THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
LOCAL & REGION
Umatilla County reports 179 COVID-19 cases in Round-Up outbreak
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Umatilla
County health offi cials have traced
nearly 180 COVID-19 cases to
events that occurred during the
week of the Pendleton Round-Up.
But the initial spike in cases
that followed the week-long rodeo
seem to be on a slight decline, said
Umatilla County Public Health
Director Joe Fiumara.
“I’m hoping we’ve gotten past
the initial bump,” Fiumara said
after reporting the 179 cases. “Time
will tell. It will be important for
people who are sick to stay home.”
County offi cials were expecting
to report a record-high COVID-19
case count last week, but as the
week wore on, case counts began to
lower. Last week’s total amounted
to 487 cases, making it the county’s
third most infectious week since
the pandemic started.
It’s a positive sign after an
alarming initial bump in cases,
Fiumara said, but infection rates
remain far higher than they were
before the delta variant surge
began in mid-July.
“It’s hard to be happy with cases
dropping to 50 or 60 each day,”
Fiumara said.
The decrease, Fiumara said, also
doesn’t mean increased COVID-19
hospitalizations and deaths won’t
follow, as they have after previous
pandemic surges.
“Both of our hospitals have
seen cases and hospitalizations go
college football games in Oregon
that have those requirements and
have yet to see an outbreak.
There is no state rule that says
organizers must require a proof of
COVID-19 vaccination or negative
test to hold an event.
Pendleton Round-Up General
Manager Erika Patton did not re-
turn a call seeking comment prior
to press time.
Cases stemming from the
week-long rodeo have so far been
reported in Oregon, Washington
and Montana, as well as Umatilla,
Jefferson, Morrow, Wallowa and
Union counties, according to Mike
Stensrud, an epidemiologist with
Umatilla County Public Health.
The vast majority of cases have
been reported in Umatilla County
— 166.
But the county still doesn’t
know if the outbreak could be
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File larger, as contact tracers have
only been able to interview 81% of
Fans cheer during the grand entry Sept. 18, 2021, of the 111th Pendleton Round-Up at the Round-
Up Grounds.
identifi ed cases stemming from the
Round-Up.
The county plans to disclose
up a little,” Fiumara said of Good
As of Monday, Oct. 4, 10 out of
showed 85% of COVID-19 cases
Shepherd Medical Center, Hermis- the hospital’s 18 inpatients had
traced to the week-long rodeo were more data soon about where the
cases occurred during Round-Up
ton, and CHI St. Anthony Hospital, COVID-19.
among unvaccinated people.
week to inform residents about
Pendleton.
“With 25 inpatient beds set up
Health offi cials have said some of
their likelihood of exposure to the
Harry Geller, St. Anthony’s
and staffed, we have not yet gone
the cases came from people who
president, said in an email that
over capacity,” Geller said. “We’ve
had COVID-19 symptoms prior to virus and and to inform future
event planning.
the hospital has seen a “signifi cant come close on many occasions, but Round-Up but still chose to come.
Umatilla County has reported
increase” in patients admitted to its so far, so good.”
The Round-Up required no proof
13,596 COVID-19 cases since the
emergency department during the
of vaccination or negative CO-
past two weeks. Staff are treating
Unvaccinated account for 85% VID-19 to enter the grounds. Had pandemic began, according to coun-
between 45 to 55 patients per day.
there been a requirement, Fiumara ty health data. In all, 129 county
of cases from Round-Up
residents who have contracted the
“During normal times, we aver-
said some of the infection could
Data provided by the county
virus have died.
age 32 patients per day,” Geller said. health department late last week
have been avoided. He pointed to
Fire retardant could be ‘game-changer’ in fi ghting wildfi res
after a couple inches of rain,
making the one-and-done ap-
BOISE — U.S. offi cials on plication less expensive.
Cost, Goldberg said, de-
Tuesday, Oct. 5 approved a
long-lasting fi re retardant that pends on the topography and
could signifi cantly aid in fi ght- ranges from $7,000 to $15,000
per mile covering a 20-foot-
ing increasingly destructive
wide strip.
wildfi res by stopping them
Goldberg said the product
before they ever start.
will likely be most effective in
The U.S. Forest Service
the drier climate of the U.S.
approved Perimeter Solu-
West, and could be applied in
tions’ fi re retardant that
the spring to offer fi re protec-
is intended to be used as a
preventive measure and can tion throughout the wildfi re
season. In July, it was applied
last for months.
to the grounds at former
It’s similar to the com-
President Ronald Reagan’s
pany’s red-dyed retardant
coastal mountain ranch in
dropped from aircraft while
the Santa Ynez mountains
fi ghting active wildfi res,
in California near Santa
but it’s clear and sprayed
Barbara.
by ground-based workers
The company also said
and equipment.
the new fi re retardant had
“The real game-changer
been applied at the start of
here is once you treat it, you
the wildfi re season along a
can forget it,” said Edward
fi re-prone, 4-mile stretch of
Goldberg, chief executive
California’s Route 118. That
offi cer of St. Louis, Missouri-
resulted in no fi res that sea-
based Perimeter Solutions.
“It’s there for the whole year.” son, the company said, after
the previous fi re season saw
The company said its
primary use will be by indus- 37 fi res start along the same
trial customers such as utility stretch of road.
Stanton Florea, a spokes-
companies and railroads, but
man for the U.S. Forest
it can also be used to protect
Service based at the National
residential and commercial
properties. It’s intended to be Interagency Fire Center in
Boise, said the agency had no
sprayed on vegetation, not
comment about its approval
homes themselves, but can
be sprayed on such things as of the Perimeter Solutions’
fi re retardant.
wood fences.
Goldberg said the new
The company’s existing
retardant is also used for that retardant has the potential to
purpose, but can be problem- reduce the overall number of
atic because it’s only effective wildfi res, freeing up fi refi ght-
ers that have been in short
until rain washes it away.
Goldberg said the new product supply in recent years.
The fi re center on its
will remain effective even
By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press
Ethan Swope/Associated Press, File
Flames consume a house near Old Oregon Trail as the Fawn Fire burns about 10 miles north of Redding in
Shasta County, California, on Sep. 23, 2021.
website said that so far this
year, about 46,500 wildfi res
have burned 10,000 square
miles. Those numbers are at
roughly the 10-year average
for number of wildfi res and
area burned.
Currently, there are 52
large wildfi res, 18 of them in
Idaho, nine in California and
nine more in Montana.
The center is currently at
National Preparedness Level
3, having dropped down from
the maximum level 5 earlier
this year when resources for
fi ghting wildfi res were hard to
come by.
The center said that cooler,
more favorable weather will
pass through much of the
Western U.S. in the next
several days, but that drought
conditions still leave the
region open for continued
wildfi re potential.
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