By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
The number of COVID-19 cases in Lincoln County has tripled in the past week, jumping from 10 to 30 by Friday.
Lincoln County Public Health announced three more confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday and four more “presumptive” case, for a total of 30.
Nine of the cases – seven confirmed and two presumptive — involve an outbreak detected this week among the 375 workers at Pacific Seafood on the Newport bayfront, prompting closure and cleaning of the processing plant Friday and Saturday. Friday’s two cases were connected to the outbreak at Pacific Seafood.
Four other cases are related to a family gathering over the Memorial Day weekend. The county announced five more cases Thursday – three confirmed and two “presumptive” cases waiting for test results. One week ago Lincoln County had 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Thursday evening the agency and Pacific Seafood issued a news release saying that five of this week’s cases were connected to the processing plant. The company said none of the workers have been back in the plant since Monday.
Seafood processors on the Oregon coast are in full swing this time of year, drawing hundreds of temporary workers from around the Northwest and Willamette Valley. Like many food processors in the Northwest and across the country they are very susceptible to COVID-19 outbreaks but are considered essential businesses and do not have to close.
Pacific Seafood and Bornstein Seafood plants in Clatsop County were shut down in May because of outbreaks there. The bulk of that county’s 46 COVID-19 cases can be traced to the plants, the county’s health director said this week, as he called on state agencies to more closely inspect plants and conduct regular testing.
John Moody, general manager of Pacific Seafood in Newport, said the company will suspend operations Friday and Saturday to sanitize its buildings and will be offering COVID-19 testing to all employees at company expense.
Public Health officials weeks ago had expressed concern about the influx of seafood processing workers to Newport and the chance they could be carrying the coronavirus into the county.
They also believe the sudden increase in cases – still proportionally low for a mostly rural county of 50,000 people – follows the reopening of much of the county to visitors and other Memorial Day weekend activity two weeks ago.
“We knew this could happen because this is what the research shows will happen” 7-14 days after restrictions are cut back, said Susan Trachsel, spokeswoman for Lincoln County Public Health.
Trachsel said the county has 12 Public Health employees trained to trace contacts by people who test positive, and can call in more trained volunteers if needed.
Nicole Fields, deputy director of Public Health, tracing is generally done by phone and encouraged Pacific Seafood workers, their friends and families to please answer the call or return the message.
“These calls help us keep our families and communities safe,” she said. “Local public and tribal health authorities will never ask for your social security number, credit card number, bank account or billing information, or immigration status.”
Many of the workers speak Spanish or languages from eastern Europe.
In a news release Thursday night, Pacific Seafood said is has instituted “robust” sanitation and cleaning protocols, with staff cleaning common touch areas every hour, conducting more extensive cleanings twice daily, and cleaning of break areas after every use. All workers will be provided face coverings and production workers will have face shields, the company said, with daily temperature checks at the start of all shifts. Barriers are being installed between work stations, work shifts are being staggered to help with social distancing, and access is being restricted to outside visitors, it said.
The 15 cases announced this week included six on Monday, two on Tuesday, and four on Wednesday.
Thursday’s cases involved:
- An adult in their 20s, not hospitalized and who was a close contact of a confirmed case;
- An adult in their 40s, not hospitalized and who was a close contact of a confirmed case.
- A child under the age of 9, not hospitalized and who was a close contact of a confirmed case. It is the second case involving child in the county.
More cases expected following Memorial Day
Health officials said earlier this week they expect more positive COVID-19 cases to come out of Memorial Day gatherings. This weekend also involves high school graduation parties and the full reopening of motels and vacation rentals across the county.
“I guarantee we will see an increase in our county,” health department director Rebecca Austen told county commissioners during an online meeting Monday. “I do think these five cases are a bit of a wakeup call for us. The coast has been in a bit of a bubble, but that bubble is breaking.”
Austen said the county and cities don’t need to go back to tighter regulations, but that people need to take precautions — wearing face coverings, staying six feet apart, washing hands frequently and limiting nonessential travel — if they want to continue to see a lower than average rate of COVID-19 cases and no local hospitalizations.
“People need to think differently,” Austen told commissioners. “We are going to see a spike. But the important thing is to keep this away from vulnerable people who will have to be hospitalized.”
In announcing the outbreak this week, county officials offered warnings about holding high school graduation parties and alternatives to doing so.
Health officials said that even though most of Oregon is in the first phase of reopening, gatherings are still limited to no more than 25 people and individuals must be able to keep themselves at least six feet away from others and wear masks.
“We understand that not seeing your family and friends can feel extremely challenging, especially in a time of crisis like this when you may normally rely on them for support,” said Fields. “If you do choose to see family and friends in person, it is critically important for us to all take precautions.”
That includes, she said, keeping six feet apart, wearing a mark, washing hands often, and not touching your face.
Lincoln County has benefitted from being mostly rural and relatively isolated from the Willamette Valley and other population centers. It was also one of a handful of Oregon counties who shut down all types of lodging to recreational visitors for two months. Those began reopening March 22 and fully reopened Monday.
The Oregon Health Authority released statistics Wednesday showing that there had been a statewide decline in the number of cases until this week, when there was a small percentage increase the agency attributed to more testing.
The agency said hospitalizations are falling, from 161 two weeks ago to 102 on Tuesday. Most importantly, it said, COVID-19 testing continues to increase while the percentage of positive tests has declined. Last week, 17,447 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Oregon, the highest weekly total since the first case was diagnosed at the end of February.
Oregon’s positive test percentage is 1.7 percent, which is down the 2.6 percent positive rate May 15. Nationally, the rate of positive tests is approximately 12 percent.
There have been 1,629 coronavirus tests conducted in Lincoln County and a total of 139,188 statewide.
Previous Lincoln County cases:
- June 3: A person in their 70s, not hospitalized and was a close contact of an already confirmed case. Was a previously “presumptive” case and is not connected to an outbreak.
- June 3: Person in their 40s, not hospitalized and a close contact of an already confirmed case.
- June 3: Person in their 30s, not hospitalized, no known contact with a confirmed case.
- June 3: Person in their 20s, not hospitalized, no known contact with a confirmed case.
- June 2: A person in their 30s, not hospitalized;
- June 2: A person in their 40s, not hospitalized but incorrectly assigned to another county until corrected;
- June 1: A person between the ages of 11 and 19 who is not hospitalized;
- June 1: A person younger than 9, not hospitalized;
- June 1: A person in their 30s initially considered a presumptive case but now with a positive COVID-19 test.
- May 28: A person age 11-19 who picked up coronavirus in the community, and attended the family gathering.
- May 24: A person in their 40s who did not have contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19. The person is self-isolating.
- May 16: A person in their 60s who had contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 and is isolating themselves.
- May 14: A person in their 60s who did not have any known contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19.
- May 6: A person in their 80s who tested positive before an outpatient procedure.
- April 20: A person in their 60s who also acquired the coronavirus in the community.
- April 2: A person in their 30s who had no known contact with a confirmed case.
- April 1: A person over 80 who had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
- March 31: A person in their 20s who had contact with someone outside the county confirmed to have the coronavirus and then tested positive.
- March 24: A Lincoln County resident who contracted COVID-19 while out of the county and was treated outside the county.