August 21, 2020 4:15 a.m.

Governor Kate Brown has announced changes to the County Watch List.

On Thursday, Brown said that Marion and Wasco counties have succeeded in reducing the spread of COVID-19 sufficiently to be removed from the list. Meanwhile, Jackson County has been added to the County Watch List. That brings the number of counties on the list to eight.

Brown applauded county officials and community members in Marion and Wasco counties for their efforts in reducing the spread of the virus.

A release said counties are placed on the Watch List when COVID-19 is spreading quickly and public health officials cannot trace that spread to specific sources – creating a potentially dangerous dynamic. Specific markers of this rapid community spread include when there is a sporadic case rate of 50 or more per 100,000 people in the last two weeks and the county has had more than five sporadic cases in the last two weeks. Counties remain on the Watch List for a minimum of three weeks and until their sporadic case rate drops below these thresholds.

The release said the County Watch List allows the state to prioritize resources and assistance to counties that are seeing the broadest spread of COVID-19. When a county is placed on the list, the Oregon Health Authority increases monitoring and communication, and deploys additional technical assistance and resources, such as epidemiological support, case investigation, and contact tracing help.

The complete County Watch List now includes Baker, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Malheur, Morrow, Multnomah and Umatilla counties.