By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Lincoln County residents and businesses have dodged a coronavirus bullet. Four of them, to be exact.
The county was notified Monday that it will stay in the “high risk” category for coronavirus restrictions until Jan. 28 after falling four COVID-19 cases short of moving into the “extreme risk” category.
Last week the Oregon Health Authority warned county officials that based on rising case numbers, Lincoln County would likely move out of the “high” risk category and back to “extreme” risk Friday.
That didn’t happen, meaning – among other things — that restaurants can continue to offer inside dining. Also, gyms, pools, theaters and other businesses offering inside entertainment can stay open. Limits on social gatherings are also slightly loosened.
The OHA notified Lincoln County Public Health on Monday that the county had 96 confirmed COVID-19 cases from Dec. 27 through Jan. 9 – four cases below the line where tighter restrictions would have kicked in.
“I’m surprised – but surprised in a good way,” county Commissioner Claire Hall said Monday when told of the numbers. “I imagine people will be surprised we didn’t go over.”
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday made the formal announcement of new coronavirus risk levels for counties across the state, shifting three additional counties on the coast and in eastern Oregon to the highest concern level. Twenty-six of Oregon’s 36 counties are now classified as an “extreme risk” to COVID-19 spread, the highest possible level. Clatsop, Coos and Morrow counties were elevated to the extreme risk level, joining the Portland area and all counties in the Willamette Valley.
Lincoln County officials said they were anticipating a return to the extreme risk category because daily case numbers from the OHA seemed to be on their way to be more than 100. But the agency notified the county Monday that the total was 96 for the 14-day period which determines if a county stays in or changes risk categories.
“We’re not sure why the OHA daily reports were showing something different (than Monday’s report),” Susan Trachsel, spokeswoman for the health department said Tuesday. “We’re surprised as well. We thought we were 1-2 cases away (from moving up) on Friday.”
The new two-week “high risk” period begins Friday and goes through Jan. 28. The case-counting period for what happens after Jan. 28 is Sunday, Jan. 10 through Saturday, Jan. 23,Trachsel said.
Placement in – or movement between — one of four “risk categories” occurs every two weeks. But each week the state lets counties know how COVID-19 numbers are doing and whether they are in jeopardy of moving into a higher category, which carries greater restrictions.
Lincoln County originally started in the “moderate” category Dec. 4 because it’s low COVID-19 rate in November. But a spike in cases after Thanksgiving jumped it to the “extreme” category and the state’s tightest restrictions Dec. 18. Then a decline in new cases meant dropping to “high” on Jan. 1.
The threshold between the “high” and “extreme” categories is 200 cases per 100,000 population over a two-week period – or 100 cases in Lincoln County, which has a population of 50,000.
Counties are assigned one of four risk levels based on the spread of COVID-19 infections: extreme, high, moderate and lower. The higher the level, the more restrictions on activities, businesses and gatherings.
