The COVID Outbreak From the Pendleton Round-Up Hits Tribes

On Sept. 24, the board governing the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation declared a new public health emergency.

Storm clouds above the Blue Mountains. (Bonnie Moreland / Flickr)

Oregon’s COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions ended in June, around the time the state hit a 70% vaccination rate for adults. But on Sept. 24, the board governing the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation declared a new public health emergency.

It reinstated limits on social gathering—no more than six people from only two households; only immediate family at funerals; and limited capacity at restaurants and the casino.

The decision came just six days after the Pendleton Round-Up, when it was clear that a COVID-19 outbreak was underway, sparked by the iconic rodeo.

The Round-Up outbreak is among the biggest stories in the state. Less notice has been given to its effect on the Umatilla tribes.

The Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, which provides health care to some 3,000 patients, including residents of the reservation, Native Alaskans and American Indians in Umatilla and Union counties, saw 123 new cases last week. (The reservation has had four deaths since the beginning of the pandemic and still has a low vaccination rate: just 48% of residents.)

To better understand the dynamics in the northeastern corner of the state, WW asked Aaron Hines, interim CEO of the health center, about this COVID-19 outbreak.

WW: Did you expect an outbreak after the rodeo?

Aaron Hines: Leading up to the Pendleton Round-Up, we were preparing for a potential surge, just knowing that the type of large event that draws thousands of people definitely has that high possibility of being a superspreader event.

The same was true for the Whiskey Fest concert that was held in July, as well as many of the other local area fairs and rodeos that had taken place over the summer. So we did our best to prepare for and to be ready for a surge post-Round-Up.


Should the Pendleton Round-Up have been canceled?

I’ll speak to what the tribe endorsed. They released a statement encouraging people to stay home. But we still had a lot of participation at the event.

Gov. Kate Brown has placed the onus on individuals since vaccinations became abundant. Why declare a public health emergency?

Our community is small here. We all know each other. And so to see COVID affect any one of us, it affects all of us. And so I think having that close-knit relationship with everybody out here, maybe it’s easier for us to say we need to take appropriate actions to help protect ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, our family, or community because it is devastating. The four losses that we’ve had have had a huge impact on our community.

Is the worst of the Round-Up outbreak over for the clinic?

We do believe that we’ve hit our peak from that surge and we’re on the downhill side of it, but we’ll continue to monitor on a daily basis our case count.

Why aren’t more of your patients vaccinated?

We have a lot of individuals who have their concerns with the vaccine. And so we try to make sure that we’re getting out good information and good education regarding the vaccine and why it’s beneficial and why it can help. Like most of the rest of the country, we’re dealing with trying to combat fake news that’s out there regarding the vaccine.

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