(Update: adding videos, comments from Crook County official, company)
PRINEVILLE, Oregon (KTVZ) – Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced updates to county risk levels in the state’s public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19, which will put 10 counties back, including Crook and Jefferson, at the “Risk high ”, due to the worsening number of cases.
The framework uses four different risk levels for counties based on the spread of COVID-19 – Extreme Risk, High Risk, Moderate Risk and Lower Risk – and assigns health and safety measures for each level.
From Friday to May 6, there will be 23 counties at high risk, three at moderate risk and 10 at lower risk. As the number of cases and hospitalizations increases and counties qualify for higher levels of risk, increased safety measures for businesses and activities will resume.
The 10 counties moved to the High Risk category are: Baker, Clatsop, Columbia, Crook, Jefferson, Lane, Polk, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill.
A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available here.
“As we face more contagious variants and the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, the best way to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated,” Brown said. , your family, your friends and your neighbors are fully vaccinated, it is also essential that we all wear masks, keep our physical distance and stay home when we are sick. ”
Crook County public health officials say it is difficult for businesses to move from the low-risk category to COVID-19 back to high risk.
“Our business has been in the bottom four weeks and has just started to grow and enjoy business again – so there has been some frustration,” said Vicky Ryan, emergency preparedness coordinator for Crook County Health Health, Tuesday.
Local businesses will feel the weight of this change.
The manager of Neat Repeat, a second-hand store that supports Prineville Senior Center, says they can’t close.
“We can’t afford to close. This is what supports our Center for the Elderly. We need to keep going – Meals on Wheels needs to keep going,” said Peg McCutchen.
59 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Crook County in the past two weeks. Social gatherings during the spring break, Easter and even the beautiful weather are considered to be the biggest reasons why these numbers are rising.
Ryan says they are optimistic about returning to moderate or low risk.
“Hopefully for the next two-week cycle we can go down to moderate or lower,” she said. “Because of the holidays, because of family reunions, the change of weather brings people out and together more – we hope.”
Ryan says only 30% of Crook County residents are on trial or have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
National hospitalization measures to determine the extreme risk
For counties to move (or remain in) extreme risk, they must meet county values for case rates and positivity, plus national hospitalization values: positive COVID-19 patients occupying 300 hospital beds, or more and a 15% increase in the seven-day average hospital stay in the last week. This week, there are 11 counties that qualify for extreme risk, based on county values, but are assigned a high risk because national hospital triggers have not been met: Baker, Clackamas, Columbia, Crook, Deschutes, Jackson , Josephine, Klamath, Linn, Marion and Polk.
Three counties are entering a two-week precautionary period
The two-week precautionary period applies to counties facing backward movement. Counties that have reduced their COVID-19 have spread far enough to lower their risk in the previous two weeks, but see their numbers increase over the next two weeks, they are given a two-week precaution. to refocus efforts on reducing the number of crawling cases and to give local companies more certainty about their business plans. This week, the precautionary period applies in three counties:
- Grant County qualifies for high risk, but receives a two-week caution period at lower risk because it has decreased from moderate risk in the last period of exercise.
- Malheur County qualifies for moderate risk, but receives a two-week caution period at lower risk because it has decreased from moderate risk in the last period of exercise.
- Umatilla County qualifies for high risk, but receives a two-week caution period at moderate risk because it has dropped from high risk in the last period of exercise.
The Oregon Health Authority will review and publish county data on a weekly basis. The county’s risk levels will be reallocated every two weeks. The data from the first week will provide a “warning week” for preparing counties for potential changes in the level of risk. The next allocation of risk levels will be announced on May 4 and will take effect on May 7.
Updates to the county’s warning week data and risk levels will be posted on coronavirus.oregon.gov.