COVID-19 cases in Baker County more than doubled during June compared with May.

The county reported 110 cases from June 1-29, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

June’s total surpasses the combined total of 76 for the previous three months — May (49), April (13) and March (14).

Baker County reported 18 cases on June 27, the highest daily total since Feb. 8, during the omicron surge.

Meghan Chancey, director of the Baker County Health Department, said the agency hasn’t seen a significant increase in the volume of calls from residents regarding COVID-19. Chancey said department employees continue to offer residents home test kits and vaccinations.

She said recommendations are the same as they have been during the pandemic — if you feel ill, stay home and consider taking a test.

“We’re here to provide any information and resources,” Chancey said on Friday, July 1. “We always welcome anybody calling in.”

The health department’s phone number is 541-523-8211. The office is at 2200 Fourth St.

Case numbers well below winter peak

Although June’s case rate was higher than during the late summer and spring, it was well below the peak during mid and late winter.

Baker County had a record 646 cases during January 2022, the peak of the omicron wave. Case totals dropped rapidly thereafter, to 230 during February, before the even more precipitous decline during March and April.

Baker County’s trend is similar to statistics across Oregon, where case rates have been rising since mid April.

The number of people in Oregon hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19 — not all of whom came to the hospital due to the virus — has risen from a low of 89 on April 12 to 418 on June 29.

The latter number is well below the peak during the omicron surge and the delta wave in September 2021, when more than 1,100 people in hospitals tested positive for COVID-19.

Baker County has reported two COVID-19-related deaths since mid-March. There have been 50 deaths in the county related to the virus during the pandemic.

On Thursday, June 30, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the COVID-19 level for Baker, Union, Wallowa and 12 other Oregon counties to high. A total of 24 of Oregon’s 36 counties are at that level, which refers to the level of community spread.

The CDC recommends these precautions for counties at high level:

• Wear a mask indoors in public.

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

• Get tested if you have symptoms.

• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness.

Although health officials have said the reported numbers of infection dramatically underestimate the actual rate, since many people are testing themselves at home, the results of which don’t have to be reported, the number of reported tests has been increasing in Baker County.

The daily average has increased from about 20 per day during the second half of May, to about 27 tests per day in June.

Chancey said that although residents aren’t required to report the results of home tests, some people have been doing so.

“That’s very much appreciated, because we want to have the most accurate information possible,” she said.

Although Chancey didn’t have any detailed information, she said that anecdotally, what she’s hearing about the severity of symptoms locally is comparable to what’s being reported across the state and nationally — that in general, people who test positive are having less severe cases than during previous surges.

She said that’s likely due to multiple factors. The current omicron variants are less virulent, and many of the people who are being infected have some level of protection either from previous exposure, vaccination or both.

Chancey also noted that hospitals and clinics have a variety of effective antiviral treatments.

“As we have seen across the country, the COVID cases coming into the hospital are milder than what we saw early in the pandemic and earlier this year,” said Mark Snider, media, public relations and digital strategy coordinator for the Saint Alphonsus Health Care System. “Most inpatients are able to receive treatment and return home after a shorter stay than what we experienced with the delta variant. Additionally, with the availability of outpatient therapies and anti-virals, the vast majority of COVID cases can be treated at home if caught early.

“We continue to urge everyone to get their COVID-19 vaccine or booster shots, wear masks in indoor spaces and large gatherings, and maintain distancing as much as possible,” Snider said. “We encourage everyone that if you are sick and have COVID-like symptoms you should take a COVID-19 test and stay home. These precautions will help protect the most vulnerable in our community.”

Vaccinations

Chancey said the health department continues to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

The department recently received 100 doses of the vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years, who became eligible for inoculation in June.

She said the health department has scheduled at least half a dozen or so vaccination appointments for that age group.

June 2022: 110 (June 1-29)

May 2022: 47

April 2022: 13

March 2022: 14

February 2022: 230

January 2022: 646

December 2021: 106

November 2021: 143

October 2021: 168

September 2021: 465

August 2021: 300

July 2021: 91

June 2021: 70

May 2021: 51

April 2021: 162

March 2021: 97

February 2021: 70

January 2021: 106

December 2020: 196

November 2020: 141