Baker County’s month-long decline in weekly COVID-19 cases ended this week.

From Sunday, Oct. 17 through Thursday, Oct. 21, the county reported 45 new cases.

There were 37 cases for the previous week, Oct. 10-16.

The number of weekly cases had declined in each of the previous four weeks, from the record high of 139 from Sept. 12-18.

Even with this week’s rise in cases, October’s rate remains well below both those of September and August, when the county’s cases, driven, as elsewhere in Oregon and the nation, by the more contagious delta variant, rose rapidly.

September set records for total cases, with 465, and for daily average, at 15.5.

August ranks second in both categories, with 300 total cases and a daily average of almost 10.

October, through the first 21 days, has a total of 137 cases and an average of 6.5 cases per day.

That would rank as the third-highest daily rate during the pandemic. Prior to the surge that started the last week of July, the monthly record was 6.3 cases per day, in December 2020.

Breakthrough cases

These infections in fully vaccinated residents continue to account for about 1 of every 5 cases in Baker County.

From Oct. 10-16, there were eight breakthrough cases out of 37 total, a rate of 21.6%.

That’s down slightly from a 25% breakthrough case rate from Oct. 3-9 (12 of 48) and 23.2% from Sept. 26-Oct. 2 (16 of 69).

Statewide, 23.5% of cases from Oct. 10-16 were breakthrough, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

OHA’s weekly breakthrough case report notes that overall, 4.4% of people with breakthrough cases have been hospitalized, and 1% have died.

Of the 325 people who have died with a breakthrough infection, 51% were 80 or older, and 78% were 70 or older, according to OHA. Those two age groups account for just 18% of the state’s nearly 33,000 breakthrough cases, however.

The agency has tallied seven deaths in people ages 40 to 49 with breakthrough infections, and two deaths in people ages 30 to 39. No deaths have been reported in people younger than 30 with breakthrough cases.

Almost 53% of the state’s breakthrough cases have been in people younger than 50.

Breakthrough cases have accounted for a higher percentage of deaths in Oregon since the delta variant became the primary source of infection in July.

The percentage of deaths attributed to breakthrough infections rose from 8.2% in May 2021 to 19.8% in July and to 23% in August.

The percentage dropped to 19.9% during September, when breakthrough infections accounted for 126 of Oregon’s 633 COVID-related deaths.

The report also lists the breakthrough case rate, per 100,000 vaccinated residents, for each of the three vaccines.

• Johnson & Johnson, 1,779.4 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents

• Pfizer, 1,137.7 per 100,000

• Moderna, 938.3 per 100,000

Vaccination

After rising during September, Baker County’s daily average of vaccine doses administered had dropped so far in October, according to OHA figures.

In September a total of 723 doses were administered in the county, an average of 24.1 doses per day. That was up from August’s total of 633 doses.

From Oct. 1-20, there were 350 doses given, a daily average of 17.5. Those are preliminary numbers, however, and additional doses could be added for that period.

The county’s seven-day running daily average of Baker County’s vaccination rate — 52.7% of residents 18 and older — is tied for the fifth-lowest among Oregon’s 36 counties. Harney County also has a 52.7% rate.

The counties with lower rates:

• Lake, 43%

• Malheur, 46.2%

• Gilliam, 48%

• Grant, 48.4%

Vaccination rates for other counties in the region:

• Wallowa, 66%

• Union, 56.6%

• Umatilla, 53%