Mark Bennett

Baker County matched its daily record of 37 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Sept. 14 as September continues at a pace that would top August’s monthly record of 300 cases.

The 37 cases Tuesday pushed September’s total through 14 days to 244.

August had a daily average of just under 10 cases.

September’s daily average so far is 17.4. September already has the second-highest total cases of any month during the pandemic, topping December 2020’s total of 196.

Baker County’s case rate per 100,000 population was 765.9 for the week Sept. 5-11, the highest among Oregon’s 36 counties and the county’s highest rate during the pandemic. The statewide case rate per 100,000 during that week was 329.3, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

Baker County’s test positivity rate for Sept. 5-11 was 26.5%, third-highest behind Gilliam (33.3%) and Lake (30.8%). The statewide test positivity rate was 12%.

Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett, who has served as the county’s incident commander throughout the pandemic, said on Wednesday, Sept. 15 that his biggest concern is hospital capacity.

Idaho public health officials said Tuesday that the Boise area might begin rationing health care soon.

“That’s a very bad place to be in,” Bennett said.

His concern is that Baker County residents who have a health emergency — including heart attacks, accidents or other issues that don’t involve COVID-19 — won’t be able to be transported to a Boise hospital that has a higher level of care than Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City.

“There may not be space for you,” Bennett said.

He urges residents to stay home if they feel ill, even if they don’t think they have COVID-19.

That includes parents of children.

Bennett said he recently talked with the parent of a child in the Baker School District who kept the child home even though the child’s symptoms were initially mild. The symptoms worsened, although Bennett said that when he last talked to the parent the results of a COVID test hadn’t arrived.

The family also kept the child’s siblings home, Bennett said.

He acknowledged that keeping children home from school can be a hassle for working parents, but he appreciates the “abundance of caution” the family showed.

People who stay home can reduce the spread of the virus in the community, Bennett said.

“Erring on the side of caution is probably the best step,” he said. “We can’t get a handle on (the virus) otherwise.”

Majority of cases in residents younger than 40

Continuing the trend from August, the largest share of cases in Baker County during September has been in people younger than 40.

That age range accounted for about 58% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and about 50% from Aug. 16-31, according to the Baker County Health Department.

A large majority of the cases have been in unvaccinated residents.

From Aug. 1 through Sept. 5, Baker County had 40 breakthrough cases — positive tests in people who are fully vaccinated. That was 11.1% of the county’s 362 cases during that period.

(The weekly breakthrough case report will be released today, Sept. 16.)

As of Tuesday, 50.2% of Baker County residents 18 and older — a total population of about 13,800 — were vaccinated, according to the OHA.

The county, which had had the seventh-lowest vaccination rate among Oregon counties for more than a month, has dropped into a tie for sixth-lowest with Umatilla County.

Age group comparisons

The younger age ranges that have accounted for the bulk of Baker County’s recent cases also have lower vaccination rates than among older county residents.

Ages 30 to 39

This group of about 1,950 people had 19.5% of the county’s cases from Sept. 1-14, and 18% from Aug. 16-31. Both were the highest percentages among 10-year age groups during those periods.

The vaccination rate among county residents in their 30s is 33.1%. The statewide average for that age group is 71%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 42%; Malheur, 30.4%; Union, 48.6%; Wallowa, 50.9%.

Ages 20 to 29

This group, which numbers about 1,300 in Baker County, accounted for 7.3% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for residents in their 20s is 34.6%. The statewide average is 65.3%.

The vaccination rate for the 20-29 age category in adjoining counties — Grant, 48.2%; Malheur, 26%; Union, 45.4%; Wallowa, 61.7%.

Ages 10 to 19

This group, which numbers about 1,350 in Baker County, accounted for 19.1% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this group is 26.5% — residents 11 and younger are not eligible to be vaccinated. The statewide average is 59%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 22%; Malheur, 29.5%; Union, 29.8%; Wallowa, 37.9%.

Ages 40 to 49

There are about 1,650 residents in this age range in Baker County, and they accounted for about 12.2% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 11.8% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 45%, compared with a statewide average of 73.7%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 41.9%; Malheur, 40.6%; Union, 48.3%; Wallowa, 58.9%.

Ages 50 to 59

There are about 2,300 residents in this age range in Baker County, and they accounted for about 11% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 13% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 45.4%, compared with a statewide average of 73.5%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 40.5%; Malheur, 45.2%; Union, 48.7%; Wallowa, 56.3%.

Ages 60 to 69

There are about 3,100 residents in this age range. They accounted for 9.8% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 55.2%. The statewide average is 78.1%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 46.5%; Malheur, 58.6%; Union, 63.4%; Wallowa, 66.1%.

Ages 70 to 79

There are about 2,200 residents in this age group, and they accounted for 6% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 5.6% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age range is 67.3%, compared with a statewide average of 86.6%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 55.1%; Malheur, 59.7%; Union, 71.6%; Wallowa, 81.1%.

Ages 80 and older

There are about 1,100 residents in this age category, and they accounted for 2.4% of cases from Sept. 1-14. There were no cases in this age range from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for people 80 and older is 69.7% — the highest for any age group in the county. The statewide average is 79.7%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 45.9%; Malheur, 61.2%; Union, 59.3%; Wallowa, 63.5%.

Ages 9 and younger

There are about 3,000 residents in this age category in the county, and they are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.

This age group accounted for about 12.2% of cases from Sept. 1-14, and 3.7% of cases from Aug. 16-31.

Vaccination rate rising slightly

Bennett said he hopes the hospital capacity crisis in Idaho, and the potential that it can put Baker County residents in life-threatening situations they wouldn’t otherwise face, will encourage people to get vaccinated.

Idaho officials said that on Sept. 11, of the more than 600 people hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 in the state, more than 91% were not vaccinated.

In Baker County, the daily average of vaccine doses given was 20.6 from Sept. 1-13, up from a daily average of 20.4 doses during August. The July average was 12.8 doses.