LA GRANDE — Union County had 38 more reported COVID-19 cases, the Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday, Aug. 18, a day after posting 40 cases on Aug. 17.

The two-day total moves Union County over the 2,000-case mark with 2,022 cases since the start of the pandemic.

Wallowa County, meanwhile, added 10 more new cases of COVID-19 on Aug. 18, the OHA reported, after reporting four new cases on Aug. 17. The county is now at 311 cases.

Statewide, there were another 2,139 reported cases on Aug. 18, the OHA reported, raising the state’s total case count to 247,866 since the start of the pandemic. There were also 11 more deaths attributed to the virus, bringing the state’s total to 2,975 deaths since the pandemic began. 

Oregon hospitals are also filling at a rapid pace. The state reported a record 850 current hospitalizations due to COVID-19, 12 more than Aug. 17 and noted that there are only 41 ICU beds and 292 non-ICU beds available statewide out of nearly 4,193 hospital beds in Oregon. Currently, nearly 19% of patients in an Oregon hospital have COVID-19. 

The vaccination rate of the entire population of Wallowa County inched up to 50.1%, while the rate of those 18 and older stayed at 59.9%. Union County, though, has an overall vaccination rate of just 40.6%, and the rate of those 18 and older vaccinated is at 50.1%. It is 28th in the state for overall vaccination rate, per OHA data.