Two more Baker County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported on Monday, Nov. 29.

The two deaths bring the county’s death toll during the pandemic to 33.

An 81-year-old woman from Baker County died Nov. 26 at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. The woman, who had no underlying medical conditions, tested positive on Nov. 19, according to OHA.

A 67-year-old woman who tested positive on Nov. 2 died on Nov. 27, also at Saint Alphonsus in Boise. She also had no underlying medical conditions, according to OHA.

“Every death leaves a hole in our community, and I know these losses can be especially hard during the holidays,” said Nancy Staten, director of the Baker County Health Department. “My heart goes out to all of the family and friends of these two women, I’m so sorry for what they are going through.”

Three county residents died during November after testing positive.

There were five deaths in the county during October, and a record six during September.

September was also the peak of the surge in infections driven by the more contagious delta variant. Baker County reported 465 cases during the month, breaking the previous record of 300 cases in August 2021.

Case numbers have dropped significantly during the fall, to 168 during October and to 143 in November, the fewest since July 2021 (91 cases).

Infections have been rising during the past two weeks, however.

During the first 15 days of November, the county had 54 cases.

There were 89 cases during the second half of the month.

Vaccination

In Baker County, 54.1% of residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to OHA.

That’s the fifth-lowest rate among Oregon’s 36 counties.

Counties with lower vaccination rates include two that border Baker County — Grant (49.3%) and Malheur (48%). The two others will lower rates are Gilliam (49.9%) and Lake (44.3%).

Vaccination rates for other adjoining counties are 58.3% in Union (12th lowest) and Wallowa (68.7%, 16th highest rate).

In Baker County, the highest vaccination rate is among resident 65 and older, at 64.7%. The statewide rate for the age group is 82.2%.

Vaccination rates for other age ranges in Baker County:

• 50 to 64 — 49.3% (statewide, 73.2%)

• 20 to 49 — 38.7% (statewide, 69.3%)

•18 to 19 — 44.9% (statewide, 57.5%

• 12 to 17 — 22.8% (statewide, 58.9%)

• 5 to 11 — 5.6% have received a first dose (statewide, 20.5%)

Age breakdown

The Baker County Health Department on Wednesday, Dec. 1 released the age breakdown of COVID-19 cases during the second half of November.

The biggest change, compared with the first half of the month, is the prevalence of cases among county residents 50 and older.

From Nov. 1-15, that age range accounted for 45.2% of the county’s cases.

During the second half of the month — when the number of cases rose by 64.8% — 52.7% were in residents 50 or older.

The category with the biggest change was residents ages 50 to 59. For the first half of November, residents in their 50s accounted for 9.4% of cases. For the second half, that figure more than doubled, to 19.1%, almost one in every five cases. That was the largest percentage in any age group for that period.

There was an opposite trend for the county’s youngest residents.

In the first half of November, residents 9 and younger accounted for 17% of the county’s cases. For the second half of the month, that age range accounted for 9% of cases.

The full breakdown:

• Ages 0-4

Nov. 1-15 — 1.9%

Nov. 16-30 — 3.4%

• Ages 5-9

Nov. 1-15 — 15.1%

Nov. 16-30 — 5.6%

• Ages 10-19

Nov. 1-15 — 9.4%

Nov. 16-30 — 7.9%

• Ages 20-29

Nov. 1-15 — 7.6%

Nov. 16-30 — 10.1%

• Ages 30-39

Nov. 1-15 — 9.4%

Nov. 16-30 — 11.2%

• Ages 40-49

Nov. 1-15 — 11.3%

Nov. 16-30 — 9%

• Ages 50-59

Nov. 1-15 — 9.4%

Nov. 16-30 — 19.1%

• Ages 60-69

Nov. 1-15 — 11.3%

Nov. 16-30 — 15.7%

• Ages 70-79

Nov. 1-15 — 13.2%

Nov. 16-30 — 6.7%

• Ages 80 and older

Nov. 1-15 — 11.3%

Nov. 16-30 — 11.2%