MEDFORD, Ore.– Oregon Health Authority is now releasing the number of cases by zip code. The effort is a way for the agency to be more transparent with the public and according to OHA – provide a community look at the virus’ trends.
With cases still being found across the state, the OHA is breaking down the numbers for the public more than ever before. Now people can see how many cases there are in each Oregon zip code.
Dr. Jim Shames with Jackson County Public Health says it’s part of an effort by the OHA to be more transparent.
“Public health is going to level with them, is going to give them all of the information we possibly can without jeopardizing anybody’s personal data,” he said.
For some idea on what the data shows, in southern Oregon some of the zip codes with the highest cases include Medford’s 97504 with 12 cases, Central Points 97502 with 13, Klamath Falls’ 97601 and 97603 at 14 and 18 respectively and in the North Bend area 97459 – 24 cases.
“We certainly don’t want to see a lot more cases but if we did have them we might be able to see more patterns appropriately at that point,” said Dr. Shames.
Dr. Shames says by breaking into zip codes it could help public health identify certain demographics or districts where hotspots may be occurring. However, the data could be swayed if any prison or nursing home happens to affected so details still should be looked into. He says the public shouldn’t use this to gauge if a zip code is safe or not.
“No reported cases in Gold Hill that by no means means that you’re safe in Gold Hill,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that there may not be COVID in Gold Hill or that you could be infected later.”
The virus remains elusive and while data shows the circumstances of one area safety by sanitation or mask Dr. Shames says is still the best option.
If you would like to see the list by zip codes and more data on the weekly reports, you can click here.
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