As of 12:01 am on 4/14/2021, Jackson County Public Health reports 50 new COVID-19 cases. This brings the total COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 9,759.
The latest COVID-19 report from the Oregon Health Authority shows that the virus is spreading faster. There was a considerable increase in transmission through mid-March with an estimated reproduction rate of 1.12. That means that every person infected with the virus is spreading it to more than one additional person. Jackson County has seen a steady increase in the number of cases per week. There was a 17% increase from 3/21/21 to 3/28 and another 17% increase from 3/28/21 to 4/4/21.
If this level of transmission continues, the state can expect to see new daily hospitalizations increase to 17 for the two-week period between April 7 and April 20. If the more contagious variants take hold or if we relax our vigilance and transmission increases by 20% over the same period, daily hospitalizations will increase to 27.
But, if people in Oregon stay the course and do what we’ve done before – flatten the curve – then transmission will drop by 20%, and we will see a decline in new daily hospitalizations to 11.
“We are in a race between people getting vaccinated and the rapid spread of COVID-19 variants. We can help stop the spread of COVID-19 by individuals getting vaccinated as soon as they can with the vaccine that is available,” states Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Health Officer.
Your best protection from COVID-19 will be a combination of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds in poorly ventilated spaces, and washing your hands often. No one tool alone is going to stop the pandemic.
The Jackson County Public Health COVID-19 vaccination site, located at the Jackson County Expo, has plenty of availability. To schedule an appointment at this location, visit http://jcorcovid19.org/VaccineAppointments or call 2-1-1 information. The Moderna vaccine is available at this location.
COVID-19 Workplace Outbreak
The Oregon Health Authority reports workplace outbreaks that have a minimum of 30 workers with at least 5 associated cases of COVID-19. This includes workers and their close contacts (e.g., household members, family, and friends). Workplace outbreaks can be found in the Oregon Page 2 of 3 Health Authority’s Weekly Outbreak Report. Please reference this report for updated information on workplace outbreaks.
Jackson County Public Health is investigating a COVID-19 outbreak associated with Erickson, Inc. Jackson County Public Health began investigating this as a potential outbreak on March 27, 2021. At this time, there are 6 cases linked to this outbreak. This is an ongoing investigation.
Pause on Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called for a pause on vaccinating people with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Out of an abundance of caution, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) followed the recommendation and asked all vaccine providers to pause administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If you’ve received a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, you should know that the symptoms in all these cases appeared within six to 13 days. OHA recommends that anyone who has already been vaccinated should be on the lookout for symptoms for 21 days after vaccination. Anyone past this time frame is probably okay.
Symptoms to look for include:
- Severe headache
- Leg pain
- Shortness of breath
- Abdominal pain
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should see their healthcare provider or seek emergency care.
OHA continues to believe the existing COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and urge everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated.
For more information: