Crook County reports first COVID-19 case

Apparently travel-related, not hospitalized

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Crook County Health Department reported Wednesday afternoon the first case of COVID-19 in the county, apparently travel-related. They said the person is not hospitalized but is self-isolating and is fully cooperating with public health officials.

"The Health Department in partnership with the county and city will continue to respond to this declared emergency," the announcement said.

"For some time now, it has been known the virus is present in the community, and now through the ability to do more relaxed testing it will be possible to identify positive cases," the department added. 

As of Wednesday morning, the Oregon Health Authority had reported 15 COVID-19 test results from Crook County, all negative. Deschutes County has had 27 cases and 277 negative results, while Jefferson County has had 16 test results, all negative. OHA updates their numbers once a day.

As novel coronavirus – aka COVID-19 – continues to spread, local health officials stress that the health and well-being of our community is paramount.  The safety of staff and community members are the highest priority and efforts will continue around releasing updates to the public with the most current information and guidelines available.

The leadership of Crook County and the city of Prineville respects and values the privacy of community members and the confidentiality regarding medical information. Therefore, no identifiable information will be released about presumptive or confirmed cases in Crook County.

The Crook County Health Department Communicable Disease team has already started working diligently to identify and notify all known contacts of the positive case through case investigation.

• Case investigation includes identifying all known contacts of the positive cases so proper notification and risk assessment can occur. This allows local public health to then apply monitoring requirements set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Oregon Health Authority.
  • The process is to identify how the patients were exposed and who else may have been exposed. That work is underway now and will be ongoing for this and any future cases identified in Crook County.
  • Status on investigation of known contacts is ongoing.  Currently all persons under monitoring are cooperative and following the guidance.
  • Any persons under monitoring will be monitored by Crook County Health Department for a minimum of 14 days.

Crook County Health Department has been part of a tri-county response around COVID-19 since the first of March and will continue to work closely with neighboring counties along with our local city and county organizations.

Local Public Health and the Oregon Health Authority continue to recommend people in Oregon take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of many respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza - The CDC is recommending non-pharmaceutical interventions to slow the spread of COVID-19, and other respiratory infections (including flu and pertussis) by taking everyday preventive actions, including:

• If you feel sick, call ahead to your healthcare provider to discuss whether or not you need to be seen. 
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.
• Take care of your health overall. Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well and exercising all help your body stay resilient.
• Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the US.
• Stay home if you are sick and talk with your employer now about a plan if you do become ill and cannot show up for work.
• It is advised that anyone with compromised immune systems, chronic medical conditions and the elderly not attend large events and practice social distancing to protect yourselves.

For more information or general questions contact:

Crook County Health Department

375 NW Beaver Street, Suite 100

Prineville, OR 97754

Office:  541-447-5165

If you have questions about COVID-19, call 541-699-5109, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The call center is set up to take your calls.  You may also call 211 for general inquiries.