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COVID-19 cases soar in Jackson County

January 19, 2022

714 new cases recorded in one day

Ashland.news staff report

Record numbers of new COVID-19 cases are being recorded daily, pushing the local testing capacity to its limit, Jackson County Health & Human Services announced in a news release Wednesday, Jan. 19.

A peak of 754 cases were reported to Jackson County Public Health on Friday, Jan. 14, followed by 346 on Saturday, 308 on Sunday, 426 on Monday, and 551 on Tuesday. The test positivity rate was 31 percent.

Of 59 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Jackson and Josephine counties, 56 were occupied and three were available, according to state records last updated Wednesday morning, Jan. 19.

“The Medical Community and Jackson County Public Health are encouraging people to make wise choices about when to seek testing and which type of test you request,” Dr. Leona O’Keefe, health officer for Jackson County Public Health, said in the release. “The medical community and Jackson County Public Health are doing everything it can to meet testing needs, but the realities of limited staff and the limited supply chain means we cannot fully meet all of these needs.”

Jackson County Public Health is not recommending employers require a test to return to work, and it is not a requirement of the Oregon Health Authority’s isolation and quarantine guidance.

People can now order a set of free at-home test kits via the US Postal Service website at special.usps.com/testkits. Orders are limited to one per mailing address.

Ashland.news staff report based on Jackson County Health & Human Services news release and the Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 data website. Email Ashland.news at news@ashland.news.

Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at betling@ashland.news.

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