Kelly Kenoyer
The Oregon Health Authority is now publishing COVID-19 case numbers by zip code, meaning it is now possible to differentiate case counts within Linn County.
Linn County has 31 new cases since last week, with a total of 232 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The state of Oregon has had 17,088 cases so far, with 289 deaths.
There have been a total of 13 cases in Sweet Home’s zip code since the count began in late March, with one new case reported since July 15.
The new, more detailed, data shows that Sweet Home’s per capita case rate is at 8.8, compared to 18 per 10,000 in Albany’s two zip codes.
Capt. Michelle Duncan of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office is helping Linn County Health Department provide information to residents in the county.
“I think anytime you’re going to have more concentration of people, like Albany versus Sweet Home, you’re going to have a higher rate,” she said.
Despite the lower numbers in Sweet Home, Duncan said it’s not time to throw caution to the wind.
“I don’t think any population is immune to it,” she said. “The orders are statewide for a reason.”
Duncan said there’s a risk of an increase in cases if “people aren’t taking the appropriate precautions, you know, the social distancing washing your hands, masks where they’re mandated.”
Current statewide orders limit indoor gatherings to 10 or fewer people, require masks in indoor public places and mandate masks for outdoor public areas where social distancing is impossible.
More restrictions were enacted on Friday, July 24, including a mandate for face coverings on children ages 5 and up.
Restaurants and bars now must close at 10 p.m. statewide, and face coverings are required when exercising indoors, plus outdoors when people cannot physically distance.
There is also a new capacity limit for restaurants, gyms, venues like concert halls, movie theaters: The maximum capacity is reduced to 100 people indoors, including staff.
When it comes to personal choices with COVID-19, Duncan said it’s up to individual community members to determine their own level of risk.
“The elderly population is more susceptible for the virus becoming more serious. They would, I hope, take more precautions, or their family members would take more precautions around them. But as far as going to visit family members and things like that, that’s going to be a personal choice,” Duncan said.
Duncan also addressed rumors about masks being dangerous for one’s health. “I’m not aware of anything that has proven that wearing a mask is going to deprive anyone of oxygen.”
Masks are an effective barrier for preventing “respiratory droplets” from traveling to other people. Those respiratory droplets, which come from everyone’s mouth and nose when they breathe, talk or sing, are the main infection agent for COVID-19. Masks help keep one’s respiratory droplets to oneself, and in combination with social distancing, they appear to reduce transmission very significantly, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The largest outbreaks in Linn County have been traced to “the two isolated areas of the Lebanon Veterans Hall, and Oregon national frozen foods,” Duncan said. But elder care homes and food processing plants aren’t the only risky areas. “If you get a handful of people in there at the right place, there could be outbreaks,” Duncan said. “In other parts of the state, there have been outbreaks that have been linked to grocery stores, medical clinics, all kinds of other places.”