JaCo, JoCo, Klamath Co, to join 12 other Oregon counties in going down to 'high risk' beginning Friday

SALEM, Ore. — Governor Kate Brown announced updates to county risk levels under the state’s public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19.

With the statewide 7-day average increase for hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients dropping below 15%, Oregon no longer meets the statewide metrics for the Extreme Risk level, according to the state.

Effective Friday, May 7, 15 counties will return to High Risk. In total, 24 counties will be at High Risk, four at Moderate Risk, and eight at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their risk levels are available here

Governor Brown released the following statement,

Let me be clear: across the state, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still high, and Oregon is not out of the woods yet. However, we have met the hospitalization metric established by our health experts for counties to return to High Risk. From the beginning, I have said that returning counties to the Extreme Risk level was about preserving hospital capacity and saving lives. With our statewide hospitalization rate stabilizing, our hospitals should have the capacity to continue treating patients with severe cases of COVID-19 and other serious medical conditions in the coming weeks.

“Based on today’s numbers, I am keeping my commitment to Oregonians. Beginning Friday, all counties in Extreme Risk will return to High Risk. With Oregonians continuing to get vaccinated each week, my expectation is that we will not return to Extreme Risk again for the duration of this pandemic.

“I know this will bring relief to many across the state. However, the lifting of Extreme Risk health and safety measures comes with great personal responsibility for us all. If Oregonians continue to keep up their guard, follow High Risk health and safety measures, and get vaccinated as fast as possible, we should see our COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates decline. I’d like to thank Oregonians for taking this surge seriously for the last several weeks. It’s because of you that our hospitals have not been overwhelmed.”