Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

March 6, 2020

No new cases of COVID-19 this morning

Data are provisional and change frequently, but here are the current totals:

• 190 are still under monitoring
• 247 have either completed monitoring or were determined to have no risk
• Samples for 28 patients await results
• Samples for 64 patients have tested negative for COVID-19
• Samples for 3 patients have tested positive. One of the presumptive positive tests has been confirmed by the CDC. The other two are pending CDC confirmation.

Oregon adds new labs for COVID-19 testing

The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory continues to test for COVID-19 in Oregon. In addition, private labs operating in the state have begun testing for the virus.

Oregonians who are seeking a test for COVID-19 should call their doctor.

OHA has identified people at greatest risk from exposure to COVID-19. These groups include:

• People who traveled, in the last 14 days, from a country where COVID-19 is circulating.
• Anyone who had close, prolonged contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the last 14 days.
• Anyone who doesn’t have an epidemiological link to COVID-19, such as the above examples, but who meet the following criteria: 
  • Clinical illness requiring hospitalization.
  • Evidence of lower respiratory viral infection (viral pneumonia).
  • A negative influenza test.

Please remember:

• Health care providers may be limited in their ability to collect COVID-19 samples.
• To protect health care workers and other patients, it is recommended that medical staff who take samples take precautions that may not be available at every clinic.

Private labs will report lab results – including positive test results – to OHA as part of the state’s overall monitoring. Statewide information about those results are shared daily by OHA. In addition, OHA is continuing discussions with other labs to expand testing in Oregon.

Information about Oregon's current cases

The Oregon Health Authority’s mission is to protect the health of all Oregonians. In the past, OHA has limited the patient information the agency reports to protect patient rights, ensure patient privacy and help people feel comfortable cooperating with public health investigations.

OHA is also committed to providing accurate, timely and transparent information about COVID-19 and other disease so people can take informed steps to protect themselves, their families and their communities. 

Due to intense public interest about COVID-19, OHA has consulted with the Oregon Department of Justice and received approval to release the following information:

• Age range
• Gender
• Hospital status (if hospitalized)
• Hospital condition (if available)

For Oregon’s current three cases:

• Case number 1 (identified as presumptive positive case on February 28, 2020; confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 3, 2020) is a male, between 40-50 years old. He remains hospitalized and his status is currently unavailable.
• Case number 2 (identified as presumptive positive case on March 1, 2020; Oregon continues to await a confirmatory test from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is a female, between 40-50 years old. She is not hospitalized and is recovering from her illness.
• Case number 3 (identified as presumptive positive case on March 2, 2020; Oregon continues to await a confirmatory test from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is a male, between 60-70 years old and his status is currently unavailable.

We will continue to report on future presumptive positive COVID-19 cases, and will include hospitalization information if available.

Adding resources to our website

We continue to update our website with resources, a searchable frequently asked questions page and educational materials (like the graphic below) in multiple languages.