Oregon Reports 278 New COVID-19 Cases, Another Record, as Outbreak at Pentecostal Church Ravages Union County

The rural Eastern Oregon county accounts for 119 of the new cases.

Outside La Grande, Oregon in 1974. (USDA / Flickr)
By Rachel Monahan

For the second consecutive day, Oregon reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Today, there were 278 new cases statewide—a more than 50% increase over yesterday.

Again, the most cases were located in Union County. Today, the Oregon Health Authority reported 119 new cases there; yesterday saw 99.

Until yesterday, only 22 cases had previously been reported in the rural county in Eastern Oregon. It's now the county with the highest number of cases per capita in the state.

The Oregon Health Authority said 236 cases associated with the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Island City represented the state's largest single outbreak. (Five people have been hospitalized.)

The church has held at least two services in the past two months with more than 100 people present, The Observer of La Grande reported after watching Facebook videos of the church's services. "Participants were close enough to rub shoulders and no one was wearing face coverings," The Observer reported.

But in an indication that the numbers may represent just the beginning of the outbreak in Union County, 50% of the tests reported today in the county came back positive for COVID-19. OHA officials say they have tested the majority of church members, so they are hopeful they won't have a significant increase in cases in the future.

Multnomah County reported 42 new cases, continuing its steady upswing in the number of cases reported daily.

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