Vaccination rates continue to rise steadily in Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties, but COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are also climbing as the surge in Delta variant cases continues.  The North Central Public Health District announced Friday that Wasco County has vaccinated 68% of those 18 and older; Sherman County 59.3% and Gilliam County 46%.   But also as of Friday morning, Mid-Columbia Medical Center had no open intensive care unit beds, 26 percent of its patient beds were taken by COVID positive patients, and it has had to turn away ambulances due to increased volume in its ER.  MCMC public relations manager Stephanie Bowen says they have been seeing more COVID-related admits every day, noting they recent had a record high nine COVID patients before dropping to seven as of Friday.  The risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 is greatly reduced in vaccinated individuals.  A report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that, in Los Angeles, unvaccinated people were 29 times as likely to be hospitalized as unvaccinated people.