Josephine County woman, 42, among new Oregon deaths
May 15—A 42-year-old Josephine County woman who died at a Medford hospital is among Oregon's three latest COVID-19 related fatalities.
The woman tested positive for the coronavirus May 4, and died Thursday at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, according to a release issued Saturday by the Oregon Health Authority. State health officials say that they're still investigating whether the woman had underlying conditions.
The death is the 73rd in Josephine County, according to a Friday afternoon Josephine County Public Health release. The new fatality brought Oregon's death toll to 2,585.
The 42-year-old woman's death is the second this week in the Rogue Valley involving a patient younger than 50 years old — and third across Oregon. On Wednesday, state health officials recorded deaths of a 25-year-old Jackson County man and a 32-year-old Lane County man, both of whom had underlying conditions that contributed to their deaths.
Saturday's two other Oregon coronavirus fatalities were those of a 79-year-old Hood River County woman and an 80-year-old Coos County woman. Health officials have confirmed that underlying health conditions contributed to the Coos County patient's death, but are still investigating whether the Hood River County woman had underlying conditions.
Health officials recorded 751 new COVID-19 cases across Oregon, including 39 new cases in Jackson County.
Broken down by county, other Oregon new cases included 158 in Multnomah, 93 each in Deschutes and Washington counties, 92 in Clackamas, 54 in Marion, 36 in Lane, 40 in Klamath, 24 in Linn, 17 in Umatilla, 11 in Douglas and Yamhill, 10 in Josephine, nine each in Benton, Columbia and Jefferson, seven each in Coos and Crook and Polk, five in Hood River, three in Clatsop, two each in Harney, Lincoln, Morrow, Union and Wasco and one each in the counties of Baker, Lake and Wallowa.
The new local cases brings Jackson County's caselog to 10,938. Since the start of the pandemic, 740 Jackson County residents have been hospitalized and 139 residents have died.
The hospitalizations broken down by age include eight children younger than nine years old, six youths between ages of 10 and 19, 36 people in their 20s, 54 people in their 30s, 57 people in their 40s, 119 people in their 50s, 148 people in their 60s, 153 people in their 70s and 157 people ages 80 and older.
As of Saturday, there were 22 COVID-positive patients in Oregon hospital region 5, which is comprised of hospitals in Jackson and Josephine counties, according to state data. Over the past month, local hospitalizations have fluctuated from a high of 35 coronavirus patients recorded April 19 and a low of 14 hospitalizations recorded April 30.
Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTCrimeBeat.
