Coronavirus tests in Oregon have plummeted in recent weeks, returning to levels not seen since November and far outpacing the decline in newly diagnosed cases.
Oregon’s average number of daily checkups has dropped 34% since December 17, but confirmed and presumed infections have dropped just 10%.
The Oregon Health Authority was examined in the fall on what appeared to be mediocre testing progress, prompting the agency to change the way it reports the volume of tests to show that the gains were made. But a new analysis by The Oregonian / OregonLive found that test numbers later failed during the holidays and have not yet recovered.
State officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Oregon Health Authority reported 10 more deaths and 939 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, marking the third time last week that the cases were below 1,000.
It is not immediately clear what is causing the decline in testing – less sick Oregon residents, inadequate access to tests, less vacation testing, some combination of the three or something else. Active hospitalization – a consistent measure of serious cases in the community – has dropped about a quarter since December 17.
Oregon tracks the test volume, disclosing the number of electronic laboratory reports received. The tests peaked on December 17, with a seven-day average of 25,184, but have now dropped to 16,723, almost the same level as the November 15 tests.
Meanwhile, confirmed or suspected infections have increased in the past week. The average positivity rate for the Oregon test, 7.5%, is a complete point higher than it was on December 17.
State officials are nervous. Recent models suggest that Oregon may see more cases in the coming weeks, and Governor Kate Brown said the potential winter wave has the potential to break the records set this fall.
Where the new cases are by municipality: Baker (1), Benton (13), Clackamas (87), Clatsop (1), Columbia (14), Coos (15), Crook (1), Deschutes (38), Douglas (16), Hood River (3) , Jackson (40), Jefferson (5), Josephine (38), Lane (61), Lincoln (8), Linn (13), Malheur (2), Marion (110), Morrow (8), Multnomah (16) , Polk (40), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (63), Union (5), Wasco (7), Washington (314) and Yamhill (18).
Deaths: Oregon’s 1,604th coronavirus-related death was a 73-year-old woman from Jefferson County who tested positive on December 25 and died on January 9 at St. Charles Medical Center – Bend.
The 1,605th fatality is a 57-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive on December 18 and died on January 9 at Oregon Health & Science University.
Oregon’s 1,606th death was an 88-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on December 23 and died on January 7 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
The 1,607th fatality is a 53-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on December 28 and died on January 8 at the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Riverbend.
Oregon’s 1,608th death is from a 91-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 13 and died on December 21 at his home.
The 1,609th fatality is a 91-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 3 and died on December 11 at her home.
Oregon’s 1,610th death was a 74-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 18 and died on December 30 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.
The 1,611th fatality is a 95-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on January 1 and died on January 8 at Adventist Health Portland.
Oregon’s 1,612th death was a 93-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on December 15 and died on January 2 at her home.
The 1,613th fatality is a 98-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive on December 29 and died on January 4 at her home.
Each person had underlying health problems.
Not yet included in the official state count is a prisoner from the Two Rivers Correctional Institution who died on January 10 after a positive coronavirus test, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. He was between 70 and 80 years old.
The Oregon Health Authority also removed two deaths from its official death count that were reported twice.
The prevalence of infections: The state reported 923 new positive tests out of 12,934 tests performed, equaling a positivity rate of 7.1%.
Who was infected: State officials have not provided detailed age data since Friday. Since then, new confirmed or suspected infections have grown in the following age groups: 0-9 (147); 10-19 (442); 20-29 (897); 30-39 (682); 40-49 (559); 50-59 (444); 60-69 (295); 70-79 (175); 80 and older (102).
Who is in the hospital: The state reported that 409 Oregon residents with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital on Monday, six more than Sunday. Of these, 84 were in intensive care units, the same as on Sunday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon administered 104,595 doses of 270,800 received, or 39% of its supply.
Since it started: Oregon reported 126,607 confirmed or suspected infections and 1,613 deaths, among the lowest totals in the country. To date, the state has reported 2,839,839 test lab reports.
– Brad Schmidt; [email protected]; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt