A giant coronavirus outbreak in a small county in northeastern Oregon surged to 119 new cases Tuesday, once again pushing the state to a new record for single-day cases, the state and county said.
At least 236 coronavirus cases have been linked to an outbreak at Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Union County’s Island City, a small town near La Grande, state deputy epidemiologist Tom Janne confirmed. The outbreak accounts for 47 percent of the 462 cases reported statewide. from Monday.
“This makes it the COVID-19 outbreak in Oregon to date,” Janne said.
The outbreak comes as Oregon begins to reopen, and its spread may serve as a check on how Gov. Kate Brown will respond to the resurgence of coronavirus cases.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Union County is now ten times higher than on Sunday, having increased from 22 to 121 to 240 cases. Its current rate of positive coronavirus tests is the highest in the state, at 22 percent.
Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Brown’s office, said Tuesday that the governor is waiting to see if additional contact tracers sent to Union County through the Oregon Health Authority will be enough to prevent further spread of the virus, before deciding to restart a stricter stay. . Home restrictions.
“All features are on the table, but OHA is still comparing what specific interventions can be implemented before rolling back the county in the reopening process,” Boyle said.
Union County moved into Phase 2 of Brown’s reopening plan on June 5. The momentary phase of reopening eases restrictions on restaurants and causes churches to gather while social distancing measures are respected.
A now-deleted video from the church’s Facebook page showed many worshippers singing, dancing and jumping at a service on May 24, before communities were allowed to gather in giant groups.
Jeanne said the county and state have already gained the effects of the coronavirus for 356 members of Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church and eliminated most members of the congregation.
But, he said, public fitness officials were just beginning the contact tracing procedure to track the extent to which the virus may have spread to Island City and La Grande. The city of La Grande is home to more than a portion of the county’s population of 27,000.
Jeanne said state officials have enough touch trackers to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. Union County has five touch trackers and the state sends another 10 staff members to help with touch tracking, Janne said. He said neighboring counties were also offering support.
“At this point, we expect there may not be many more (instances),” Janne said, “but that’s why contact tracing, quarantine and close tracing will be important. If there are secondary instances or more instances, we’ll see. “
Union County public fitness officials said the church has been “very responsive and has taken appropriate steps for the fitness and protection of its congregation. “
One user who answered by phone at church ended the call when asked about the outbreak via The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday. One leader declined an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday.
The Grande Observer reported that the church recently held a wedding and rite of graduation that brought together more than a hundred people at the event.
Jeanne said five other people had been hospitalized as a result of the church-related outbreak.
“Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, so we’re following it closely,” Janne said.
Union County has recorded deaths from COVID-19.
The outbreak in Union County comes a week after 132 coronavirus cases were connected to an outbreak at Pacific Seafood in Newport. The outbreak at Pacific Seafood has threatened to create an economic and public health crisis in the small coastal town of Newport.
— Celina Tebor
ctebor@oregonian. com
@CelinaTebor
–Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian. com | @jamiebgoldberg
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