Warning Week Data Indicates Possible Change to Moderate Risk Category
By Paul Hall on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
Early indications received late yesterday from Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) state that Union County may be able to move to the COVID-19 Moderate Risk Level on January 15. Preliminary data is based on case counts, and as we move into the established Warning Week, it appears likely that Union County will move to a lower risk category.
According to the OHA website: The Governor’s Office updates County Risk Levels every two weeks in response to how COVID-19 is spreading in a community. Tuesday of Week One, (called the Warning Week), data for the previous two weeks is published so counties can prepare for potential risk level changes the following week.
On Tuesday of Week Two (called the Movement Week), updated data is published and County Risk Levels are determined. Risk Levels take effect on Friday of the Movement Week and remain in effect for the next two weeks while this process repeats. The current Warning Week is for the period of January 3-9, and the Movement Week will be next week, beginning January 10, with a possible change in risk category to begin on Friday, January 15.
The Warning Week is based on local county COVID case counts and the test positivity rate for the period of December 20, 2020, through January 2, 2021. During the two-week time period, Union County recorded 43 positive test results and a 3.9% test positivity rate. It is important to note that the data is preliminary and Union County currently remains in the Extreme Risk category until January 15 or longer according to the Governor’s latest matrix. If the county is able to move to a lower risk category based on criteria from Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority, changes to various occupancy limits and permissible activities will be officially announced on January 12 and take effect January 15.
Officials advise individuals to continue taking precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Information on case counts, hospital and healthcare capacity, zip code, and age distribution of cases can be found on the Oregon Health Authority website at https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA COVID-19. Individuals who have mild symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home unless the signs of illness are serious enough that you would normally seek health care.
If seeking health care, call your health care provider in advance to plan for how to be seen while taking care to avoid spreading the illness to others. If it is an emergency, call 911. Additional information regarding COVID-19 can be found at the Oregon Health Authority site https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control site https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV, or Center for Human Development, Union County Public Health site at www.chdinc.org/covid19.
