Stock image

Officials from Deschutes County to Salem are concerned by the rising rate of COVID-19 among members of the tribal community in Warm Springs.

Health authority data show for the week of July 20 there were 404.8 infections per 10,000 residents in the ZIP code that includes U.S. Highway 26 and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs land. According to the 2010 U.S. Census data, the most current year for data, the population is about 3,987.

By comparison, Bend, with ZIP codes 97701, 97702 and 97703 and a population of about 97,590 has an average infection rate of 25.7 per 10,000 people, according to Oregon Health Authority weekly data report of infection rates for each ZIP code.

“My heart goes out to the community, which has been so severely impacted,” said Gov. Kate Brown, in an interview with The Bulletin. “We are offering every tool, every resource we have.”

In a community like Warm Springs that experiences a rising rate of COVID-19 infections, extra measures are necessary to quash the surge. Two weeks ago the community placed itself in quarantine, which was extended Monday for an additional two weeks.

If the ZIP code in Warm Springs were its own county, it would rank in the top 5% of counties in the nation with the highest incidence of new cases of COVID-19, according to an independent ranking of counties by The New York Times.

It’s a concern for health officials as well, such as those at St. Charles Bend, where Jefferson County patients experiencing the effects of COVID-19 are treated.On Monday, the Oregon Health Authority data showed that Crook County has had 43 people test positive for COVID-19 and one death; in Deschutes County there have been 540 positive cases and eight deaths, and Jefferson County has had 311 cases and three deaths.

Jefferson County, where the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation is located, is not the only county or community experiencing alarming rates of infection.

Umatilla and Morrow counties also have high rates per 10,000 people. Hermiston in Umatilla County has the second highest rate at 402 per 10,000, according to state health data. Boardman, Umatilla and Stanfield are among the top five cities with 300 or more cases per 10,000 people.

There are well over 800 counties in the United States with infection rates at or higher than Jefferson County’s, said Michael Johnson, St. Charles Health System data scientist.

“I’m not downplaying the situation in Jefferson County. We should all be concerned. I’m simply pointing out the tremendous variability throughout our state, the Northwest and across the country,” Johnson said. “The real focus should not be on the actual numbers or rates, but rather why Jefferson County has such a high rate, and what can we do to help that community reduce the spread of the virus.”

Brown said that Julie Johnson, the Oregon Health Authority liaison to Oregon’s tribes, has said in weekly calls that the state was supporting the Warm Springs quarantine efforts.

The Oregon Health Authority traced an initial outbreak at Warm Springs to the tribe’s traditional annual Salmon Feast at Celilo Falls on April 21. Cases have continued to rise due to the general community spread, as with many locations around Oregon.

Brown said all tribes have challenges, such as lack of access to adequate health care and high rates of diabetes.

“This population, in particular, is extremely vulnerable,” Brown said. “When I began taking action at the state level, the tribes took even further steps to protect their communities.”