Staten

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Baker County continues to decline, and the trend is accelerating.

The county reported 66 cases for the most recent week, Feb. 6-12.

That’s a 42.6% drop from the previous week, and the third straight week with fewer cases.

Since the county set a record high with 183 cases from Jan. 16-22, the weekly totals have dropped to 165 (9.8% weekly drop) and to 115 (30.3%).

Over the three-week period, cases have dropped by 63.9%.

“We are seeing less cases,” Nancy Staten, director of the Baker County Health Department, said on Monday morning, Feb. 14. “We’ll take it.”

The most recent weekly total of 66 was the fewest in a week since Dec. 26-Jan. 1, when there were 29 cases.

That’s just before the surge caused by the highly contagious omicron variant began to spread across Oregon, resulting in record numbers of cases statewide.

But as has been seen in other countries where omicron spread earlier, as well as in the eastern part of the U.S., cases plummet after the omicron wave peaks.

Oregon’s trends prompted the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to announce last week that the state’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces will end by March 31, and potentially earlier if the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals dips below 400.

The mask mandate for schools will end March 31.

Staten said that as cases decline, it’s still important to try to protect the people most vulnerable to COVID-19, including the less virulent omicron variant. That group includes the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

“How do we manage this going forward?” Staten said. “Time will tell.”

The Health Department is distributing home COVID-19 test kits to county residents. Staten said the department handed out 31 boxes, each including two tests, during a one-hour drive-thru event Saturday, Feb. 12, in Baker City.

Staten said residents who have potential COVID-19 symptoms can call the Health Department at 541-523-8211 and arrange to pick up a test kit. Staff will bring the kits to people waiting in their cars.

Staten encourages people to take the home test, which yields results in about 15 minutes, and for those who are positive, to take precautions to avoid infecting others.

“We want to get (the test kits) out to the community,” she said. “We all have a responsibility to limit the spread.”

Although Staten noted that people who take home tests aren’t required to report the results, whether negative or positive, to the Health Department, she believes the information can influence residents’ decisions regarding quarantining.

According to OHA, Baker County’s rate of positive tests has dropped along with the number of cases over the past three weeks.

The weekly test positivity rate has dropped from 33.2% (Jan. 16-22) to 24.6%, then to 23.9%, and to 18.6% for the most recent week, Feb. 6-12.

Statewide, the test positivity rate for that week was 13.7%.

On Friday, Feb. 12, the OHA announced details about the most recent COVID-19-related death in Baker County resident.

An 82-year-old woman died Jan. 29 at her residence after testing positive on Jan. 11. She had underlying medical conditions.

Hers was the county’s second COVID-19-related death in Baker County during February. There were four during January. The county’s total during the pandemic is 44.