Low-vaccinated communities continue to lead the state in weekly coronavirus case rates, an analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive found, underscoring how the delta variant is devouring the unvaccinated.
Oregon has seen cases fall from record levels set earlier this month. But new and presumed infections remain high, and the communities hardest hit continue to be almost exclusively in vaccine-resistant southern Oregon.
The ZIP code for Myrtle Creek in Douglas County led all of Oregon in coronavirus case rates for the week ending Wednesday, among ZIP codes with at least 40 new cases.
The area recorded 103 new or presumed infections per 10,000 residents, roughly double the worst rate for a community in the Portland area.
The vaccination rate in the Myrtle Creek ZIP code? A staggeringly small 38.2% among residents of all ages, far below the statewide average of 62.4%.
In fact, 11 of the 12 ZIP codes with the highest weekly case rates are all well below the statewide average for people at least partially vaccinated. Only the ZIP code for Lincoln City, along the Oregon coast, surpassed the statewide vaccination mark.
ZIP codes in southern Oregon’s Douglas and Josephine counties accounted for eight of the dozen areas with the highest weekly case rates. The ZIP codes generally run along the Interstate 5 corridor, including Roseburg, Grants Pass, Sutherlin and Winston.
Vaccination rates in each of those eight areas is below 50%.
While both ZIP codes for Grants Pass made the list of jurisdictions with the highest case rates, one of those, the 97526 ZIP code, led all of Oregon in total new cases regardless of population. It posted 256 cases for the week ending Wednesday, more than double the highest total from a ZIP code in the Portland area.
The list of ZIP codes with high new cases also skews heavy along I-5 in southern Oregon, including Medford, Roseburg, but it also includes parts of Salem. And it features Bend and Redmond in central Oregon, too.
State health officials for months have been saying the summer surge is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and Oregon’s record-breaking case counts flooded hospitals. More people with COVID-19 died in August than in all but two other months of the pandemic, and September could be worse.
Officials for the Oregon Health Authority did not respond to a request for comment to the newsroom’s analysis comparing case rates with vaccination rates. But Patrick Allen, the agency’s director, released a separate statement Thursday about the state’s mounting death toll, saying it “marks a failure of our collective responsibility to take care of each other.”
He said Oregonians could prevent more people from dying by taking simple steps to stop COVID-19 from spreading.
“The COVID-19 vaccines are extremely safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death from the virus, including the delta variant,” he said in the statement. “I urge every Oregonian who can to get vaccinated and wear your masks when you’re in public places inside and outdoors.”
-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
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