Due to a sharp decrease in COVID-19 cases, Wasco County will drop this week from the “extreme risk” category down three levels to the “lower risk” category, only the second county to drop three categories at once since the four-category risk framework was introduced last November.
It means the county has gone from having widespread COVID cases to minimal spread.
Wasco County recorded just 27 cases in the 14-day period from Feb. 7 to Feb. 20. At the height of the December surge, the county recorded more than that in a single day several times.
As a medium-sized county (with population between 15,000 and 30,000) Wasco County was assigned a risk category based on its case count over a 14-day period. Having less than 30 cases in a 14-day period qualifies for the lower risk category.
The extreme risk category, which Wasco County was in since the risk framework began, is assigned to counties with 60 or more cases over 14 days. At one point, Wasco County had over 175 cases during a two-week period, nearly triple the threshold level.
The state does the 14-day lookbacks weekly, but only implements category changes every other week.
The category change, which will be announced today by Gov. Kate Brown, will take effect Friday, Feb. 26. At that point, in-person dining at restaurants and bars can resume, at 50 percent capacity, with a closing time of midnight.
Churches can operate at 75 percent capacity indoors. Under the extreme risk category, they were limited to 25 percent capacity. Theaters, museums and gyms can operate at 50 percent capacity. The previous limit was six
people total in buildings with more than 500 square feet of capacity. Long term care facilities can have inside visitation. Only outside visitation was allowed under the extreme category.
Offices can have limited in-person work, (compared to required remote work if possible under the extreme category) and retail stores can operate at 75 percent capacity, up from the 50 percent under the extreme category.
Indoor social gatherings can now have up to 10 people (up from six in the extreme category) with a recommended limit from up to four households, compared to two in the extreme category.
“We are excited and encouraged to see our case numbers decrease,” said Shellie Campbell, interim director for North Central Public Health District. “We are not out of the woods yet so we continue to encourage all residents to practice social distancing, continue wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, and staying home while sick, and get vaccinated when they are able to.”
Vaccination is the key to ending the pandemic, and Wasco County has vaccinated nearly 13 percent of its population. That vaccination percentage likely played a role in the drop in cases, as did the end of the holiday surge and the public’s continued masking, social distancing and avoidance of gatherings.
(For more information, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon or contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600 or visit us on the web at www.ncphd.org or https://wascoshermangilliamcovid- 19.com/)