SOUTHERN OREGON, —Hospitals are once again starting to feel the strain, from the highly contagious Covid-19 BA4 and BA5 sub-variants.
The OHA sharing in a press conference, that hospitals are stressed across the state due to patient volume.
As of Wednesday morning, the Oregon Health Authority dashboard says 90 % of ICU beds were full in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Jackson County Public Health says the BA5 variant is becoming predominant in the state.
“Because BA5 is so much more transmissible, more people end up with that infection, and even though vaccines and our outpatient therapeutics are effective the more people that get infected, the more likely you are to end up with a serious disease that needs to be hospitalized,” said Jackson County Health Officer, Dr. Leona O’Keefe.
Health officials remind the public of the importance of staying up to date on vaccines and doing your part to limit the spread.
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