Local health officials request higher vaccine allocation Crook County residents ages 65 and older should be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine soon As vaccinations continue and more time passes since the holiday season, COVID cases are again on the decline. However, local case totals have yet to drop to a point where Crook County will move to a lower risk category and enable more businesses to open to indoor patronage. "I think that we are past that surge that we had over Christmas and New Year's," said Vicky Ryan, the local emergency preparedness coordinator with Crook County Health Department. When January began, the number of new and presumptive cases reported statewide averaged about 1,150 per day. During the second week of the month, that average dropped to about 1,093, according to Oregon Health Authority data. The final day of January where new and presumptive case totals exceeded 1,000 was Jan. 16, and since that date, the daily average has dropped to around 720.