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Oregon reports 59 more COVID deaths By Vickie Aldous Updated: Oct 07, 2021 05:06 PM A A Jackson County records 73 COVID-19 cases Thursday The Oregon Health Authority reported 59 new COVID-19 deaths across the state Thursday, a sign the death rate is remaining high as the summer and fall surge of cases gradually subsides. OHA recorded 1,453 new COVID-19 cases in Oregon, including 73 in Jackson County. The report of 59 new deaths Thursday comes on the heels of OHA reporting eight deaths Monday, 44 deaths Tuesday and 33 deaths Wednesday. Information about the 59 who died, including their ages and counties of residence, wasn’t immediately available from OHA. In Jackson and Josephine county hospitals, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and COVID-19 patients in intensive care units continues to drift down. All of Western Oregon continues to see dropping hospitalization and ICU bed use. Central Oregon has yet to see a significant reduction in hospitalizations and ICU bed use, while Eastern Oregon hospitalizations and ICU bed use is rising, according to statewide hospitalization data. OHA issued its latest report on breakthrough cases, in which people test positive for the COVID-19 virus despite being vaccinated. Between Sept. 2 and Oct. 2, 75.6% of the reported 10,411 COVID-19 cases in the state were among unvaccinated people, while 24.4% of cases were among vaccinated people. The average age of those who had breakthrough cases was 48. Of those who had breakthrough cases, 4.5% had to be hospitalized and 0.8% died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 81. With 2,542 breakthrough cases between Sept. 2 and Oct. 2, the number was very small when compared to the more than 2.75 million Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, OHA said.