GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Three local counties reported new coronavirus-related fatalities on Monday — Josephine, Klamath, and Siskiyou — as both Oregon and California begin to distribute the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Klamath County Public Health reported just after noon that a 74-year-old man had died at his residence. He had underlying conditions. This latest death brought Klamath County's total to 12.

Late in the afternoon, Siskiyou County Public Health reported the area's 8th death attributed to coronavirus, expressing condolences to the patient's family and friends.

"This upsetting news reminds us that we all have a personal responsibility to slow the spread of the pandemic and eliminate the virus as quickly as possible," Siskiyou County officials said in a statement. "Vaccines are on the way, but it may be awhile before they are available to the general public, therefore it is imperative that we protect each other, especially the more vulnerable populations, by continuing to stay at home as much as possible, avoid gathering, wear masks, practice social distancing, and wash your hands often."

By the evening, Josephine County Public Health reported the 11th death attributed to COVID-19 in the area since the pandemic began. A 71-year-old woman tested positive on December 8 and died three days later at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Though Jackson County has been the epicenter of both cases and deaths in the region for the past several months, officials there did not report any new fatalities on Monday. There remain 50 fatalities from COVID-19 in Jackson County since the pandemic began.