Today, the Malheur County Health Department reported the second positive case of COVID-19. The person who has tested positive is female and between ages 10 and 19. She lives in Malheur County and is isolated at home. The case investigation is underway.

Our thoughts are with those who are sick and their families. It is important that everyone follows the social distancing measures that do work to reduce transmission. Current state estimates for the impact of the Stay Home, Save Lives order are that transmission has been reduced by 50-75%. If people don’t continue to follow the guidance, we will see a dramatic increase in cases. When more people are sick, more people will need critical care, which puts a great strain on our health care system.

“Most people will be sick for a few days and get well. Viruses have different symptoms for different people. Those who need to see a provider are those who have a severe cough, trouble breathing, or other severe symptoms,” Malheur County Health Department Medical Officer Dr. Morris Smith shared. “Those with less symptoms need to stay home to prevent spreading the virus. We’ve had other viruses, flu, and this is the time for allergies, too. If you’re not sure if you have a virus or not, still stay home and monitor your symptoms, especially fever.”

As more positive cases are reported, we will not report each case with press releases and will release all new information on our COVID-19 Cases page. The public are welcome to contact the Health Department directly at 541-889-7279 for updates, but please note that we can not share protected identifying information about cases. Anyone with questions about their own symptoms should call their health care provider directly.