PENDLETON — Coronavirus cases are rising once again in Umatilla County.

The county is regularly reporting some of the highest daily case counts in Oregon as vaccination rates remain among the lowest in the state.

“As long as things stay where they are, Umatilla County is going to be a COVID hotbed,” Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock said.

Last week, the county reported 93 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, the highest total since the week ending May 16, according to county health officials. That’s up from 72 the previous week and 56 three weeks ago.

On Tuesday, July 13, the county reported 30 new cases, the highest daily total since Feb. 5 and the third highest of any county in Oregon that day. And on July 14, the county reported 27 new cases, the second most in the state, according to state data.

From July 9-11, the county reported the highest testing positivity rate in the state at 17.1%, according to the state.

Two Umatilla County residents have reportedly died from COVID-19 since mid-June, according to the county health department.

County officials reported the number of positive cases stemming from social gatherings is increasing, just as large summer events are underway and the state has lifted nearly all pandemic-related restrictions.

Officials said the vast majority of people contracting the virus are unvaccinated. Less than 40% of Umatilla County residents have been vaccinated against the virus, ranked sixth among Oregon counties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And with the highly contagious delta variant now having been confirmed in Umatilla County, those low vaccine rates are raising concerns among health officials who fear COVID-19 will remain resilient in Umatilla County for as long as people are unvaccinated.

“I think we’re sure to see some more embarrassing statistics,” Murdock said.

It is unclear to health officials how much of the latest COVID-19 spike in Umatilla County can be attributed to the delta variant. Officials said only a fraction of cases are sequenced to confirm if they are delta or not, and the state takes weeks to report those cases.