Lincoln County Public Health announced today 5 more confirmed COVID-19 cases. Three of the cases had close contact with an individual confirmed to have COVID-19.  One case is from community spread that was incorrectly assigned to another county and has been updated to reflect being in Lincoln County.  The 5th case is also a result of community spread.  This brings to current case count to 15 confirmed and 1 presumptive – which will show on the Oregon Health Authority website as 16 cases.

This marks the first time an outbreak has been assigned for COVID-19 in Lincoln County, which means several cases are linked to one event.  The individuals all attended the same family gathering as the juvenile confirmed positive case last week. Although Phase 1 permits gatherings of up to 25 people, individuals must be able to physically distance and wear face coverings to prevent the spread. Public Health continues to do contact tracing for the outbreak and for the new cases.

The confirmed case details are:

• Person between the ages of 11 and 19, not hospitalized, part of the family gathering outbreak.

• Person between the ages of 0 and 9, not hospitalized, part of the family gathering outbreak.

• Person in their 30s, not hospitalized, part of the family gathering outbreak. This was a presumptive positive case, now confirmed.

• Person in their 30s, not hospitalized, community spread

• Person in their 40s, not hospitalized, community spread.  This person was incorrectly assigned to another county and a data correction placed the case in Lincoln County

In addition to the confirmed cases, there is a new presumptive positive case that is not part of the family gathering outbreak.  This person has symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed positive case so is noted as “presumptive positive” until the test results come back.

“We understand that not seeing your family and friends can feel extremely challenging, especially in a time of crisis like this when you may normally rely on them for support,” said Nicole Fields, Deputy Director of Public Health. “If you do choose to see family and friends in person, it is critically important for us all to take precautions. Remember the basics and keep 6 feet of distance, wear a mask, wash your hands often, and try not to touch your face.” 

Public Health strongly encourages the public to follow the OHA guidelines:

• Stay home if you are sick.

• To avoid exposure to COVID-19, people who are at risk for severe complications (over age 60 or have underlying medical conditions) should stay home even if you feel well.

• If you become symptomatic (cough, fever, shortness of breath) while in public, please return home and self-isolate immediately. Contact your health care provider if you need medical attention.

• Practice good hand hygiene with frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer (60-95% alcohol content).

• Cover coughs/sneezes with elbow or tissue. If you use a tissue, immediately discard tissue in garbage and your wash hands.

• Avoid touching your face.

• Practice physical distancing of at least six (6) feet between you and people who you do not live with.

• Use cloth, paper or disposable face coverings in public. As Oregon is reopening and restrictions are being lifted on businesses and public spaces, it may be difficult to ensure that you can stay six (6) feet away from others at all times. Please review Mask and Face Covering Guidance for Business, Transit and the Public.

• Stay close to home. Avoid overnight trips and minimize other non-essential travel, including recreational day trips to destinations outside the community where you live. Travel the minimum distance needed to obtain essential services; in rural areas, residents may have to travel greater distances for essential services, while in urban areas, residents may only need to travel a few miles for those services.

You can find more information at www.co.lincoln.or.us/covid