COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Coos County

Oregon’s went over 1,600 deaths linked to COVID-19 when 28 were reported by the Oregon Health Authority on Saturday.

Two more deaths were reported Sunday, leaving the state total at 1,605.

None of the reported deaths were from counties on the South Coast.

But Coos County did continue to report significant numbers of new confirmed and presumptive cases. Between Friday and Sunday, the County had 41 more reported cases. Curry County had just eight and Douglas County had 60.

On a positive note, the state neared 100,000 total doses of the vaccine that have been distributed. The 8,648 doses added to the immunization registry Sunday pushed the state over 97,000 first and second doses of the vaccine.

The state also released a new COVID-19 model, which estimated that transmission of COVID-19 decreased dramatically between late November and Mid-December before surging sharply upward.

According to the model, the statewide transmission in late November dropped to an effective reproduction rate – the expected number of secondary cases that a single case generates – of 0.8 before surging to 1.29 as of Dec. 23.

At the current level of transmission, the projected average of new daily cases will be 1,780 between Jan. 13 and Jan. 26, with 85 additional daily hospitalizations. 

If transmission mirrors the levels from the late November to mid-December model, daily cases will number about 1,400 and hospitalizations would hover at about 55 per day.

The model shows that more Oregonians – about 53% – would accept the COVID-19 vaccine and that three out of four Oregonians are regularly wearing masks or face coverings.

The projections on spread of the virus emphasize the importance of continuing to practice preventive measures that can slow the spread of the disease.

• Maintain physical distance.
• Wear a face covering or mask.
• Avoid gatherings with non-household members.
• Practice good hand hygiene.