SALEM, Ore. — The White House told governors their leadership is critical in testing for the coronavirus, providing a map showing that Oregon is among four states with the lowest testing capacity in the United States.
Oregon, Montana, Oklahoma and Maine are able to test fewer than 30 in 1,000 people a month, according to an email sent Monday by the White House coronavirus task force.
The states with the highest monthly testing capacity — more than 90 in 1,000 people — are Wyoming, Utah and Vermont, the email said.
Rapid and efficient testing is needed to identify where the virus is emerging and allow authorities to track people who may have been exposed, according to the email, which Gov. Kate Brown's office released after a public records request by The Oregonian/OregonLive. It also gives states a tool as they decide when and how to start lifting stay-at-home orders.
The email listed dozens of hospitals, universities and medical centers that perform testing in Oregon, but only one lab capable of processing lots of swabs at one time.
The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the state's testing capacity.
The Oregon Health Authority, meanwhile, announced Tuesday that it revised guidelines for COVID-19 testing to prioritize at-risk groups and front-line workers.
The guidelines urge health workers to potentially increase testing for those living or working in group facilities; those part of underserved and marginalized populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups; and essential workers, including medical and grocery store employees.
“By focusing clinicians’ attention on testing certain groups — including those most at risk for contracting severe forms of COVID-19 — we are making sure people who need to be tested are getting tested and getting the information and treatment they need to manage COVID-19,” state health officer Dean Sidelinger said.
He said increased testing in specific areas will help authorities and partners understand and manage the epidemic.
Also Tuesday, the health agency announced three more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 78, and 46 additional confirmed cases. Of roughly 41,000 people tested in Oregon, 2,002 have tested positive.
A big component of managing the epidemic, Sidelinger has said, is ensuring that people maintain social distancing and obey closures.
On the Oregon coast, two surfers are accused of ignoring signs about closures at Otter Rock Marine Reserve and climbing over a chain-link fence blocking beach access Monday.
When they climbed back over the fence, a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy was waiting.
The 20-year-old and 19-year-old men, both of Cottage Grove, were cited for criminal trespassing, the sheriff's office said.