By Nicole Montesano • Staff Writer • December 12, 2023 TweetCDC underlines national increase in COVID, other respiratory diseasesMore than 16,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 in the last three months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has cut back on the frequency of its reports on COVID, but shows 25 new hospitalizations in Yamhill County the week ending Dec. 2, a 78.6% increase from the previous week. The dashboards show a 9.3% test positivity rate for COVID in the state as of Dec. 2, an increase from the previous week. COVID and other diseases often increase dramatically after the holidays, when large numbers of Americans travel to visit family. COVID vaccines provide some temporary protection against transmission, and offer significant protection against developing illness severe enough to require hospitalization.