The Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Union County. At least 236 coronavirus cases have been linked to an outbreak at the church, which is located in Union County’s Island City. (Ronald Bond/The Observer via AP) AP
A large coronavirus outbreak in a small northeast Oregon county grew by 119 new cases Tuesday, yet again pushing the state to a new record number of cases confirmed in a single day, state and county officials 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, confirmed Deputy State Epidemiologist Tom Jeanne. The outbreak accounts for 47% of the 462 cases reported statewide since Monday.
“That does make this the largest single outbreak of COVID-19 in Oregon to date,” Jeanne said.
The outbreak comes as Oregon gradually starts to reopen, and its spread could serve as a test case for how Gov. Kate Brown will respond to a resurgence of coronavirus cases.
Union County’s COVID-19 case count is now ten times what it was on Sunday, after leaping from 22, to 121, to 240 cases. Its current rate of positive coronavirus tests is the highest in the state, at 22%.
Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Brown’s office, said Tuesday that the governor is waiting to see whether additional contact tracers sent to Union County by the Oregon Health Authority will be enough to prevent further spread of the virus, before deciding whether to revive stricter stay-home restrictions.
“All options are on the table, however OHA is still assessing what targeted interventions can be implemented before we consider moving the county backwards in the reopening process,” Boyle said.
Union County moved into Phase 2 of Brown’s reopening plan June 5. The second phase of reopening loosens restrictions on restaurants and allows venues such as churches to reconvene while adhering to social distancing measures.
A now-deleted video from the church’s Facebook page showed hundreds of worshipers singing, dancing, and jumping around during a service on May 24, before faith communities were allowed to convene in large groups.
Jeanne said the county and state had already received coronavirus test results for 356 members of the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church, and had tested most members of the congregation.
But, he said, public health officials were just beginning the process of contact tracing to track how far the virus might have spread throughout Island City and La Grande. The city of La Grande holds more than half the county’s population of 27,000 people.
Jeanne said state officials believe they have enough contact tracers to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Union County has five contact tracers, and the state is sending 10 more staffers to help with contact tracing, Jeanne said. He said neighboring counties are providing support, as well.
“At this point, we would hope there won’t be a lot more (cases),” Jeanne said, “but that’s what contact tracing, quarantine and close follow up will be important for. If there are any secondary cases or additional cases, we’ll see.”
Union County public health officials said the church has been “very responsive and is taking appropriate steps to ensure the health and safety of their congregation.”
A person who answered the phone at the church ended the call when asked about the outbreak by The Oregonian/OregonLive Monday. A faith leader declined an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive Tuesday.
The La Grande Observer reported the church recently held a wedding and a graduation ceremony that had over 100 people at each event.
Jeanne said five people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak tied to the church.
“Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator and so, we’re keeping a close eye on that,” Jeanne said.
Union County has not recorded any deaths from COVID-19.
The outbreak in Union County comes a week after 132 coronavirus cases were linked to an outbreak at Pacific Seafood in Newport. The outbreak at Pacific Seafood has threatened to create a public health and economic crisis in the small coastal town of Newport.
— Celina Tebor
@CelinaTebor
— Jamie Goldberg | [email protected] | @jamiebgoldberg
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