GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Health officials say they weren’t optimistic many people would have socially distanced Thanksgivings this year.
Now, they say it’s only a matter of time before we see the impact.
Josephine County Public Health says it usually takes about two weeks after an event to see the full effect.
Health Officer Dr. David Candelaria says that was certainly true for Halloween where two weeks later, the county saw 100 new coronavirus cases.
His worry is cases will only increase from here.
“That we’re on this exponential part of the curve where even though the Halloween effect per say is passed… all those extra people who were infected at Halloween are being extra spreaders now,” said Dr. Candelaria.
Dr. Candelaria says only time will tell if the spike of cases from Thanksgiving is higher than Halloween.
The same can be said for Christmas.
Dr. Candelaria hopes for the sake of our health care system people follow restrictions and make necessary sacrifices.
Amanda Rose is a multimedia journalist for NBC5 News. Amanda graduated from Columbia University earning a Master’s degree in Journalism. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in English with a specialization in literature from the University of British Columbia.
She’s a Los Angeles native, but is thrilled to return to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and is passionate about reporting on the criminal justice system.