View Comments COVID-19 cases are surging in areas of the state with low vaccination rates, and most new cases are the more contagious delta variant, state health officials warned Thursday. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all drastically increased over the past three weeks, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said during a news conference. The delta variant has increased tenfold in Oregon over the past two weeks, and is now the dominant variant circulating in the state, increasing from 30% to 50% of variants identified. But the surge is being felt differently among Oregon counties. “Counties with low vaccination rates are all counties with high infection rates,” Allen said. “It’s that stark. It’s that simple.”