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Jackson County reports 277 new COVID-19 cases By Vickie Aldous Updated: Feb 01, 2022 05:27 PM A A County sees four more COVID-19-related deaths Jackson County reported 277 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and four more COVID-19-related deaths. Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority reported 5,179 new cases and 24 more COVID-19-related deaths. Oregon hospitals were caring for 1,113 patients with the virus Tuesday. Most regions of Oregon, including the Rogue Valley, are down slightly from their peak hospitalization numbers during the current COVID-19 surge driven by the omicron variant of the virus. Only the Eugene and Roseburg region and far Eastern Oregon were at their highest levels of the surge Tuesday, state hospitalization data shows. Oregon Health & Science University predicts COVID-19 hospitalizations will peak statewide at 1,220 patients by Sunday, then drop off. New real-world data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows vaccination, especially when people get a booster shot, significantly reduces the chances that people will be hospitalized with COVID-19. During the week ending Jan. 8, unvaccinated people in that county were 5.3 times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than vaccinated people, and 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than vaccinated people who got a booster shot, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. The strong protective effects of vaccination showed up even though omicron was the dominant variant that week. Omicron is better at evading immunity from vaccination or prior infection. The protective effect of vaccination was even stronger when the delta variant was still the dominant strain in the U.S. in early December, the study found. Asante posts information daily about COVID-19 patients in its three Rogue Valley hospitals that also shows the protective effect of vaccination. Unvaccinated people make up the minority in Jackson and Josephine counties, but they made up 70% of Asante’s COVID-19 patients Tuesday. Unvaccinated people represented 94% of COVID-19 patients in intensive care, and all five COVID-19 patients on ventilators. Unvaccinated people accounted for 83% of COVID-19-related deaths at Asante in the past 90 days. For information on COVID-19 vaccinations in Jackson County, including booster shots, see jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/COVID-19/Vaccine-Appointments/where-to-get-vaccinated-in-jackson-county . Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.