Eleven new cases, 729 total contacts and cases in isolation or quarantine

Douglas County, Ore. – Douglas County health officials report, as of 12:00 pm, Thursday, January 28, 2021, there are eleven people with new positive test results and one new presumptive test result to report since Wednesday’s noon case update.

The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 1,841. Currently, there are ten Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, six locally and four out-of-the-area.

A large number of residents that are currently being asked to isolate or quarantine themselves are due to a positive COVID case, COVID symptoms or residents who had contact with a positive case. Health officials claim that the majority of those residents are linked to several local school outbreaks. The State of Oregon considers one case to be an outbreak at a school, whether it is with students, staff or volunteers.

The State guidelines do not differentiate between schools that currently offer in-person learning with cohorts, from those that have distance learning programs in place with minimal staff on site. While the positive case numbers linked to these schools remains relatively low, the number of residents from the school or cohorts that have been asked to stay in quarantine is very large, and requires a lot of work from DPHN investigative teams and their partners to support those in isolation and quarantine.

Currently, DPHN is supporting 146 cases in isolation, as well as another 583 contacts in quarantine in Douglas County. Isolation is recommended for confirmed and presumptive cases, quarantine is recommended for contacts of confirmed or presumptive cases. Currently, staff is supporting 729 total contacts and cases in isolation or quarantine.

Regarding vaccines, Local Public Health Authority continues to receive only a fraction of the doses of the COVID vaccine necessary in order to vaccinate the ever growing list of eligible residents. Even though Federal and State Health Officials continue to issue new eligibility guidelines, it does not mean that the vaccine is available for everyone that is eligible in Douglas County. The biggest issue remains the fact that the county has not received enough vaccines from the State to vaccinate all residents in the current eligible groups.

DPHN has signed up over 43 local health professionals/offices, as COVID-19 vaccinators that have locations throughout Douglas County. Local health officials and ever-growing list of vaccinators are ready, able and willing to vaccinate, once the vaccine becomes more available. Aviva Health and cooperators held the first mass vaccine clinic for eligible residents in Douglas County on Saturday, January 23, 2021, and they plan to organize and execute more clinics as vaccines become available.