Cars line up in a barn at the Union County Fairgrounds, La Grande, during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The state of emergency declared by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in March 2020 and extended several times over the past 24 months will finally be allowed to lapse on April 1.

PENDLETON — In many parts of Eastern Oregon, coronavirus infection rates have fallen to the lowest levels in months, according to state data and regional public health officials.

But with the omicron variant now having reached the United States, prompting travel restrictions while scientists worldwide have sounded an alarm, regional health officials are urging caution as families gather for the holidays.

“My advice for the typical Umatilla County resident would be, yes, this is something we may have to deal with down the road,” Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said of the omicron variant, which scientists say has the potential to be more transmissible and less susceptible to existing vaccines due to a high number of mutations. “It’s not something that will have to be dealt with today or tomorrow, but it might be next week.”

Plummeting numbers

Average daily coronavirus cases in Umatilla County have fallen to the lowest levels since April, the Oregon Health Authority reported. In Morrow County, case rates in recent weeks have fallen to among the lowest in Oregon.

“Casewise, we’re in about as good of a position as we could have ever hoped to be,” Fiumara said. “Over the last several weeks, our numbers have plummeted. And it’s a good thing.”

Since the peak of the delta variant surge that followed the Pendleton Round-Up, weekly cases in Umatilla County have declined for more than two months. Last week, the county reported just 41 cases total, according to Fiumara. Compare that to September, when the county reported more than 500 cases in a week — a number health officials said at the time was surely an undercount.

Similar trends have been reported in Union County, where 124 cases were reported throughout November, a significant drop from August, when the county tallied 568 cases as the delta variant rocked Oregon’s health care system. Weekly average case counts have dropped into single digits for most of November. The weekly average of three cases, reported on Wednesday, Dec. 1, marked the lowest average in Union County since July 18.

“Information about the omicron variant is still emerging, so it is difficult to say how this will impact disease trends locally,” said Carrie Brogoitti, public health administrator at the Center for Human Development, La Grande. “We continue to recommend the prevention strategies we have been using all along to slow the spread of all COVID-19 variants — vaccination, masking, improving ventilation, distancing and hand washing.”

Lowered numbers have been a cause for optimism among county officials, but Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage reminds residents to continue to be careful.

“We’re really happy the numbers are down,” she said. “No one really knows what will happen in the future, so we have to be cautious.”

Omicron wild card

However, as long as vaccination rates across the region remain among the lowest in Oregon, health officials voiced concern that infection could sweep through the region if the omicron variant proves more transmissible or deadly.

“As long as there is a reservoir for infection to happen, it will happen,” said Dr. Jon Hitzman, Umatilla County’s public health officer. He added: “Despite our best efforts, we remain one or two steps behind this virus.”

The omicron variant, which was in Europe before it was first reported in South Africa, has caused considerable panic worldwide. Last week, several countries immediately banned foreign travelers altogether as reports about the variant spread. Even the stock market took a brief but notable tumble in the wake of the news of the variant.

Three cases of the variant have so far been reported in the United States, and officials say that more will likely be reported in the coming days and weeks, the New York Times reported. With the upcoming influx of travel around the holidays, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday, Dec. 2, that international travelers are required to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of their departure for the United States. The mandate for masks on public transport was also extended to March 18.

The variant’s arrival also prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, Nov. 29, to change its messaging on booster shots, saying that people ages 18 and older “should” get a booster when they can.

Scientists expect to know more about the variant in the coming weeks. There is no reason to believe omicron is able to completely evade the vaccine’s protection, but it’s possible that the vaccine could be less protective.

Hitzman and Fiumara said it is best that residents practice patience as officials act quickly to learn more.

“It’s way too early to even begin to project how dangerous this is,” Hitzman said.

Holiday gatherings

Hitzman would not go as far as to discourage residents from gathering during the holidays, resigning to the fact that people will do what they want regardless of what he says. He said he will be gathering with his family — who are vaccinated — for the holidays, but added that they will not be having their annual Christmas party.

“Individual freedoms don’t remove our responsibility for taking care of our neighbors,” Hitzman said.

Beverage reflected a similar sentiment, noting that holiday travel caution should be a decision every individual considers carefully.

“We want to be cautious, but I would say that’s an individual decision,” she said. “If someone feels at risk meeting at a large family gathering, they should be cautious and make their own decision.”

Brogoitti emphasized that prevention strategies can go a long way during holiday travel — handwashing, wearing masks and distancing.

“We would also recommend that people who have not gotten their booster yet consider doing so now so they have this extra protection,” Brogoitti said.

Hitzman and other Eastern Oregon health officials are pushing for the same precautions they have for months: mask up while indoors, stay home when ill, and get vaccinated.

“This is a beatable virus, but it’s going to take everyone,” Hitzman said, adding, “Right now, it’s all hope.”