Feds sending Oregon major influx of up to 80,000 rapid COVID-19 tests a week
(Update: Adding OHA release)
Antigen tests can diagnose cases in 15 minutes, but gov says 'no cure-all'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a plan Tuesday to deploy a huge influx of rapid COVID-19 tests from the federal government -- some 60,000 to 80,000 a week.
The governor said Oregon will be receiving 60,000 to 80,000 COVID-19 rapid tests per week until the end of the year. The Abbott BinaxNOW antigen tests can diagnose cases of COVID-19 in 15 minutes.
“With this increased testing capacity, we hope to be able to diagnose more people quickly so they can get the care they need,” Brown said. “We want to identify more cases of COVID-19 so we can also isolate and quarantine people, helping contain the virus.
“Testing is an excellent tool in giving us a more full picture of where the virus is hiding in our communities. Unfortunately, it is not a cure-all or the solution to all of our problems.
“We cannot test our way out of this pandemic.
“Without all the other safety measures we continue to hammer home with you — the physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and wearing a mask — testing won’t do anything to stop COVID-19 in our communities. The events at the White House this past week have only reinforced that. We must continue to stay the course to save lives,” Brown said.
The new tests will be deployed statewide, with a focus first on counties and long-term care facilities that have been affected by wildfire evacuations, putting vulnerable residents and staff at higher risk for COVID-19.
Second, the tests will be deployed to outpatient and mobile COVID-19 testing locations, for symptomatic people and their close contacts, whether those contacts are showing symptoms.
Testing will also be prioritized for vulnerable communities, including:
- People from communities that have been hardest hit and most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, communities of color and tribal communities, and people living in congregate care settings.
- People living in places most vulnerable to COVID-19 spread, such as congregate care or living facilities, Department of Corrections facilities, and other community testing locations.
In order to ensure safety for Oregon students, tests also will be distributed to school-based health centers and other health care partners working with K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities, to support the testing of symptomatic students and staff, close contacts of cases, and to investigate outbreaks.
The Oregon Health Authority will maintain a strategic reserve of tests to address outbreaks beyond December, in the event the federal government runs low on testing supplies.
Health experts have cautioned that while antigen tests provide accurate positive results, they can produce false negatives for people with COVID-19.
Asked about President Trump's recent comments about COVID-19 and the White House-related outbreak, the governor said, "What's really clear is that we cannot test our way out of this pandemic, and flouting our safety protocols is a recipe for disaster."
The day after rallies in Bend, Salem and statewide, urging the governor to let public schools reopen, Brown said she and state health officials are looking at other states that have tried different metrics and "perhaps are seeing different results," as they consider the path forward.
"I know people question our decision not to close bars and restaurants," Brown said, but she reiterated that tracking of cases shows "informal social gatherings are really contributing to the spread of COVID."
"If we want infection rates down, and to get kids back in school, we all have to make sacrifices," she said, and "have to focus on extremely limiting social gatherings," especially as the state moves into the cold and rainy season that keeps more people indoors.
A full transcript of Governor Brown’s remarks is available here.
A recording of Governor Brown’s press conference is available here.
News release from Oregon Health Authority:
Major testing increase will bolster Oregon’s strategy to contain COVID-19
Today the Oregon Health Authority announced a major expansion of testing for COVID-19 in Oregon that will strengthen the state’s strategy to suppress the virus. Starting this week, Oregon will receive between 60,000 and 80,000 Abbott BinaxNOW rapid point-of-care antigen tests per week through the end of December.
Oregon will receive the new tests as a result of a time-limited supply of testing capacity federal officials have allocated to states.
The new additional rapid antigen tests will nearly double Oregon’s testing capacity, which will help physicians and health officials identify more people who are infected with COVID-19 and – over time – reduce transmission, prevent new cases (and hospitalizations) and sustain the state’s reopening.
OHA also broadened its testing guidelines to supplement the added testing capacity. The new guidelines recommend testing for anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 regardless of the severity of those symptoms, along with testing of all close contacts of those individuals, regardless of whether they shown symptoms.
The tests yield quick results, in as little as 15 minutes. But there are limitations. The rapid antigen tests must be administered by a trained professional or at a location that meets certain federal standards for laboratory testing.
As in other forms of COVID-19 testing, positive results are considered reliable. However, false negative tests are common, even among asymptomatic individuals.
Health officials cautioned that people who test negative under any form of COVID-19 test should continue to exercise caution and practice personal actions to prevent transmission. OHA public health physician Melissa Sutton, M.D., said, “Even if you have a negative test, it’s important to wear a mask, stay physically distant from other people (especially older peopleor those with underlying medical conditions), avoid large gatherings and wash your hands thoroughly.”
State health officials said the new tests will bolster a strategy that has kept Oregon’s COVID-19 case rates low compared to other states. Along with testing, Oregon’s strategy has relied on guidance that has emphasized face coverings and physical distancing, as well as robust case investigation and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, and targeted interventions in hotspot counties and for vulnerable populations. Since May, state and local health officials have more than doubled the number of contact tracers in Oregon – this week there are more than 1,290 contact tracers and case investigators working to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The first 15,000 BinaxNOW tests were deployed to counties and long-term care facilities affected by recent wildfires. In addition, OHA will prioritize testing for communities hardest hit by COVID-19:
- Migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
- Communities of color and tribal communities.
- Residents of congregate care settings.
Plans call for eventually expanding the testing to students and staff at schools and Oregon’s colleges and universities through school-based health centers and other community partners.
Some tests will be maintained as a strategic reserve to ensure a supply beyond December (when the current allocation is scheduled to end) and to be used to contain major outbreaks in counties.
