Covid Situation in Douglas County Continues to Slowly Improve

As of 12:00 pm today, Friday, September 17, 2021, there are FIFTY (50) people with new positive test results and ONE (1) new presumptive to report, bringing the total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 10,620*. Currently, there are EIGHTY-ONE (81) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, fifty-six locally and twenty-five out-of-the-area, including one that has 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: 23 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 8 BiPAP’s (Non-invasive ventilation for breathing support) machines are currently in use, 15 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 12 are in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). 43% of the total hospitalized patients at Mercy are COVID positive. Of our hospitalized cases today, SEVENTY-THREE (73) patients out of the 81 patients are not fully vaccinated. COVID-19 RECAP FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 On Thursday, September 16, 2021, at 12:00 pm we had SEVENTY-ONE (71) people with new positive test results, ONE (1) new presumptive and ONE (1) new COVID-19 related death to report bringing our total number of cases of people with positive test results and presumptives in Douglas County to 10,569*. We had EIGHTY-ONE (81)Douglas County COVID-19 patients hospitalized, fifty-seven locally and twenty-four out-of-the-area, including one patient that has 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: 19 ventilators (invasive mechanical airway support) and 9 BiPAP’s (Non-invasive ventilation for breathing support) machines are currently, 14 COVID positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 15 are in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). 45% of the total hospitalized patients at Mercy are COVID positive. Of our hospitalized cases on Thursday, SEVENTY-THREE (73) patients out of the 81 patients are not fully vaccinated. COVID-19 RELATED DEATH OF A DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENT Douglas County Public Health has confirmed the death of one more Douglas County resident related to the COVID-19 virus. Our one hundred and eighty-fifth COVID-19 related death was a 78-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday, September 13, 2021 and passed away on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. He was partially vaccinated. In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of this resident, and as our ethical responsibility to follow all medical laws, no additional information will be released. We thoroughly scrutinize and investigate all deaths, and review all medical records to make sure that everyone we report has met the requirements for a COVID related death, as per the Oregon Disease Investigative Guidelines for COVID-19. 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.