By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Lincoln County Public Health said Thursday that the county is being “overwhelmed” by new Covid-19 cases and urged residents to get a vaccine booster shot to help slow the virus’ spread.
The number of reported Covid-19 cases in the county hit 1,321 during the first 20 days of the month, including 169 cases Wednesday and another 109 on Friday. The partial monthly case count is higher than any full month since the pandemic reached Lincoln County in March 2019.
The number so far in January “represents 23 percent of all known cases during the two-year pandemic …” the health department said in its notice.
While the number of new Covid-19 cases continues to surge, the growing use of in-home tests means the new counts may be “only the tip of the iceberg,” public health director Florence Pourtal said Wednesday.
As the number of cases flew by the 1,000 mark this week, Pourtal said the increasing use of in-home tests means the actual number of cases is likely much higher.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” Pourtal said of the number of official cases reported by the Oregon Health Authority. “I don’t know how big the iceberg is, but I know it’s an iceberg.”
One of the issues is that people with 1-2 vaccinations do not seem to be seeking out booster shots at various clinics or pharmacies around the county, said LCPH spokeswoman Susan Trachsel.
“Booster rates are going down,” she said. “People just aren’t getting them.”
The county is offering vaccines — first, second and booster doses — during a special clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Waldport Community Center. The vaccines are available to walk-ins or by appointment. Another clinic is being offered at the Fisterra Garden Apartments from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28 at the Fisterra Garden Apartments in Yachats.
Health officials believe the boosters are the best way to protect against the fast-spreading omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, which appears to be plateauing on the East Coast but is still sweeping across Oregon and the West Coast.
With the tidal wave of local cases, Trachsel said county health department staff will also not be able to reach everyone who reports testing positive to ask them about their close contacts and advise them what to do.
“Anyone who has symptoms, even minor symptoms, should stay home, isolate and get tested,” the agency said in its statement. “Avoid gatherings and consider rescheduling events.”
While the omicron does not appear to be as deadly as previous variants, the shear number of people getting ill may begin to overwhelm hospitals around the state and locally.
“Hospitals,” said Trachsel. “That’s what we’re worried about – especially if their own staff gets sick.”
The two Samaritan Health Services hospitals in Lincoln County are doing OK at the moment, health officials said this week.
All four of the intensive care unit beds in Lincoln City were occupied Thursday, one with Covid-19, and 14 of 16 inpatient beds were taken. In Newport, two of six ICU beds were occupied, one of those by a Covid-19 case, and 19 of 25 inpatient beds were in use.
But the hospitals may be hampered in sending their more serious cases to facilities in the Willamette Valley or Portland if they are full.
On Wednesday, Trachsel said, there were only three intensive care unit beds out of 84 available in the six-county hospital region that includes Lincoln County. There were nine non-ICU beds out of 564 available, she said.
“These are staffed beds, so when hospital staff are unable to come into work, there are fewer hospital beds available for those who are injured or sick,” the special LCPH statement said.