89 Douglas County Residents Hospitalized, Cases May Have Peaked

Over the past two days, there have been 339 cases, 4 deaths and there are now 89 Douglas County residents hospitalized. It appears that our cases in Douglas County might have peaked. In the last 7 days, we have had 1200 new cases reported. In the previous 7 day period, we had 1221 cases. Hospitalizations will likely continue to rise for the next week or two. The deaths over the past two days: 50-year-old man 66-year-old man 81-year-old man 43-year-old man COVID-19 UPDATE FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2021: As of 12:00 pm today, Friday, August 27, 2021, there are ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE (195) people with new positive test results and FOUR (4) new deaths to report, bringing the total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 8,218*. Currently, there are EIGHTY-NINE (89) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, seventy-two locally and seventeen out-of-the-area, including two that have been transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here. We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 10 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 19 BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines are currently in use, and 11 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Of our hospitalized cases today, EIGHTY-ONE (81) out of the 89 are not vaccinated. COVID-19 RECAP FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021: On Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 12:00 pm we had ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY (140) people with new positive test results and FOUR (4) new presumptives to report bringing our total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 8,023*. We had EIGHTY-FIVE (85) Douglas County COVID-19 patients hospitalized, seventy locally and fifteen out-of-the-area, including two patients that have been transferred out of the state for specialized care not available here. We continue to work with Mercy to provide information on our COVID patients being hospitalized locally: 14 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 17 BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines are currently in use, and 13 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Of our hospitalized cases Thursday, SEVENTY-FOUR (74) out of the 85 COVID patients were not vaccinated. COVID-19 RELATED DEATHS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS Our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, has confirmed the deaths of four more Douglas County residents related to the COVID-19 virus. Our one hundred and twenty-fourth COVID-19 related death was a 50-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday, August 16, 2021 and passed away on Thursday, August 26, 2021. He was not vaccinated. Our one hundred and twenty-fifth COVID-19 related death was a 66-year-old man who was made a presumptive case on Monday, August 16, 2021 and passed away on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. He was not vaccinated. Our one hundred and twenty-sixth COVID-19 related death was an 81-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 and passed away on Thursday, August 26, 2021. He was not vaccinated. Our one hundred and twenty-seventh COVID-19 related death was a 43-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sunday, August 8, 2021 and passed away on Thursday, August 26, 2021. He was fully vaccinated. In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of these residents, no additional information will be released. Each death related to COVID-19 is painful for all Douglas County residents, and a sad reminder of the terrible impact COVID-19 has had in our local communities. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN and the DCCRT team extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all family members, friends, relatives, co-workers and community members of those who have passed after contracting this deadly virus. BREAKTHROUGH CASES PRIMARILY OCCURRING IN OLDER VACCINATED PATIENTS In Douglas County, the data researched and compiled by DPHN regarding local COVID cases continues to indicate the successful use of COVID vaccines in preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and death, even with breakthrough cases. Remember, a breakthrough case is when someone who has been fully vaccinated gets infected with COVID, despite being fully vaccinated. Of the hospitalized cases in Douglas County so far in August, only 13% of our local hospitalized patients are categorized as breakthrough cases. From August 1 – 25, 2021, the average age of a hospitalized breakthrough COVID case in Douglas County was 67.5 years old. The data also indicated that over half of our breakthrough cases were over the age of 73. What we are seeing, is that our breakthrough cases are occurring primarily in the elderly, who typically have more age-related medical issues than younger patients. “Today, we reported that 70 of the 81 hospitalized COVID patients are not vaccinated. 11 are vaccinated, giving a vaccine efficiency to prevent hospitalization of 87%,” stated Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer. “The breakthrough cases leading to hospitalization have mostly been in older people. While not perfect, if every adult was vaccinated, our cases would be manageable and our hospital would not be overrun. Almost all of our hospitalizations and almost all of our deaths have been among the unvaccinated.” Our local statistics continue to reinforce confidence in getting vaccinated. While we are seeing breakthrough cases primarily in older patients, the more alarming statistic is the large number of hospitalizations and deaths occurring with younger, unvaccinated patients. August cases indicate that the age range of patients hospitalized locally with severe COVID-related illness is 17 to 91. What we are seeing is that with the prevalence of the Delta variant, this summer’s COVID surge IS affecting younger relatively healthy patients. From August 1-25, 2021, the colossal COVID surge in Douglas County included 34 deaths and 3,253 cases. Comparatively, in all of 2020 there were 39 COVID related deaths out of 1,394 cases in Douglas County. Now that at least one of the COVID vaccines has received “full approval” from the FDA, it’s strongest endorsement of safety and effectiveness, we encourage those that have been hesitant about getting the vaccine, to consider getting vaccinated. Coping with little to no or mild symptoms is better than the alternative of being placed on an artificial breathing machine. PREVENTION TOOLKIT TOPIC #5: I HAVE COVID, WHAT DO I DO KNOW? If you have tested positive for COVID-19, it is crucial that you take care of yourself and protect others in your home and community, by staying home and isolating yourself. As cases surge in Douglas County, you can help prevent the spread of this virus AND help streamline all local triaging efforts at our local medical care facilities by managing your symptoms at home if you are not experiencing any emergency warning signs. Please only go to the hospital if your symptoms are urgent, as our local hospitals are already overwhelmed and need the space to care for the most critically ill. But, if you are severely sick, please do not wait to seek medical care. Physicians, nurses, CNAs and “Helping Hands” at CHI Mercy Health are working tirelessly to treat critically ill COVID and other patients that require hospitalization. If you feel you need medical attention, please contact your primary care physician or go to a local Urgent Care clinic first, so they can determine the specific level of medical attention you need. If you have questions about COVID or need resources, call the Douglas County’s COVID-19 Hotline at (541) 464-6550. Here are a few tips to help you recover from COVID: Unless a medical emergency, please stay home & let your body recuperate. Please only go to the hospital if your symptoms are urgent. Get rest, stay hydrated. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to best manage your symptoms. Maintain a healthy diet, and ask your doctor about foods that could be beneficial for boosting your immune system. It is especially important to avoid sharing personal items with others. Isolate yourself to a specific room away from other people in your home, and if possible use a separate bathroom. If you need to be around other people while you are symptomatic, it is recommended that you wear a mask. As always, cover coughs & sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Wash your hands often with soap & water for 20 seconds and use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Clean all high-touch surfaces often. If you or someone you are caring for is showing any of the following signs, seek emergency medical care immediately: trouble breathing, high fever (103 F or higher); persistent sharp pain or pressure in the chest; onset of or increased confusion; severe and unrelenting headache that lasts longer than 24 hours; inability to wake or stay awake; low pulse oximeter levels; pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds and inability to sit up or stand up on your own. Here is the full release from Douglas County: https://flashalert.net/id/DouglasCoGovernment/148019