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Jackson County reports two COVID-19 deaths, 88 new cases Thursday By Ryan Pfeil Updated: Apr 08, 2021 01:24 PM A A Health officials urge vaccinations as viral mutations continue to circulate Two more Jackson County residents have died of COVID-19, Jackson County Public Health reported Thursday. The deaths included a 66-year-old man who tested positive March 13 and died April 5 at Providence Medford Medical Center, and a 64-year-old man who tested positive March 16 and died April 6 at Providence Medford Medical Center. Both men had underlying health conditions. Public health officials also reported 88 new cases of the illness, the second time the agency reported such a jump in a week , separated by six days where daily case counts didn’t go above the mid 30s, according to Oregon Health Authority data. The latest data raise Jackson County’s COVID-19 caseload to 9,546 and its death toll to 126. County medical director Dr. Jim Shames said the daily jump in cases is concerning, but that two days of 70 or more new cases still don’t make a trend. “(It’s) two days of data ,” Shames said. “It definitely is worrisome. It’s still a high number, but truly I have learned that you just can’t be sure what you’re doing based on one day.” Shames added he does not want to downplay concerns about a potential fourth wave as cases and hospitalizations across the U.S. continue to climb. The more infectious B117 mutation of the virus, first reported in the United Kingdom, has become the most common variant circulating in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data . The Oregon Health Authority recently started tracking numbers for that mutation and others, referred to as “variants of concern,” on a new data dashboard . Shames continued to refer to vaccinating the public against COVID-19 as a race. “It does appear, that the vaccines, all of them, are very protective against serious disease, that is hospitalizations and death, and I think that’s really where the money is," Shames said. ”Truly the most important thing we can do is to accelerate our vaccinations.“ Earlier this week, vaccine eligibility in Oregon expanded to multigenerational households, frontline workers, as defined by the CDC, and age-eligible family members in the same household, and people age 16 to 44 with at least one underlying health condition. On April 19, eligibility will expand again to all Oregonians age 16 and up. Public health continues to vaccinate residents at The Expo . Visit forms.jacksoncounty.org/Forms/Vaccination for signup information. La Clinica also offers vaccinations , with officials at the nonprofit’s Wellness Center administering nearly 1,000 shots a week . Rogue Community Health will also hold a vaccination event in Butte Falls on Thursday, April 15. Reach Mail Tribune web editor Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @ryanpfeil .