recently, Jackson County public health has adapted to the decrease in cases. Many of the staff hired in the first raise were unable to stay with us due to reduced working hours, and internal staff have returned to their original positions, ”said Jackson Baures, division manager. Jackson County Public Health Department. “The reality is that due to the number of new cases of COVID-19 and how quickly the increase in cases has been, we do not have the necessary staff to be able to contact and investigate every positive case or notify close contacts. Even when we were staffed to respond to the previous wave, we would still be beyond our capacity with the number of cases we had last week. “
JCPH health promotion manager Tanya Phillips said public health staff are unlikely to be able to contact positive cases and close contacts due to the number of new cases. She urged anyone who tested positive to self-isolate immediately and notify all close contacts that they may have been exposed and should self-quarantine for 14 days.
People infected with COVID-19 should stay home and separate from others until they have no fever for 24 hours without using medication, their symptoms have improved, and at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.
Close contacts should also be quarantined even if there are no immediate symptoms, unless they are fully vaccinated. The CDC has advised fully vaccinated people to get tested several days after exposure, regardless of symptoms, and to wear a mask indoors while awaiting test results.
“It is more important than ever that people get vaccinated and wear masks. We need to protect our community, protect our public health and healthcare infrastructure, and slow the spread of COVID19, ”says Dr. Jim Shames.
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