After seeing a downward trend in case numbers for a number of weeks, North Central Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Mimi McDonell told Wasco County Commissioners Wednesday that the County is now at 212 total COVID-19 cases for the pandemic, up five from numbers released on Tuesday.  McDonell told the Commission investigation into the new cases is continuing, but one is from a workplace, one is a close contact, and the others at this point are sporadic in nature.  The cases figure to bump up the County’s case rate for the current week out of the standard for being able to open schools to in-person learning, and McDonell points out in small population counties it doesn’t take much for that to happen.  Last week’s positive test rate in Wasco County was down under one percent, and the case rate was down to four per 100,000 residents, but that will go up for this current week.