UMATILLA COUNTY — A surge in newly reported COVID-19 cases on Monday, June 22, caused Umatilla County’s case count to soar past the 300 threshold.

According to a Umatilla County Public Health press release, the 52 new positive cases brings the county’s total to 304.

Despite the massive uptick in new cases, the public health department is reporting that all the new patients are recovering from home in self-isolation and the hospitalization count remains steady at three people. Since the beginning of the pandemic, four people have died from COVID-19 in the county.

While Umatilla County has so far been able to avoid the kind of massive outbreaks that plagued Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Union County or Tyson Fresh Meats in Walla Walla County, Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said a workplace has contributed to the latest set of cases. He declined to name the workplace, but added that the Oregon Health Authority was likely to identify the employer in the coming days.

While 52 new COVID-19 cases represents one of the largest reports since the onset of the pandemic, it also covers a longer period of time than the usual update.

In an effort to conserve resources, Fiumara said public health staff aren’t making daily updates over the weekend, meaning the Monday reports cover Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning.

“Truth be told, we’re fighting burnout with some of our staff,” he said.

The active case count, which now stands at 131, is beginning to catch up with the recovery count at 169.

While cases go up across the county, most patients are recovering from home rather than the hospital. Fiumara attributes this trend to the age demographics of COVID-19 patients: the largest group of coronavirus patients are residents 20-29, a group that has tended to show more resilience to the virus than older subgroups.

There have now been 2,969 tests in Umatilla County, with 281 coming positive and the rest considered presumptive because the patient is showing COVID-19 symptoms and had contact with a previously positive case.

While Umatilla County doesn’t have the most cases or the highest rate, it’s nearly 10% positive test rate counts is among the highest in Oregon. Fiumara speculated that it’s been more selective in who it tests, directing more tests toward people with symptoms or people in contact with confirmed cases rather than testing a wider swath of the population.

The county is continuing to advise seniors and the medically vulnerable to stay home regardless of their health in addition to frequent and thorough hand washing by all residents and social distancing of at least 6 feet when leaving home.

The county is also cautioning against employees going into work while sick, adding that it has found evidence of employees trying to work through illness.

Now, more than ever, it is important for businesses to ensure that employees are not coming to work sick,” the press release states. “Employees may feel internal and external pressure to work through mild illness. Businesses are encouraged to develop flexible leave policies to support employees who become ill and establish procedures for sending employees who are not feeling well home.”

Fiuamara expects to “stay the course” during the current rise in cases, continuing its focus on encouraging healthy and hygienic practices.

Neighboring Morrow County is going through unprecedented COVID-19 growth of its own.

Morrow County Emergency Management reported nine new cases on June 22, bringing the county up to 36.

Boardman, Irrigon and the combined communities of Heppner, Ione and Lexington all saw new cases, although the northern side of the county continues to outpace its southern counterpart.

All of Morrow County’s positive coronavirus patients are recovering from home rather than the hospital. The county reported its first local death on June 19, a 53-year-old man who had underlying health conditions who died at his home.