Nancy Staten

Oregon health officials said Tuesday, Sept. 28 that the summer surge in COVID-19 cases appears to have peaked in the state, and Baker County’s numbers show a similar trend.

But the drop in the county’s new cases might reflect, in part, a decrease in the number of residents being tested.

After reporting a weekly record of 139 new cases from Sept. 12-18, the county’s total dipped to 86 cases from Sept. 19-25, a 38.2% decline.

The number of COVID-19 tests in the county went down by 34.1% for the same period, from 580 tests the week of Sept. 12-18, to 382 tests from Sept. 19-25.

The county’s test positivity rate had a much smaller drop, from 23.8% from Sept. 12-18, to 22.2% the following week. The latter figure was the third-highest positivity rate among Oregon’s 36 counties for that week, behind Lake County (25.9%) and Harney County (25.0%).

The statewide test positivity rate for Sept. 19-25 was 8.9%.

Five county residents have died during September after testing positive, the most in any month. The county’s death toll during the pandemic is 24.

September has also set a record for total cases.

Through Sept. 28, the monthly total was 443. The previous record was set in August of this year, with 300 cases. September’s total exceeded that figure after 17 days.

Nancy Staten, director of the Baker County Health Department, said she isn’t convinced that the county is on the downward trend from the surge, driven by the more contagious delta variant, that started in late July.

“I’m looking foward to seeing that, but I haven’t really seen that drop yet,” Staten said.

Vaccinations

Baker County’s vaccination rate, as of Tuesday, Sept. 28, was 51.4% among residents 18 and older, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

That’s tied with Umatilla County for the sixth-lowest rate among Oregon counties.

As of Sept. 27, a total of 632 vaccine doses had been given in Baker County, just one fewer than were administered during the whole of August.

Both months have had a significant increase in vaccine doses given compared with July, when 398 doses were given.

Staten said nurses at the Health Department have noticed that more people are asking about, and asking for, vaccination since the number of cases started to rise.

She said some people have been waiting because they wanted to learn more about the vaccines, and decided to be inoculated.

Others know someone who became severely ill after contracting COVID-19, she said, while others are being vaccinated because they’re among the employees covered by Gov. Kate Brown’s vaccine mandate, which applies to school and health care workers, and some state employees.

She said vaccines, as well as precautions such as wearing masks and staying home if you feel ill, are the county’s best weapons in the fight against the virus.

Breakthrough cases

Breakthrough cases are infections in people who are fully vaccinated. These have been less common in Baker County than in Oregon as a whole.

From Aug. 1 through Sept. 19, Baker County has had 60 breakthrough cases out of 604 total cases, a rate of 9.9%. In the most recent week for which numbers are available, Sept. 12-18, the county’s breakthrough case rate was 10.8%.

Statewide, the breakthrough case rate has been 20.2% since Aug. 1, according to OHA data.

Age breakdown

A majority of the county’s cases during September — 69.2% from Sept. 1-27 — were people younger than 50.

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

Following are statistics for age ranges, starting with the group with the highest share of cases from Sept. 1-27.

Ages 10 to 19

This group, which numbers about 1,350 in Baker County, accounted for 21% of cases from Sept. 1-27 — the highest among age groups for that period — and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this group is 27.6, up from 26.5% on Sept. 14. That includes only residents 12 and older, as younger residents are not eligible to be vaccinated. The statewide average is 60.5%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 22.6%; Malheur, 31.8%; Union, 31/3%; Wallowa, 40.8%.

Ages 30 to 39

This group of about 1,950 people had 18.4% of the county’s cases from Sept. 1-27, and 18% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate among county residents in their 30s is 34.6%, up from 33.1% on Sept. 14. The statewide average for that age group is 72.5%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 43.5%; Malheur, 32.5%; Union, 50.4%; Wallowa, 52.3%.

Ages 50 to 59

There are about 2,300 residents in this age range in Baker County, and they accounted for about 11.2% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 13% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 46.7%, compared with 45.4% on Sept. 14. The statewide average of 74.6%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 41.9%; Malheur, 46.7%; Union, 49.8%; Wallowa, 57.2%.

Ages 40 to 49

There are about 1,650 residents in this age range in Baker County, and they accounted for about 10.9% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 11.8% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 46.8%, up from 45% on Sept. 14. The statewide average is 74.9%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 42.7%; Malheur, 42.3%; Union, 49.8%; Wallowa, 59.9%.

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 11.4% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 3.7% of cases from Aug. 16-31. This group has had the biggest increase in percentage of cases during September, compared with the second half of August.

Ages 60 to 69

There are about 3,100 residents in this age range. They accounted for 9.8% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age group is 55.7%, up from 55.2% on Sept. 14. The statewide average is 78.8%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 47%; Malheur, 59.5%; Union, 64.1%; Wallowa, 66.9%.

Ages 20 to 29

This group, which numbers about 1,300 in Baker County, accounted for 7.4% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 14.3% from Aug. 16-31. This age group had the largest drop in percentage of total cases in September, compared with the second half of August.

The vaccination rate for residents in their 20s is 37.1%, up from 34.6% on Sept. 14. The statewide average is 67%.

The vaccination rate for the 20-29 age category in adjoining counties — Grant, 49.6%; Malheur, 28.2%; Union, 47%; Wallowa, 62.8%.

Ages 70 to 79

There are about 2,200 residents in this age group, and they accounted for 7.2% of cases from Sept. 1-27, and 5.6% from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for this age range is 68%, up from 67.3% on Sept. 14. The statewide average of 87.2%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 55.7%; Malheur, 60.3%; Union, 72.5%; Wallowa, 81.6%.

Ages 80 and older

There are about 1,100 residents in this age category, and they accounted for 2.7% of cases from Sept. 1-27. There were no cases in this age range from Aug. 16-31.

The vaccination rate for people 80 and older is 70.1%, up from 69.7% on Sept. 14. This is the highest rate for any group in the county. The statewide average is 80.2%.

The vaccination rate for the age range in adjoining counties — Grant, 46%; Malheur, 61.6%; Union, 59.5%; Wallowa, 64.4%.