A COVID-19 particle is pictured in this image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Baker County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases has risen over the past week or so to the highest level in more than two months.

For the seven-day period, March 22-28, the county recorded 33 new cases.

That’s the most in a week since the county had 55 new cases from Jan. 9-15.

Nancy Staten, director of the Baker County Health Department, said the trend isn’t connected to any large outbreaks.

“The county’s case numbers rose last week, mostly due to small groups of connected cases tied to social gatherings,” Staten said. “I hope the community is not becoming complacent about spreading the virus. I encourage everyone to keep taking precautions to protect each other, and to get vaccinated as you become eligible. Anyone interested in a vaccination can call us or sign up on the County’s COVID-19 website. I really think that’s the way we’re finally going to move through this.”

The county’s website is www.bakercountycovid19.com. The vaccine phone number is 541-523-0015.

The past week’s trend was driven in part by 10 new cases reported on March 24. That’s the highest one-day total since 11 cases on Jan. 15.

Baker County, which as of Monday, March 29, had recorded 731 cases since the pandemic started a little more than a year ago, had posted declining rates of infection since mid-January.

The county’s daily average dropped from 6.3 per day in December to 3.4 in January and to 2.5 in February.

March’s daily average had been running at about 1.9 new cases per day through March 22.

But the increase in cases since March 22 has pushed the monthly figure to 2.6 per day, slightly higher than in February.

The county’s weekly totals over the past month or so:

• March 22-28 — 33 cases

• March 15-21 — 8 cases

•March 8-14 — 16 cases

• March 1-7 — 16 cases

The rising trend coincides with the start of the new two-week measuring period, which the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) uses to determine the risk level, and associated restrictions on businesses and activities, for each of Oregon’s 36 counties.

Baker County, by dint of recording 24 new cases during the previous measuring period — March 7-20 — dropped to the lowest of the four risk levels on Friday, March 26.

But in the first eight days of the current measuring period — March 21-April 3 — the county already has too many cases to qualify for the lowest risk.

If the county finishes that period with between 30 and 44 new cases, it would move to moderate risk starting April 9. That change has relatively minor effects on restaurants and bars — they would have to close at 11 p.m. rather than midnight — and outdoor recreation events would have a capacity of 150 people rather than the current 300 under the lowest risk.

If the county has at least 45 new cases, but fewer than 60, during the two-week period ending April 3, it could jump to high risk.

That would cut indoor dining at restaurants and bars from the current 50% of capacity to 25% or 50 total people, whichever is fewer, and the limit per table would drop from eight people to six.

The current four-level system has been in place since early December.

Jonathan Modie, a spokesman for the OHA, said state officials are “continually examining our approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon, including the county risk level framework, based on updated research and current spread.”

Modie said there is no timeframe for changing the system.