Klamath County reports 40 new cases of COVID-19, 3 deaths
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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials report 40 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths. The local case count is 1,199. In auditing numbers from last week, it was observed that one case was reported twice with different birthdates. The second occurrence was removed from today’s case count. Last week’s count was 287.
This week’s count is 40.
The deaths were:
An 88-year-old man who died at Sky Lakes Medical Center on December 7. He had underlying conditions.
A 72-year-old man who died at Sky Lakes Medical Center on December 7. He had underlying conditions.
A 72-year-old woman who died at her residence December 4. She had underlying health conditions.
Klamath County’s death toll is now 11.
Like most of the state, Klamath County is experiencing a surge in cases. A revised approach to contact investigations and close contact follow up is part of a statewide plan developed in response to the statewide growth in cases.
The approach incorporates a priority structure to ensure those at highest risk receive contact from KCPH first. More than half of the counties in Oregon have moved to this surge protocol, as local and state resources reach capacity in this critical pandemic response.
Webpages have been created for those who have tested positive and their close contacts. Links can be found at the top of the http://publichealth.klamathcounty.org/coronavirus page. Close contacts will not be contacted by KCPH
Those who have tested positive should let their close contacts know of their exposure. A close contact is someone who has been within six feet of a positive individual for 15 or more cumulative minutes, with or without a mask.