County COVID hospitalizations jump after holidays

Following the holidays, hospitalizations for COVID-19 jumped 75% in Yamhill County the week of Jan. 6, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to 42 new hospital admissions. In the week of Jan. 13, 39 people were hospitalized.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, the number of patients hospitalized in Region 2 who have COVID has been decreasing slightly. Region 2 encompasses Yamhill, Marion, Polk, Benton, Lincoln and Lane counties.

Nationwide, for the week of Jan. 6, there were 35,081 new hospital admissions for COVID, dropping slightly to 32,861 the week of Jan. 13.

Hospitalizations have been increasing since mid-November, when there were 16,658 people hospitalized. Deaths from COVID in the United States increased 14.3% the same week, and 10.3% the week of Jan. 13.

Rates are at their second-highest level of the pandemic so far, according to wastewater data, Fortune magazine reported on Jan. 5.

Nationwide, 955 deaths from COVID were reported by the CDC for the week ending Jan. 13; the first time since August that weekly deaths dropped below 1,000. However, the counts are not final, as there can be delays in reporting deaths and completing death certificates.

According to the CDC, there have been 217 deaths from COVID in Oregon in the last three months. The OHA reported 48 in the month of December.

The Pacific Northwest generally, and Oregon, have lagged behind a significant surge in the rest of the nation, but rates have been rising.

Some hospitals across the country have re-instituted mask mandates in response to the surge in cases; however, that has not been the case locally.

Testing has been sharply curtailed since the federal government ended its emergency declaration last spring and many people no longer test, or use rapid home tests that are not reported to the state. However, some tests are still being done. According to the Oregon Health Authority, there were 3,608 tests administered for the week ending Jan. 13, with a 10.5% positivity rate. The agency said there were 233 COVID-positive people in Oregon hospital beds on January 16.

On January 12, the World Health Organization warned that COVID-19 levels “are two to 19 times higher than numbers being reported around the world,” at a press briefing in Geneva. The agency warned that long-term effects from repeated infections are still unknown, noting that the world is still in a pandemic. WHO reported that more than 10,000 people were reported to have died worldwide from COVID in December, and that more than half the deaths were in the U.S. However, the agency noted that many countries are not reporting deaths.