Jackson County reports first coronavirus-related death

Jackson County reports first coronavirus-related death

Public health officials say that a 65-year-old man passed away at a Portland hospital over the weekend.

It is its first coronavirus county is reporting today jackson matt hoffman."

Meteorologist chief weather with stormwatch 12 rubin, and stormwatch 12 weather with chief meteorologist matt hoffman."

Today jackson county is reporting its first coronavirus related death.

It is the third virus related death in southern oregon's region.

Joining us now to talk about that and the growing number of cases in the county, dr. jim shames.

Thanks again for being with us.

You bet.

Glad to be here.

Obviously it's a sad day.

What do we know about this individual who recently passed away from coronavirus?

Well, he obviously was very sick for a long period of time, which unfortunately is.

Uh, is, uh, a relatively common occurrence that people who are older people with high risk conditions can get sick and they get thicker.

And then they get really sick and unfortunately, some die.

Um, i feel terrible for his family, what they've gone through this last month and obviously, uh, my condolences, uh, to them.

We share your concern for that family as well.

Is there anything that could be learned from how this individual may have been infected or was he involved in infecting anyone else that we're aware of?

I don't know that.

Um, and it, there isn't anything unique about the virus and infected him.

It's the same virus, uh, what was unique as perhaps just how it affected his body.

We still don't know why some people get terribly ill and some people get no symptoms at all.

We do know what the risk factors are.

Um, we do know what he had, some of those risk factors, as well as being, uh, older.

Uh, but you know, why, why him and not somebody else?

We don't know that well, in the last three days there have been, what about 34 cases?

Obviously the trend not going the direction to any was, want to see.

Is there anything beyond wearing a mask with social distancing that we can provide for folks to try and protect themselves?

Not really.

I think the, the tools are in front of us and they're highly effective as a report that just came out today showing that really it's our ambivalence about wearing masks is, is largely responsible for the trouble.

At this country then in terms of spreading the vsl, it's a tool.

It's a great tool.

It's a simple tool.

And, uh, once again, i strongly recommend that people use it back in july 1st, there were about 10 hospitalizations in jackson county.

Now that number is up somewhere around 28.

Obviously that concerns you.

Are we learning anything more about how the virus is spreading?

Is it still in those familial groups?

We are learning a lot, a lot more about how the virus is spreading.

And in regards to the issue of hospitalizations, we are learning better how to take care of sick people.

Consequently, i think it's much more likely if you have to be hospitalized that you're going to come out alive than perhaps it was before.

Uh, it's still a very serious disease, but, but we are learning things.

So in terms of, uh, how this disease is spread.

Uh, we do know that, um, some people can spread the disease before they have symptoms. i think we've known that for a while now, children can spread the disease, although they tend to do it.

Young children tend to do it less so than older they're children and adults, but it's certainly part of the calculus we're using in terms of figuring out how to have a safely educate children.

And part of that is, you know, are, are